I’m Braxton Boyer, a Ph.D. student in Russian literature at the University of Toronto. 

Most of my academic life revolves around the later writings of Leo Tolstoy and Russian religious thought and culture in general. My main interest is exploring how religious belief and spirituality influence literary form. I also like thinking about the reverse — how literature influences religion and spirituality. 19th-century Russian Realism has always fascinated me precisely because of this interplay of literature as an art and as a vehicle for religious thought. (I really enjoy Russian modernism for the same reason!)

Although I chose the other “giant” of Russian Realism as my main focus of research, I have a special love for Dostoevsky — The Brothers Karamazov is my favorite novel from any writer anywhere — and I’m excited to dive into the Digital Humanities through him. I hope you enjoy following our Digital Dostoevsky project as much as we have enjoyed (and are still enjoying) creating it!