Anna Dostoevskaya began her association with Fyodor Dostoevsky as a trained stenographer. In October 1866 she took his dictation for The Gambler, helping him complete the manuscript before a publishing deadline that threatened serious financial consequences. They married in February 1867. During four years abroad she continued to assist his work while managing the difficulties of travel, debt, gambling losses, and the care of their growing family.

After their return to Russia in 1871, Anna assumed responsibility for the family's finances and publishing arrangements. From 1873 she organized editions of her husband's works, overseeing printing, sales, and distribution. Her business management helped clear debts and gave the household greater financial stability. She also transcribed literary dictation. These activities made her a professional collaborator and publisher as well as the person responsible for much of the family's domestic organization.

Following Dostoevsky's death in 1881, Anna devoted decades to preserving and presenting his literary legacy. She collected manuscripts, correspondence, photographs, and personal objects, supervised editions, and supported commemorative projects. Material she assembled helped establish a Dostoevsky collection at Moscow's Historical Museum. Her memoirs and the shorthand diary of her European travels became important sources for his working and family life, although they reached print after her death. She died in Yalta in 1918.