“In the Moscow Gazette of November 5, 1867, Dostoevsky had read about the case of a peasant Balabanov who had killed the artisan Suslov. They were drinking and taking a bite together, and Suslov showed the other his silver watch. When Suslov prepared to set up the samovar, Balabanov took a kitchen knife from the table, approached Suslov, and, with the words ‘Bless, O Lord; forgive me for Christ’s sake,’ slit his throat. Balabanov was a peasant of Yaroslav Province, Myshkin district. Such is the origin of Prince Myshkin’s name.”
Dostoevsky His Life and Work, Konstantin Mochulsky (trans. Michael A. Minihan)…. Myshkinsky District (Also, a footnote mentions that mysh is the Russian word for mouse.)
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