-Essay- BEIRUT — The peasants of Tsarist Russia are among the most wrenched characters in Fyodor Dostoevsky’s novels and short stories in the second half of the 19th century. Readers of Dostoevsky can never forget his detailed description of the life of the Russian peasant, completely isolated, impoverished and miserable as they emerged from the serfdom system of the time. The world of that peasant was nothing more than the daily, arduous pursuit of gaining the minimum to survive — just to survive. Despite this, we find he lives a rich spiritual life surrounded by icons of saints and martyrs, …