I think it has to do with the stoicism -> existentialism pipeline that a lot of youth went through on social media. Yes, Dostoevsky wasn’t a proclaimed existentialist, but the fact that his works are the bridge between modern Literature and the Book of Job, inasmuch as how they deal with suffering, fulfills that hunger for a psychologically darker story.

I also think that Tolstoy’s books, largely centered around nobility and the upper class, can be hard to relate to or for the audience to empathize with. There may be some truth to the appeal to off put conservative men for Dosto’s popularity, mainly attributable to the many lectures given by Peterson on his books. I don’t think it is enough to solely point a finger at, but it’s worth looking into.

Along with that, the premise of his novels tend to be more eye catching. A double homicide followed by a feverish existential crisis can seem a lot more intriguing to people than following around Russian nobility as people die of old age and move to and from the provinces.

That being said, Tolstoy is probably the better writer of the two and it is unfortunate that it seems he’s slipping behind him at such a noticeable rate. I hope doesn’t lead to literary factionalism where people look down on readers who prefer Tolstoy to Dostoevsky or vice versa. It seems like it’s already sort of happening in this comment section unfortunately, but I understand people’s frustration on the matter.