The complete works of F.M. Dostoevsky were published both before 1917 and after—God knows how many times. The sixth edition, published in St. Petersburg in 1906, consisted of 14 volumes. During the Soviet era, the complete works comprised just 33 books. Nowadays, it numbers as many as 35. However, it is not the volumes that interest us, but the content. Most of these editions include Dostoevsky’s letters to one of the greatest women of Kharkiv—Khristina Danilovna Alchevska.

Fyodor Mikhailovich wrote her enthusiastic letters on March 3, April 9, May 29, and June 1, 1876. But what did Khristina Danilovna write to the great Russian writer? What were her impressions of her meetings with him?

We can learn about this from her book, published in 1912, *Thoughts and Experiences: Diaries, Letters, and Memoirs*.

Due to a number of publications, we have come to think of Alchevska as an elderly woman with gray hair. However, literally from the very first pages of the book, we encounter a young, beautiful woman, full of enthusiasm and energy. Throughout these 466 pages, Alchevskaya comes across as lively, authentic, and sincere.

Alchevskaya, who was telling Fyodor Mikhailovich about the city and life there. She mentioned that there was a very good doctor in Kharkiv named Vladislav Frankovsky. She was delighted that, during their conversation, Turgenev had said, “I love Little Russia very much…”

We will certainly be posting material soon about correspondence with Dostoevsky and interactions with Turgenev and Leo Tolstoy.

However, there is something else that is important to understand right now. An invaluable, unique, and fascinating source on the history of Kharkiv—H.D. Alchevska’s book *Reflections and Experiences*—has still not been reprinted.