Book “Pros and Cons. Notes on Dostoevsky” is essentially V. Shklovsky’s first work about this writer. It was created at a time when an intense interest in Dostoevsky was revived in Soviet literary criticism, some recent, sharply critical concepts were being re-evaluated, the historical significance of Dostoevsky’s literary work was being revealed, and the real contradictions of his worldview and creativity were being clarified. In 1956, the 75th anniversary of Dostoevsky's death was widely celebrated; Many books, articles, and collections have been published. The title of the book is taken from Dostoevsky - this is the title of one of the parts of his last novel “The Brothers Karamazov” (“Pro and contra”); These words can indicate the main meaning of the writer’s internal struggles.