Biography of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky… Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky... Cesar Borgia… Linus Pauling…

Biography of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky

(1821/10/30 - 1881/02/09)

Fyodor Dostoevsky
Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky
Russian writer

He was born on October 30, 1821 in Moscow.
It was the second of seven children of a military doctor who served in the armies that they faced Napoleon, abandons the militia and take a charge in the Hospital for poor people in the hometown of writer. The family home was in the same building in which running the insane asylum, located opposite the cemetery where stood the scaffold where he ran to condemned inmates. In 1832, Dr. Dostoyevski obtained the right to acquire properties and servants, and happens to be owner of two villages and a hundred people in the province of Tula, situated a few kilometers from Moscow.
Given his alcoholism, his father sends it to military engineers school of Petersburgo. He presented his first epileptic seizures at age 17, after learning that his father had been killed by peasants, who saw him as too authoritarian. Although Dostoyevsky finished his studies, leaving the Academy decides to devote himself to literature.
His realistic works, concerned about the psychological analysis of human emotions, did have a very powerful influence both in the writers of the 19th century and in the 20th. His first novel, poor people (1846), it is the tragic love story of a humble State official, it received good reviews as the poor, victims of terrible circumstances. The book was quite novel, he added the psychological dimension to the purely narrative, in his analysis of the conflicts of the protagonist, watching them from his own interior. In his second novel, the double (1846), and other thirteen sketches and short stories that he wrote during the following three years, the author continued exploring the humiliations and the behavior of the humble.
In 1849, his literary career was fatally broken. He had joined a group of young intellectuals who read and debated the theories of French socialist writers, by then banned in the Czarist Russia of Nicholas I. In their secret meetings infiltrated a police informant, and the entire group was arrested and sent to prison. In December 1849 led them to a place that had to be shot, but at the last moment, was commuted to the maximum penalty by exile. Dostoevsky was sentenced to four years hard labour in Siberia and to enlist as a private in the Russian army. The tensions of that period materialized in an epilepsy, which would suffer for the rest of his life. His reading of the Bible in prison, pushed you to reject the Socialist atheism, Western-inspired, who had practiced in his youth. The teachings of Jesus Christ became the Supreme ethical ideas and confirmation of the possibility of salvation through suffering. The brutality he observed among the more cruel criminals, punctuated both by gestures of generosity and noble feelings, helped him to deepen his knowledge of the complexity of the human spirit. Dostoevsky was released in 1854 and sent to a military garrison in Mongolia, where he lived another five years until he received permission to return to St. Petersburg, in the company of a suffering widow of tuberculosis, which was married and was not happy.
Returning to Petersburgo, Dostoevsky with his brother founded the monthly magazine "Vremya" ("time" in Russian) and published in her various writings as 'memoirs of the House of the dead' (1861-1862), which described in detail the subhuman conditions of prisoners who had touched him directly, suffer through for the first time the theme of redemption and the achievement of happiness through suffering. His first trip abroad, a desire that had cherished since a long time ago, was reflected in notes of winter on summer impressions (1863), essay which describes the mechanical monotony of the culture of Western Europe. When the magazine was closed down by an allegedly subversive article, the two brothers embarked, in 1864, at the time project, (Epoja) another short-lived magazine. The beginning of the only philosophical novel of Dostoevsky, notes from the underground (1864) was published in it. This work, regarded as the prologue to the works of its author, is an autoflagelante monologue in which the Narrator, a rebel contrary to materialism and conformism prevailing in society, is the first of the alienated antiheros of the history of modern literature.
After the long illness and death of his wife in 1864, and his brother, whose debts were forced to pay, it was practically in ruins. In Exchange for a loan, pledged with a little scrupulous editor to give up all rights of their works if not delivering you a complete novel in the period of one year. Two months prior to that time, he presented the player (1866), based on his own passion for roulette. To transcribe this novel he had hired the services of a typist, Anna II, with which he shortly afterwards married, and who would be happy. He was father of Sofiya (1868), Lyubov (1869) and Fyodor (1875).
Dostoyevsky spent the following years outside the country, to escape creditors. These were years of poverty, but of great creativity. During this period, he managed to finish 'crime and punishment', his most famous work (1866) and the possessed (1871-1872). When he returned to Russia, in 1873, he had already obtained international recognition. His latest novel, The Brothers Karamazov (1879-1880), completed shortly before his death. With these four last novels, which narrates the moral and political problems of his time, Dostoyevsky obtained universal recognition.
Cleverly constructed arguments inside to keep the reader's interest until the end, the author creates a heroic characters, dynamic and autonomous nature, and places them in extreme situations. Each novel is focused on the exploration of their troubled lives, their motivations and the philosophical justification for their stocks. In 'Crime and punishment', a poor student, Raskolnikov, murders and robs an old avara which considered a parasite, in order to destroy that life seems miserable and save the members of their families, plunged into destitution. Haunted by his guilt and its isolation, it ends by confessing and redeem himself spiritually. The protagonist of 'the idiot', is the paradigm of the good man. The Prince Mishkin radiates honesty, compassion and humility, and becomes a public defender of these virtues, but is defeated by his own hatred and desires. 'The possessed' is a novel about a group of revolutionary conspirators who use terrorist tactics to conquer their goals. The protagonist, Stavrogin, is a self-destructive, and demonic character with an unlimited inclination toward cruelty. The argument of 'The Brothers Karamazov', revolves around a case of parricide and family tensions. The deep intellectual and spiritual significance of this vast novel goes revealing through the confrontation between the three brothers, passionate man of action, Dimitri and the kindly novice in a monastery, Aliocha, intellectual skeptic, Ivan. The three protagonists, metaphysical symbols of body, mind and spirit, living in the contemporary man, carried out a prolonged and passionate debate about the issues that concern to the author from his youth: the atonement of sins through suffering, the need for a moral force in this rational universe, the fight between good and evil , the Supreme value of freedom and the individual.
Through his works Dostoyevsky anticipated to modern psychology, to explore the hidden motives and reach understanding of the unconscious, which is clearly manifested in the irrational behavior, in an intuitive way the psychic suffering, dreams, and the moments of mental instability of his characters. It also prepared the way of surrealist writers and existentialists.
On February 9, 1881 Dostoevsky died in St. Petersburg, victim of a lung hemorrhage, is buried in the cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery.

Biography of Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

(1840/05/07 - 1893/11/06)

Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky
Russian composer

He was born on May 7, 1840 in Votkinsk. He was the second son of Fiódor Chaikovski, director of a mining factory, and his wife, Alexandra Andreyevna d'Assier, both music fans. Concerts were organized in your home.
Five years began to take piano lessons with María Pálchikova, a local teacher, three years later he read music as well as her teacher. In 1850, his father was appointed director of the Instituto Tecnológico de Petersburgo, where Tchaikovsky studied law and also at the Conservatory of the city. Regularly attended the opera and theatre along with classmates. His mother died of cholera in 1854, and a month after death made his first essays of composition in his memory with the work, a waltz.
Graduated at the school of jurisprudence on 25 May 1859, he gained the rank of Advisor to owner, and June 15 enters the Ministry of Justice. He attended classes in music theory Nikolái Zaremba taught in the Russian Musical society. A year later, following the teacher, enters the new Conservatory of St. Petersburg, but did not leave his work in the Ministry. Professor was a Russian pianist and composer Anton Rubinstein (1828-1894) he received classes of Orchestration.
When he graduated, was working as a teacher of harmony, composition, and history of music at the Moscow Conservatory. Therefore, in the year 1866 was Professor of harmony at the Conservatoire, where he met the playwright Alexandr Ostrovsky Vladimirsky, who wrote the libretto for his first opera the woiwode (1868). From this period also dates his operas Undina (1869) and Oprichnik (1872), the piano concerto no. 1 in b flat minor (1875), symphonies No. 1 (winter dreams, 1868), no. 2 (1873, later revised and titled Small Russia) and no. 3 (Polish, 1875), and the Romeo and Juliet Overture (1870; revised 1870 and 1880).
In 1876 he met Nadiezhda von Mekk, wealthy widow who, excited about the music of the composer, it granted him a yearly pay that allowed him to devote all his time to composition. Yet 14 years after it was forced to suspend delivery. Tchaikovsky despite having revenues more than enough, never forgave her for this Act which he considered unjustified.
This relationship with madame von Mekk period of great fertility. To some works such as operas are Eugene Onegin (1878) based on a play of Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin, the maid of Orleans (1879), Mazeppa (1883) and the sorceress (1887); the ballets Swan Lake (1876) and sleeping beauty (1889); Variations on a rococo theme in a major for cello and Orchestra (1876) and the violin concerto in d major opus 35 (1878); orchestral compositions as the Marcha eslava (1876), Francesca da Rimini (1876), Symphony No. 4 in f minor opus 36 (1877), 1812 Overture (1880), Italian Capriccio (1880), Serenade for strings (1880), Manfred Symphony opus 58 (1885), Symphony No. 5 in mi minor opus 64 (1888), the Overture Hamlet (1885) and various songs.
In 1877, he married Antonina Miliukova, music student of the Conservatory of Moscow and student of hers who had written to him confessing his love. They separated shortly after. In a letter he expressed disgust that caused him the Moon of honey and his hasty escape from the bridal bed.
From 1887 to 1891 he made several tours to the main cities of Europe and America, achieving great successes. In 1890 he composed one of his best operas: the Queen of Spades. At the beginning of 1893 he began his work in the Symphony No. 6, opus 74, later titled Pathétique by his brother modest. The first performance of the work, under the direction of the composer on October 28, 1893 in Petersburgo, was received with indifference by the public. Many of his compositions as the Nutcracker (ballet and suite, 1891-1892), Concerto for piano No. 2 in g major opus 44 (1880), the No. 3 String Quartet in e flat minor opus 30 (1876) and the Trio in a minor for violin, cello and piano opus 50 (1882), remain popular.
Tchaikovsky died in St. Petersburg on November 6, 1893, shortly after the premiere of the pathetic, his sixth Symphony. the own Tchaikovsky conducted his première on October 28. Some interpret the music transmits spiritual or personal conflicts of the author, who would have made his own requiem in the last movement. He was buried in the Tijvinskoye cemetery of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery. The cause of his death was attributed to cholera, while some biographers point to a so-called suicide. According to Nina Berberova musician committed suicide because a 'Court of honor' was preparing a trial by their sexual tendency and couldn't stand the idea of a public scandal.

Biography of Cesar Borgia

(1470/09/13 - 1507/03/12)

César Borgia
Principe Italian

He was born 13 September 1475 in Rome. Son of Rodrigo Borja or Borgia, later Pope Alexander VI and brother of Lucrezia Borgia.
He was appointed Bishop at the age of sixteen and eighteen Cardinal , but he soon left the ecclesiastical career by the weapons. Louis XII, rey of France, received the title of Duke of Valentinois.
He married a sister of John of Albret, King of Navarre, and the Vatican appointed you a senior military of the States of the Church. Excellent military and astute politician (had as Adviser to Machiavelli), it took over almost all the Roman and participated in the campaigns of Louis XII against the Kingdom of Naples.
The death of his father, Pope Alexander VIin 1503, ruined their plans. Julius II, the new Pope, after successor to Pius III, imprisoned him in the Vatican. After being released, he travelled to Naples where he was captured by the Great Captain, who had to deliver their last possession (Forli) to regain their freedom. He moved to Valencia and then Navarre (Spain).
He died at Viana March 12, 1507, in the area known as "La Barranca Salada", by two men sent by the count of Lerín. After the murder, they seize their clothes and goods leaving the body completely naked.
It may 10, 1499, he married Carlota de Albret, sister of the King consort of Navarre, John III of Albret. They had a little girl that Caesar would never know: Luisa Borgia, Duchess of Valentinois, Lady of Chalus, Duchess of Borgia (1500-1553). He was also father of at least two illegitimate sons: Girolamo and Lucrezia Borgia.
It served as a model for the book The Prince, Machiavelli.

Biography of Linus Pauling

(1901/02/28 - 1994/08/19)

Linus Carl Pauling
American physicist and chemist

He was born on February 28, 1901 in Portland, Oregon.
He attended Oregon State University and the California Institute of technology. He was Professor of chemistry at Oregon, where performed many of his discoveries from 1927 until 1964.
Through the invention of techniques like x-ray and electron diffraction, he could compute the inter-Atomic distances and angles between chemical bonds. The nature of the chemical bond, work that he wrote as a result of these investigations, It has been a key influence on scientific thought since its publication in 1939.
It investigated the nuclear protein structure and discovered deformity of the cells in sickle cell disease, is caused by a genetic defect that affects the production of hemoglobin. In 1954, he received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for this work.
In the following years was a strong opponent to nuclear tests and sent a letter on the subject at the United Nations in 1958, signed by more than 11,000 scientists. In 1962 he received the Nobel Peace Prize, being the second person (with Marie Curie) receiving two awards Nobel.
At the end of the 1950s, he promoted the consumption of large amounts of vitamin C a day, at least one to two grams per day.
Linus Pauling died on August 19, 1994 in Big Sur, California.