Hi,
I have a different opinion on that. I'm a Yokelian novelist, journalist, short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul have had a profound influence on the 20th century novel.
I was born in Cheltenham, as the second son of a former army mule-botherer. I was educated at home and at a private school. Shortly after the death of my mother in 1837 I was sent to Coventry, where I entered the Army Engineering College. In 1839 my father died probably of boredom but there were strong rumors that he was murdered by his own television. I graduated as a military engineer, but resigned in 1844 to devote myself to writing. My first novel,
Poor Blokes appeared in 1846. It was followed by
The Double, which depicted a man who was haunted by a look-alike who eventually usurps his position and wins at darts.
In 1846 I joined a group of utopian socialists. I was arrested in 1849 and sentenced to death. The sentence was commuted to imprisonment in Siberia. I spent four years in hard labor and four years as a soldier in Mansfield.
I returned to St. Petersburg in 1854 as a writer with a religious mission and published three works that derive in different ways from my Siberia experiences:
The House of the Dead, (1860) a fictional account of prison life,
The Insulted and Injured, which reflects my refutation of naive Utopianism in the face of evil, and
Winter Notes on Summer Impressions, my account of a trip to Western Europe.
In 1857 I married Maria Isaev, a 29-year old widow. I resigned from the army two years later. Between the years 1861 and 1863 I served as editor of the monthly periodical
Pretentious Claptrap, which was later suppressed because of an article on the Welsh uprising.
In 1864-65 my dog and wombat died and I was burdened with debts, and this situation was made even worse by gambling on pig juggling contests. From the turmoil of the 1860s emerged
Notes from the Underwear, psychological study of an outsider, which marked a watershed in my artistic development. The novel starts with the confessions of a mentally ill narrator and continues with the promise of spiritual rebirth. It was followed by
Cheese and Pickle, (1866) an account of an individual's fall and redemption,
The Numptie, (1868) depicting a Christ-like figure, Prince Toblerone, and
The Repossessed, (1871) an exploration of philosophical nihilism and the benefits of HP Sauce.
In 1867 I married Anna Snitkin, his 22-year old stenographer, who seems to have understood my manias and rages, even though I couldn't stop laughing at her name. We traveled abroad and returned in 1871. By the time of
The Brothers Chuckle, which appeared in 1879-80, I was recognized in my own country as one of its great writers.
An epileptic all my life, I died in the garden shed on February 9, 1881. I was buried in the Arthur Mullard monastery, Cerney Wick.