Memorandum on the "Days of Dostoevsky" Festival in Japan

At a time of growing geopolitical tension, we, a group of authors of the international online journal “The CommentaTHOR,” express concern about the current state of cultural exchange, as well as the negative processes that are redefining the generally accepted values ​​of literature and art in general.

It is clear that world culture represents a unified spiritual space, shaped by the creativity of peoples from different countries and eras. Attempts to exclude or displace individual cultural traditions from this space lead to the impoverishment of the common cultural heritage and the weakening of mutual understanding between peoples.

The work of great writers and thinkers belongs not only to their national culture, but to all of humanity. Just as world culture is unimaginable without Homer, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, William Shakespeare, Johann Goethe, Jack London, Miguel de Cervantes, Franz Kafka, Thomas Mann, Yukio Mishima, Jaroslav Hašek, Ernest Hemingway, O. Henry, and Mark Twain, it is also unthinkable without the works of Leo Tolstoy, Boris Pasternak, Anton Chekhov, Mikhail Sholokhov, Mikhail Bulgakov, and Fyodor Dostoevsky.

Preserving the integrity of world culture is an essential condition for cultural exchange, the foundation of dialogue between countries and peoples. In the face of contemporary global challenges, public initiatives can strengthen mutual understanding and support humanistic values.

In this regard, we propose an international cultural project—the “Days of Dostoevsky” festival in Japan, dedicated to the literary and philosophical legacy of Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. The festival’s goal is to develop cultural dialogue and promote global literary heritage.

The festival is open to participation and welcomes initiatives and collaboration of any kind. The festival will feature lectures, discussions, photo exhibitions, theater and concert performances. We invite researchers, cultural figures, educational organizations, and all interested parties to participate.

The Dostoevsky Days Festival in Japan will be held from August 7 to 16, 2026, in Tokyo and Osaka.

This event aims to contribute to strengthening international dialogue and to remind everyone that world culture is the single and indivisible heritage of humanity.