is there a difference between the author and his work

Have been reading a lot into Russian literature and over time have come to conclusion that no one can romaticise the way they do , it’s a weird feeling , its something like what my friend said that , they depict the ugly side of humans that no one would like to listen .

Have been thinking now days , what if all these dark characters were actually the authors themselves … I mean the character in crime and punishment and his feelings were so well portrayed that it could only be written by someone who actually went thorugh it. The dark side was so deep , was so conflicting that even writing such thing could be devastating for the person unless you had seen it………..

Gorky, the way he discusses his poverty and then discusses the mad person who was poor and still believed in truth in his work “mother”. Its like he discussing his life Its funny that though all his characters were saddled by life yet there was some rays , I have no idea from these characters were deriving that energy or life…………..

The recent entry being , Lev Tolstoy , his work ‘ resurrection” the protagonist , the trauma he goes through , the whole fight within , what if the author too had seen this …. Could it really be possible, that it was just a piece of work, literature ……………..

Ppl say that we can differentiate the author and his work , I sometimes find it difficult to believe it. Maybe I am immature and I read too much into the lines , but these feelings or the different shades are so captivating that its difficult for me to understand that it can be just a fiction .

That this story was never repeated before, it never happened with anyone …………………

I sometimes feel like an author and I feel like penning down thoughts, thoughts that might b too dangerous to leash out, but something that I want the world to know.

Ill write a story and give my feelings a sketch and that sketch would be my protagonists ………
Did these Russian chaps feel the same , who knows..