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The House of the Dead

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 4,436 ratings · 204 reviews

Accused of political subversion as a young man, Dostoyevsky was sentenced to 4 years of hard labor at a Siberian prison camp. Years later, he developed this semi-autobiographical memoir of a man condemned to penal servitude for murdering his wife. This haunting and remarkable work ranks amoung Dostoyevsky's greatest masterpieces.

Paperback, thrift, 247 pages

Published April 22nd 2004 by Dover Publications (first published 1860)

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Mar 22, 2012 mp04 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: paradigm-shifters-sacred, stillness-in-fiction, russian

I have been frequenting an open-air restaurant for 7 years now. Hiding on the roof of a rickety building, in one of the small tributaries of Jaipur's busiest road, it is aptly named Cocoon. The place is shady, unknown, and visited only by international tourists living in its cheap guest-house.
Nothing unusual seemed to happen at that place and nothing unusual did happen the last time I visited it: I drank two cups of hot lemon tea, I followed short arcs sketched by listless eagles in the evening...more I have been frequenting an open-air restaurant for 7 years now. Hiding on the roof of a rickety building, in one of the small tributaries of Jaipur's busiest road, it is aptly named Cocoon. The place is shady, unknown, and visited only by international tourists living in its cheap guest-house.
Nothing unusual seemed to happen at that place and nothing unusual did happen the last time I visited it: I drank two cups of hot lemon tea, I followed short arcs sketched by listless eagles in the evening sky, I breathed in volumes of busy city smoke; but while leaving for home, as I turned on the ignition key of my bike, I caught hold of a loud, clear, distinct feeling. It was so distinct that I did not know at first what it was trying to convey; that is to say, my natural thinking process had reverted to a background noise and I could only listen with attention to the wordless outwardly buzz around my ears and inside my chest, which seemed to be growing... keener and keener. I stood motionless for a second or two, and then, a picture of a shop flashed inside the head. I turned my head to find the same shop in the ground floor of that building. 7 years and I had never once noticed that shop! From across the street, it appeared to be a wholesaler's office, with its glass partition displaying drawing and craft notebooks, paper-thin local guides to health and fitness, bedroom life, and tourism in Rajasthan. Curious, however, I trudged towards the store, my attention fixed mostly on that outwardly buzz which I wasn’t hearing – if it can be called hearing – for the first time.
The store was large and largely empty. Two men were gossiping in the middle of the room across an unbalanced wooden table, which, helped by either one’s dangling feet, made a rhythmic thud-thud. It stopped abruptly: the thud-thud, and the the gossiping too, and they looked up surprised to find a visitor. I caught their amazed disoriented gaze, but, to avoid any verbal distractions, I looked towards a shelf on my immediate right. I was at once stunned.
Dostoyevsky, Turgenev, Pasternak, Gibran... hard copy editions of rarest of their works, thick with time and grime, casually stacked together in a single shelf. With my mouth half open, I plugged out 10 titles, not once leafing through them, not once checking the blurb, and plopped the bulk on the owner's creaking desk.
He too was excited but he concealed it, and overcharged me. I did not cross-check the MRP nor did I request for a discount; he may have charged me even more and I would have happily emptied my wallet. Such was my state! I felt unworldly. What did it matter which books I was buying, at what price and who from? Trifles! Mere trifles. What mattered was that I see through the task, witness what I was being shown, stay ‘connected’. The buzzing humming feeling had now enlarged and transmuted into a quietude donning my whole being – not the other way round. I returned home after a short ride, but I was now proud for some reason and happy; the quietude only a memory, an object for analysis. For rationalizations. I dusted the books, and arranged them neatly on my desk, as if they were sacred idols I was going to worship every day.
For 6 months I did not go to them: laziness, thoughtlessness, fear. The books would change me somehow, I knew, and I wasn't too prepared to let go of whatever they may ask me to let go of. No, not unless the sentries of my rational mind were welcoming and unsuspicious.
And here now I am, reading, having read. Something indeed did happen. Something unidentifiable. But what exactly did the book do? So that my intellect does not become restless, I will give it a word to chew over and flaunt. Not the same word Leo Tolstoy used for this work: edifying; not the same word that settled on my mind for Dostoyevsky’s influence on an aspiring writer: uncorrupting; but: purging. The book purged me, emptied me, humbled me; cleaned me of the grime I had gathered over time.
This book is sacred.
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Nov 04, 2012 Sean rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 19th-century, russian, read-in-2012

Prison Life in Siberia. It is a phrase synonymous with misery and suffering. Below zero temperatures. Hard labor. Isolation. Physical punishment. It is everything that reminds me of how fortunate I am to be reading Dostoyevsky’s semi-autobiographical work instead of actually living it. It paints an image of prison life that is a hundred times more primitive than many of the lazy country club prisons of today’s western world. Just how bad was it in 19th century Siberia? My curiosity found this no...more Prison Life in Siberia. It is a phrase synonymous with misery and suffering. Below zero temperatures. Hard labor. Isolation. Physical punishment. It is everything that reminds me of how fortunate I am to be reading Dostoyevsky’s semi-autobiographical work instead of actually living it. It paints an image of prison life that is a hundred times more primitive than many of the lazy country club prisons of today’s western world. Just how bad was it in 19th century Siberia? My curiosity found this novel irresistible. I just had to find out what this lifestyle was in a bygone time in a country that has had a very troubled and complicated past. I was ready to enter the House of the Dead.

description

In 1849, Fyodor Dostoyevsky was accused of reading and distributing several banned works of literature and subsequently sentenced to prison by the Russian government to four years hard labor in Siberia followed by mandatory military service. During this time the writer experienced unendurable hardship. His experience of this period inspired him to write a work of fiction that brought this previously unknown world to light. After his release from prison he penned a work that would become the first work that would describe in vivid detail the horrors of his four excruciatingly long years in the awful Siberian prison.

description

Dostoyevsky portrays a very realistic and expressive account of his earliest impressions of entering prison life. He introduces the fictional narrator of Alexander Petrovitch, who classifies himself as a “gentleman of the noble class” of Russians much like Dostoyevsky himself. The author touches upon many different aspects of life in the prison. He describes the work schedule, the food, the living conditions, the punishment, the sick hospital all with distinct detail.

A very large focus of Fyodor’s narrative is his examination of the Russian character. It is unclear if any of the other prisoners described are based on actual convicts that Dostoyevsky knew during his incarceration. However, he provides a very interesting account of the attitudes and behaviors of several characters who have adapted to life of punishment and isolation.

description

Overall, Dostoyevsky has written one of his most personal and realistic works that is definitely worth reading. It is among some of his shorter works and gets passed up for his four elephants, Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, and Demons. However, this work should not be ignored. It has excellent writing and is recommended for anyone interested in this unusual and primitive world.
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Mar 03, 2011 Marius rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Prison Break', russian style...

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Aug 13, 2010 Ricardo Lourenço rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Cadernos da Casa Morta é, essencialmente, fruto da experiência pela qual Dostoiévski passou na Sibéria durante quatro anos, após ter sido exilado (1850-1954). Num período conturbado por agitações revolucionárias e fazendo Dostoiévski parte de um grupo intelectual liberal, uma denúncia por actividades políticas ilegais leva a que venha a ser condenado à morte. Tal sentença acaba por ser comutada em exílio e trabalhos forçados sendo, no entanto, tal mudança comunicada perante um pelotão de fuzilam...more Cadernos da Casa Morta é, essencialmente, fruto da experiência pela qual Dostoiévski passou na Sibéria durante quatro anos, após ter sido exilado (1850-1954). Num período conturbado por agitações revolucionárias e fazendo Dostoiévski parte de um grupo intelectual liberal, uma denúncia por actividades políticas ilegais leva a que venha a ser condenado à morte. Tal sentença acaba por ser comutada em exílio e trabalhos forçados sendo, no entanto, tal mudança comunicada perante um pelotão de fuzilamento numa execução simulada. Como seria de esperar, tais acontecimentos vieram a marcar a personalidade do escritor, o que, inevitavelmente, teve consequências nos seus trabalhos posteriores.
Ao longo desses penosos anos, Dostoiévski pôde observar uma realidade bastante diferente, pelo que neste livro estão patentes as conclusões que retirou, não só relativamente ao sistema prisional, à dureza dos castigos, mas também, no que diz respeito à personalidade dos que o rodeavam. Analisando esse ambiente de mente aberta, livrando-se de juízos precipitados, o autor retrata de forma pormenorizada o novo mundo em que foi inserido forçosamente, demonstrando o quanto é possível aprender mesmo com o mais simples dos homens.

“Basta raspar a casca exterior, artificial e olhar o cerne de mais perto, com atenção e sem ideias preconcebidas e então poderemos ver no povo coisas que nem sequer imaginávamos. Os nossos sábios não têm muito para ensinar ao povo. Posso, mesmo, afirmar: eles próprios, pelo contrário, têm muito a aprender com ele.”

Obrigado a conviver com todo o tipo de criminosos, de diferentes nacionalidades, costumes e religiões, torna-se possível observar particularidades que não são visíveis em liberdade. Tamanha variedade entre os presidiários leva a uma procura por classificar em grupos os seus companheiros prisionais, tendo em conta as variáveis já referidas, assim como as especificidades dos indivíduos em questão, mas ele próprio acaba por duvidar que tal tarefa seja possível:

“Porém, será possível fazer-se o que estou a tentar fazer agora: dividir os habitantes de uma prisão em categorias? A realidade é infinitamente mais variada do que todas as conclusões do pensamento abstracto, por mais sofisticadas que sejam, e não suporta classificações forçadas e generalizadas. Também nós tínhamos a nossa vida individual, por mais humilde que fosse; não vivíamos só a vida oficial, mas também uma vida interior, só nossa.”

As histórias que nos vão sendo descritas ao longo do livro, apenas reforçam essa ideia. Embora seja fácil identificar vários traços comuns, alguns fruto da vivência em grupo, a realidade é que cada individuo possuí um carácter único, e ao generalizar corre-se o risco de julgar erradamente, chegar a conclusões que não correspondem de todo à verdade. De resto tais generalizações são criticadas pelo próprio autor, que procura desmistificar, sempre que possível, considerações do género.
Mas Cadernos da Casa Morta retrata não só a realidade que envolve o narrador, mas também os sentimentos interiores, as suas mágoas pessoais, as dificuldades que este teve de suportar.

“Lembro-me de que todos esses anos, tão semelhantes uns aos outros, passavam mole e tristemente. Lembro-me de que todos esses longos e enfadonhos dias eram tão monótonos como as gotas de água a pingarem do telhado depois da chuva. Lembro-me de que apenas o desejo de renovação, de renascimento para uma nova vida me dava forças para ter paciência e não perder as esperanças.”

Uma ânsia de liberdade que era partilhada por todos os presidiários, que independentemente do seu tempo de pena e da sua idade, sonhavam inocentemente com uma nova vida, mesmo que a realidade ditasse que tal seria impossível.
De notar que, ao contrário do que seria de esperar, a prisão teve também aspectos benéficos, possibilitando uma introspecção que provocou mudanças na forma de pensar, na forma de ser de Dostoiévski.

“Lembro-me de que, durante todo esse tempo, apesar de estar com centenas de companheiros, me sentia muito solitário e acabei por me afeiçoar a essa solidão. Espiritualmente solitário, revia toda a minha vida passada, recordava tudo até ao último pormenor, analisava o meu passado, julgava-me a mim mesmo, severa e implacavelmente, e às vezes até abençoava o destino por me ter mandado tal solidão, sem a qual não seria possível esse julgamento de mim próprio nem a revisitação severa da minha antiga vida.”

Apesar de tudo, se tivesse de reter uma ideia chave, de extrair uma conclusão principal deste livro, seria a de que o homem é um animal de hábitos, em que mesmo as mais duras privações e as mais sólidas esperanças, ainda que apoiadas por uma determinação aparentemente forte, nem sempre se tornam suficientes para mover as fundações da personalidade humana, para modificar a forma de ser de alguém. Como é fácil nos perdermos nas ilusões que nós próprios criamos.
Sem dúvida uma obra que deve estar na prateleira de qualquer apreciador de Dostoiévski.(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Darko rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: classics

The House of Dead is the prison in Siberia where the main character, a man coming from the higher societal ranks, spends a number of years for an undisclosed crime. The novel describes mostly the first couple of months in the prison as they have left a heaviest impression on the character. He has to share room and bed with people coming from the lower ranks of the Russian 19th century society which is still mostly feudal. The most impressive are descriptions of the new relationships with prisone...more

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Aug 10, 2010 Erik Graff rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: everyone

Recommended to Erik by: Janny Marie Willis

Shelves: literature

This may well be the Dostoevsky book I most enjoyed reading. Although a kind of novel, it is based on the author's own four years of experiences in Siberian exile and has the ring of authenticity to it.

Dostoevsky had been exiled for his participation in the liberal Petrashevsky circle, a period during which he wrote his realistic Poor People. A young man, he had been, as we now say, scared shitless by the intentionally misleading prospect of execution and had himself undergone a spiritual conve...more

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Jul 09, 2010 Julia Boechat Machado rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: books-i-own, russian-literature, tingle-of-the-spine, punch-in-the-stomach, memoirs, 1860s

Relato autobiográfico em parte (o em parte é importante, já que o narrador é um homem preso por matar a esposa, e esse crime foi freqüentemente imputado a Dostoiévski por confusão). Fundamental para quem se interessa por Dostoiévski e no mínimo interessante para quem se interessa por história ou direitos humanos. Afinal, Dostoiévski disse que o grau de civilização de uma sociedade pode ser medido entrando em suas prisões.
Para quem quer saber mais sobre a prisão de Dostoiévski, alguns fatos sobre...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Greg Deane rated it 4 of 5 stars

Dostoyevsky’s 1860 minor novel The House of the Dead is a semi-autobiographical record of his time in a Siberian prison where he served a five year sentence 1849 and 1854, and which reveals that Russian prisons hadn’t changed a great deal by the time when Solzhenitsyn wrote his Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, in which he writes of a Gulag Archipelago prison in the time of Stalin.
Grim as the prison was, with a lack of privacy, extreme cold, violence between the ethnic groups, and gruelling w...more Dostoyevsky’s 1860 minor novel The House of the Dead is a semi-autobiographical record of his time in a Siberian prison where he served a five year sentence 1849 and 1854, and which reveals that Russian prisons hadn’t changed a great deal by the time when Solzhenitsyn wrote his Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, in which he writes of a Gulag Archipelago prison in the time of Stalin.
Grim as the prison was, with a lack of privacy, extreme cold, violence between the ethnic groups, and gruelling work in the labour gangs, Dostoyevsky’s may have felt himself fortunate for his narrowt minute escape from the death penalty when he was found complicit in a conspiracy against the Tsar planned by the Petrashevsky Circle. To some extent he rewrites his own experiences in his novel Crime and Punishment.

Dostoyevsky seems to try to distance himself from his imprisonment by describing The House of the Dead as a novel, told through the a series of letters, written by Aleksandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, who was not a political prisoner but a murderer who had killed his wife. But there is little characterisation or dialogue that brings the prison inmates to life. The reader has only the words of Goryanchikov to sustain him, a changeless voice that mirrors the changeless radium of the prison.

Despite the title, the work does not dwell on the horrors or violence of prison life, though there are enough snippets to convey its brutality. The worst aspect was the cold tedium, where the prison is like a house of the dead, or a charnel house, that depresses because of bad food where a fish eye was a gustatory delight; foul smells like those from the buckets for human waste in the prison barracks; and the uncomfortably cramped living. Dostoyevsky applies his literary skills to outline the debased humanity around him: murderers, thieves and other criminals. But he does not dwell on how they interacted with him-there is no note of self-pity. He even applies the paradoxes that he exploited in his longer novels like The Idiot in which a robber chief is a sentimental romantic. From this work, it seems such paradoxes existed in the harsh prison, where murderers could be kind, and outlaws observed etiquette. But the most crucial paradox is that even in a house of the dead, there is the opportunity for redemption.
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Jul 20, 2012 Michael rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I honestly began this book in 1994 and just finished it last week, the same copy even.

My review of this book is going to be a bunch of random (or not so random) quotes in order to remember some of what I got from this, most concerning the years Dostoyevsky spent in Siberia after being put in front of a firing squad:

This book deepens my sense of both loneliness, isolation, and community. It led me to places and people, stories and voices, lives and deaths...

"time to learn patience..." (28)
"man is...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Fatma rated it 5 of 5 stars

I could tell while reading this book that Dostoyevsky was drawing from his own experience of prison - he spoke with a passion that only comes of experience.

The book follows the narrative of a former prisoner who recounts his ten years of incarceration in Siberia. He reminisces about his fellow prisoners, the motley group of wasted potential, the guards, at times hateful and some remembered with almost-love, but most of all about how life is lived in the prison itself.

Once again, I reassessed a...more

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Oct 15, 2011 Carsten Thomsen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This is an atypical Dostoevsky-novel. There's not really a plot here or a lot of symbolic things, but it's rather a plain collection of one prisoners memoirs. Alexander Petrovich Goryanchikov is imprisoned for 10 years for murdering his wife and he recollects his prison-years - and we get stories from some of the other prisoners - both the humble ones and the most barbaric ones.

These memoirs are based on Dostoevsky's own time in prison - he spent four years as a political prisoner in a penal co...more

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Apr 07, 2011 Mohammed rated it 5 of 5 stars

"One day I saw a prisoner, who had undergone his sentence, take leave of his comrades. He had twenty years's hard labor. More then one convict remembered seeing him arrive, quite young, careless thinking neither of his crime nor of his punishment. He was now an old man with gray hairs, with a sad and morose countenance. He walked in silence through our six barracks. When he entered each of them he prayed before the holy image, made a deep bow to his former companions, and begged them not to keep...more

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Feb 19, 2011 wally rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dostoevsky

The House of the Dead, or Prison Life in Siberia, Fyodor Dostoyevsky,
Although it has been years since I read that other Russian prison story, one day in the life of ivan denisovich...this read provided a different take on that one...surely, prison life is not easy, but in this story, the prisoners seemed to have more...leeway, than what i recall from alexander solzi-neets-shin...names, sheesh, i'm sure i'll smoke a turb in purgatory for getting them wrong. ha! this one was published, i take it,...more

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Sep 16, 2011 Anastasia rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: biografia, classici, russia

"Debbo io descrivere tutta quella vita, raccontare tutti i miei anni di prigionia? Non lo credo. Se io dovessi scrivere per ordine, di fila, tutto ciò che accadde, ciò che vidi, ciò che provai in quegli anni, potrei scrivere il doppio, il quadruplo dei capitoli scritti finora. Ma questa mia descrizione alla fine diventerebbe involontariamente troppo monotona. Tutte le circostanze si somiglierebbero e avrebbero lo stesso tono, specialmente se il lettore è già riuscito, per mezzo dei capitoli già...more "Debbo io descrivere tutta quella vita, raccontare tutti i miei anni di prigionia? Non lo credo. Se io dovessi scrivere per ordine, di fila, tutto ciò che accadde, ciò che vidi, ciò che provai in quegli anni, potrei scrivere il doppio, il quadruplo dei capitoli scritti finora. Ma questa mia descrizione alla fine diventerebbe involontariamente troppo monotona. Tutte le circostanze si somiglierebbero e avrebbero lo stesso tono, specialmente se il lettore è già riuscito, per mezzo dei capitoli già scritti, a farsi un'idea abbastanza soddisfacente della vita dei forzati della seconda categoria. Io ho voluto rappresentare tutto il nostro penitenziario, tutta la mia vita di quegli anni, in un quadro chiaro, da mettere sotto gli occhi al lettore. Non so se ho raggiunto il mio scopo. Non ne posso esser giudice. Ma sono persuaso che posso finir qui il mio lavoro. A ripercorrere tutti questi ricordi mi viene un senso d'angoscia."

E se Fedor al tramonto (quasi) del 2011 vuole ancora delle risposte, io gli offro volentieri la mia: good job. Questo libro di Dostoevskij più che un romanzo, assume veramente le forme di un diario, un lungo discorso col lettore. Fedor racconta di sé attraverso la maschera di un personaggio immaginario, Petrovic, che fu rinchiuso per aver ucciso la moglie. Dostoevskij invece subì le pene del carcere per le sue convinzioni socialiste. Queste memorie furono scritti ancora prima di Umiliati e offesi, Memorie dal sottosuolo, Il giocatore, Delitto e castigo, e tanti altri. A distanza di vent'anni, con la pubblicazione de I fratelli Karamazov, Wikipedia mi dice che il pensiero di Fedor cambia notevolmente. Beh, io parlerò del giovane Dostoevskij che traspare da queste pagine.
In realtà Fedor non si concentra mai esplicitamente su se stesso, ma accenna a qualcosa di sè solo tramite gli altri forzati. Sembra sempre così concentrato nel cercare di descrivere il mondo del carcere, con sentimento, con pena, con comprensione, che forse non considera importante centrare la vicenda su se stesso. Così apprendiamo della sua sofferenza solo tramite quella degli altri, del suo sognare la libertà, accennato solo al momento del presentare quello degli altri. In sostanza Dostoevskij punta la lente su quello che lo circonda, ma non potendo fare a meno di notare anche il suo riflesso, spende qualche parola anche per sè stesso, sempre con una certa modestia.
Una cosa che in realtà mi ha colpito, per questo ne parlo. L'autore qui è più umano che mai. Se c'è un insegnamento importante che l'autore ci comunica attraverso il suo discorrere e attraverso riflessioni ben esplicite, è quello del non-diritto di trattare qualsiasi uomo come una bestia, anche se questo è un forzato. Anzi, il dipinto da cui emergono questi prigionieri è penoso a tratti, commovente, pieno di miseria. Forzati che non fanno altro che sognare la libertà, nutrono il disprezzo verso gli altri come se fosse la cosa più naturale da fare, non osano gemere sotto le frustate e i colpi delle verghe, si ribellano per la scarsa qualità del cibo, ma alle prime occhiate severe ritirano tutto, dicendosi "soddisfatti", si ubriacano e accumulano denari per cercare invano e infantilmente una sorta di libertà. Come dice lo stesso autore, il denaro era un simbolo: se lo avevi, avevi qualcosa. Nessuno può negare che i soldi in qualche modo ti permettano di essere libero, o più libero di quello che sei ora.
A volte appaiono persino come bambini, si rallegrano nei momenti di festa, si agghindano e si fanno belli solo per poter celebrare al meglio il Natale, nonostante le catene ai piedi.
In sostanza sono d'accordo con la quarta di copertina della Newton (che tra parentesi, rende difficoltosa la lettura, mamma mia che impaginazione pesante) quando dice che quella descritta da Fedor è una sofferta simpatia per il suo popolo. Non giudica mai severamente nessuno, si limita a riportare quello che ne pensa, non scorda mai quello che forse è l'elemento più nobile fra tutti: l'umanità.
Ed una certa tolleranza viene naturale quando si è sepolti sotto le soffitta di un carcere tutti insieme, costretti a convivere e sopportarsi per forza.

Naturalmente, essendo una specie di diario, in alcuni punti si ripete, oppure accenna ad un personaggio e lo riprende molto tempo dopo, divaga spesso, ma su queste cose uno ci passa sopra. (less)

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Mar 02, 2013 Friedrich Kauder rated it 4 of 5 stars

'The House of the Dead' is Dostoyevsky's account of his time in a Czarist Gulag, quite thinly disguised as fiction. It consists of largely disconnected episodes and themes shedding light on different aspects of prison life.

Dostoyevsky often described his time in shackles in stark terms, likening the feeling to being "buried alive", much in line with the title of the book. It is all the more surprising that, unlike with many of Dostoyevsky's other works, darkness and brutally only run skin-deep....more

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Aug 06, 2012 Andrada rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classics

Whenever I read classical literature, I feel compelled to make concessions for the times the books were written in. After all, you can’t very well expect them to have the same moral considerations we have today, but with Dostoievski(the English spelling of his name is just wrong on too many levels) I’m always pleasantly surprised by what a reasonable and profoundly humane voice he has, one that even if it were heard today, could not possibly be questioned or looked down upon as antiquated. The t...more

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Jun 12, 2007 Zach rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

'Yes, I guess I loved him too
I can still see him in my mind climbin' that hill
Did he make it to the top, well he probably did and dropped
Struck down by the strength of the will
Ain't nothin' left here partner, just the dust of a plague that has left this whole town afraid
From now on, this'll be where you're from
Let the dead bury the dead. Your time will come
Let hot iron blow as he raised the shade'
~Bob Dylan, Foot of Pride

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Jan 20, 2013 Khol0d Atif rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

كان السؤال الرئيسي الذي صاحبني منذ أول صفحة قرأتها وربما حتى قبل البدء بالقراءة هو " ما الفرق بين هذه المذكرات وبين مايعرف بأدب السجون عندنا"
الرواية تتحدث عن السجن عن العقوبة عن الإيذاء الجسدي والمعنوي كما تفعل بقية الكتب.. لكن الفرق شاسع
الرواية هنا تتبع الناس.. السجن هو البطل تأثيره أسواره وزنازينه..لا المسجون أو الجلاد .
المذكرات شرحت لنا مقدار العزلة التي أحس بها دوستويفسكي في سجنه.. لأنه احد النبلاء..تلك العزلة أو الفراغ المحيط به والذي يتضح جليا في رد أحد السجناء على سؤاله " ألست رفيقكم" ب"...more كان السؤال الرئيسي الذي صاحبني منذ أول صفحة قرأتها وربما حتى قبل البدء بالقراءة هو " ما الفرق بين هذه المذكرات وبين مايعرف بأدب السجون عندنا"
الرواية تتحدث عن السجن عن العقوبة عن الإيذاء الجسدي والمعنوي كما تفعل بقية الكتب.. لكن الفرق شاسع
الرواية هنا تتبع الناس.. السجن هو البطل تأثيره أسواره وزنازينه..لا المسجون أو الجلاد .
المذكرات شرحت لنا مقدار العزلة التي أحس بها دوستويفسكي في سجنه.. لأنه احد النبلاء..تلك العزلة أو الفراغ المحيط به والذي يتضح جليا في رد أحد السجناء على سؤاله " ألست رفيقكم" ب"و هل أنت رفيقنا!"
العزلة التي تعني كل شي.. إلا مقدرته على الانعزال بنفسه.. " هل كان في وسعي مثلا أن أتخيل العذاب الرهيب الذي يعانيه المرء حين لا يستطيع أن يخلو إلى نفسه دقيقة واحدة خلال عشرة سنين؟. "

أكثر ما أثر في نفسي هو وصفه للجلد.. لا كآلية بل كحدث يشوّه من روح السجين.. يجعله يترقبه ويحاول التهرب منه والإبطاء من تنفيذه..التنفيذ الذي يعرّي ضعف الإنسان ويهشم كبرياءه ويجعله يرجو جلاده أن يخفّف من قوة الجلد..
في الكتاب محاولة لسبر أغوار النفس البشرية.. وكيف وهي الحرة تتعايش مع السجن ف" الانسان هو كائن قادر على أن يتعود كل شي" والأمل الذي لا يخبو في دواخلهم في أنهم سيعودوا يوما ما للحياة ولو بعد حين..
ومحاولة للتأمل في مفهوم الجريمة وهل يتساوى قتل مع قتل!
في الكتاب وصف لنفسية الجلاد وتسلطه وخلص إلى نظرية مخيفة وهو أن كل إنسان هو متعطش للدم و" أن خير إن انسان في العالم يمكن أن يقسو قلبه وأن يتوحش طبعه إلى درجة لا يمكن معها تمييزه عن حيوان كاسر مفترس"
الكتاب صرخة ضد مفهوم العقوبة بشكلها الحالي.. وهل المفترض من العقوبة التأديب أم الانتقام؟ هل يتساوى الناس في تأثير العقوبة عليهم!
الكتاب صرخة أيضا ضد الأوضاع السيئة للسجناء.. فلماذا يحيون والأغلال تحيط بأرجلهم ! حتى في ساعة المرض والاحتضار بل الموت حتى..
ما يجعل الكتاب هذا مختلف عن باقي أدب السجون.. هو أنه ابتعد قدر الإمكان من سرد تجربته الشخصية. الى ماهو أعمّ وأشمل.. لذلك كان الكتاب أبعد ما يكون عن السوداوية والبكائيات المعتادة في سير كهذه.
هو لم يتكيء على الظلم الحاصل بسجنهم. بل سلّم بأحقيتهم جميعا في العقاب.. واستنكر أن تستكثر عليهم الحياة كأناس ولو من خلف الأسوار المغلقة. فالأشقياء هم أولى الناس بالمعاملة الانسانية من غيرهم.
لذلك ولأنه اهتم " بالإنسان" ملاكا كان أو شيطانا.. أحدث كتابه أثر فعلي وأبكى القيصر وألغيت العقوبات الجسدية التي كانت

وأي رسالة للأدب أعظم من هذه! أن يُحدث أثرا وأن يرفع مظلمة.. وأن يعيد في دواخلنا الاحساس بالإنسان
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Aug 13, 2012 أحمد أبازيد Ahmad Abazed rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

عميق ... و صادم ... و لذيذ !
كما يليق بأحد أوسع كتب ديستويفسكي شهرةً
إنّه دانتي آخر ينحدر إلى الجحيم ليشرح الأهوال .... و ينذر بالقيامة
ولكنّه جحيم مشاهد معاش , حيث المنفيّون بجرائمهم في سيبيريا
هناك حيث يجتمع أكثر الأشخاص استثنائيّة و تطرّفا في الغرابة و الجرأة يمارس ديستويفسكي هوايته القديمة في نزع الحجب عن النفس الإنسانيّة و الغوص فيها عميقاً , ليكتب حروفاً لا تخلو من الدهشة عمّا استجلاه من تلك النفوس
الرواية التي يكتبها ديستويفسكي على لسان رجل غريب وجده في إحدى البلدات , كخدعة يعرف أنّها لن ت...more عميق ... و صادم ... و لذيذ !
كما يليق بأحد أوسع كتب ديستويفسكي شهرةً
إنّه دانتي آخر ينحدر إلى الجحيم ليشرح الأهوال .... و ينذر بالقيامة
ولكنّه جحيم مشاهد معاش , حيث المنفيّون بجرائمهم في سيبيريا
هناك حيث يجتمع أكثر الأشخاص استثنائيّة و تطرّفا في الغرابة و الجرأة يمارس ديستويفسكي هوايته القديمة في نزع الحجب عن النفس الإنسانيّة و الغوص فيها عميقاً , ليكتب حروفاً لا تخلو من الدهشة عمّا استجلاه من تلك النفوس
الرواية التي يكتبها ديستويفسكي على لسان رجل غريب وجده في إحدى البلدات , كخدعة يعرف أنّها لن تنطلي على أحد , تبدو محمّلة بانفعالات و هواجس صاحبِها الحيّة في تحربته الأكثر خطراً و استثنائيّة في حياته لمّا سُجن أربع سنين , هذه التجربة التي سيذكر بعد ذلك بسنين أنّه يحمد الله على أن مرّ بها , لأنّها كشفت له من أسرار النفس الإنسانيّة و من حكايات الحياة و عمقِها الكثير ممّا كان سيخفى عليه و هو في علياء طاولة الكتابة و مجتمع النبلاء .
مجتمع النبلاء هذا الذي جرّ عليه انتسابُه إليه الكثير في هذا السجن , إذ من المستغرب و غير المتخيّل أن تكون كنبيل صديقاً للشعب الكادح , هذا ما قرأه ديستويفسكي في دهشة أقرب السجناء إليه - الذي اختار خدمته - لمّا قال له : ألستُ منكم !؟
هذه الغربة المضاعفة عن السجناء فوق غربة السجن , و التي حرست حيّز المسافة معهم - ما يذكّر برواية القوقعة - , مكّنت ديستوفسكي من التفرّغ لملاحظتهم و ملاحقتهم بالتفكير و التحليل و بشكل أعمق , و لذلك يبدو منصفاً إلى حدّ بعيد عن أقصى حالات التعاطف و الانفعال الوجداني مع السجناء عبر السطور , خاصّة ضمن مشاهدهم في المستشفى أو وصف حالتهم في ترقّب و انتظار العقوبات الجسديّة , هذا الخوف من العقاب من السوط الذي كان يدفع الكثيرين منهم لفعل أيّ جريمة أو أيّ شيء لتأخير لحظة نزول العقوبة حتى لو كانت ستتضاعف !
ديستويفسكي يصف بذرة الطيبة و الخير في كثير من هؤلاء السجناء , ممّا يقول إنّك قد لا تجده لدى كثير من المثقّفين , ولا يغفل أن يصف من هم غير قادرين إلّا على الشرّ و المكر و الوشاية و يصف أحدهم - الذي خُدع به في اليوم الاوّل- بتقريع و تشنيع شديد , كذلك يركّز على المهارات الاستثنائيّة التي يقدرون عليها , و يقول في كلمة لافتة كيف أنّ هذا المكان يضمّ مجتمعاً من الشخصيّات الأكثر إبداعاً و قدرةً على الإنجاز ... كما ستشعر بقدر كبير من التعاضف معهم و هو يروي لحظات القهر الضعف الإنساني التي كانت تعتريهم ,مثل الرحلة الصعبة جدّا للحصول على امرأة بأجر باهظ كلّ عدّة سنين , و مثل أمانيّ البعض و أحلامهم حول الحياة القادمة بعد أن ينتهي السجن بعد عشر أو عشرين عاماً , و معارك الشتائم التي كان لا يخلو منها نهار , و نزاعاتهم حول الصغائر , و إشادتهم و بريق الحرية الذي لمع في عيونهم لدى خبر هرب أحد الزملاء , و لدى رميهم للنسر الحبيس معهم خارج أسوار السجن , النسر الذي لم يفت ديستويفسكي أن يحلّل شخصيّته أيضاً , كما سبق أن حلّل شخصيّة كلاب السجن و الاختلافات النفسيّة بينها .
و للتذكير فهذا المنفى السيبيري كانت الأشغال الشاقّة فيه مفروضةً على جميع السجناء , هذه الأشغال التي يفوت ديستويفسكي أن يذكر تجربته معها , و أن يحلّلها أيضاً , و كان من الجميل حين قال إنّ أكبر عذاب تضعه على سجين حين تكلّفه بعمل لا يرى فيه إنجازاً , عملاً عبثيّا تفهمه أنّ الغرض فيه أن يعمل فقط و تجبره على ذلك , كأن ينقل حجارة من اليمين إلى الشمال ثمّ تجعله يعيدها من الشمال إلى اليمين , بينما يبدو السجين منسجماً مع العمل حين يرى إنجازه فيه كأن يبني سوراً مثلاً ...
ثمّة عنى كبير في تحليل الشخصيّات بعمق و تفصيل , و في تمييز اختلافاتها و منطقها و هواجسها , و في حكاياته الدقيقة و الممتعة عن تصرّفاتهم داخل السجن , و عن حديثهم عن جرائمهم الذي يلاحظ ديستويفسكي مندهشاً أنّه لم يصادف مرّة واحدة من يتحدّث عن جريمته بنوع من الندم ... أبداً ! , رغم أنّ كثيراً من هذه الجرائم تبلغ حدّاً من الفظاعة تستغرب كيف يعيش فاعلها بين البشر ... ولكن يا للسخرية فهو يعيش هنا أمامك و أنت تلحظ مرحه أو "ٌقلبه الطيّب" أو كرمه ... أو حتى شهامته .
كان في السجن متمرّدون سياسيّون , و كان فيه مثقّفون , و كان فيه قتلة و سفّاحون , و كان فيه مخرّبون , و كان فيه متمرّدون دينيّاً , و كان فيه مسلمون ثلاثة من داغستان لا يفوت ديستويفكسي ان يصف محبّته لهم و أمانتهم و "ابتسامتهم المسلمة" التي تفتنه و تخدّره , و كان في السجن يهوديّ يصفه ديستويفسكي بإسهاب ليكون نموذج اليهوديّ بكلّ تناقضاته و صوره النمطية ولكنّه مجسّد أمامه ... كان فيه كلّ هذا الغنى و التنوّع الذي ينقله ديستويفسكي ببراعة .
كما قد تشكّل وقفات ديستويفسكي بين الفصول للتحليل و التفصيل و لذكر آرائه حول قضايا اجتماعية و دينيّة و نفسيّة مرتبطة بالسجن أهمّ ما يضمّه هذا الكتاب فائدةً .
لا ينبغي ان ننسى أنّ وصف ديستويفكسي لوضع السجناء و شخصيّاتهم و تقريبهم للقرّاء كبشر , مع وصفه القاسي للعقوبات و لوضع المشفى , لم يحضر في انتشار الكتاب في كلّ أنحاء روسيا و حسب -بعدما اعترضت الرقابة على بعض الكلمات البذيئة فقط- حتى كان القيصر نفسه يقرأ صفحاته و يبكي , كما يروي خدمه , و إنّما كان له تأثير أوسع أدّى إلى تغيير قانون العقوبات و منع العقوبات الجسديّة في السجون بعد نشره بسنين معدودة فقط .

و يبقى هذا الكتاب أحد بصمات ديستويفسكي التي لا يجب المرور به دون الوقوف عندها , و أحد أوائل الكتب التي اقتحمت عالم السجن الرهيب (less)

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Mar 09, 2012 Anne Nikoline rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Dostoyevsky fans, mostly

Recommended to Anne Nikoline by: author's reputation

Shelves: own-a-copy, read-in-2012, memoir, russian-literature, 19th-century

Once again I have to point out how much I hate rating and reviewing biographies. I do know that The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is fiction only based on the author's personal time I a Serbian prison, yet I cannot help feeling that whatever happened in this novel was all Dostoyevsky's life.

Anyway, I was really over the moon after I bought this book, because of my ~~small~~ addiction to Russian authors, and I did enjoy it, I gave it three stars after all. Three means 'I liked it', and so...more

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Jul 27, 2012 Bryn Hammond rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: novelists

In which D. rubs elbows with murderers.

Not a novel but a document of his prison life, without D.'s usual traits as a writer. Observation of the convicts - not about him. He's at pains to be believed in every word and goes for objectivity and external description.

It's an argument for the humanity of the prisoners, but not by passion, only by observation and by anecdote. Very unD., not as much fun as usual, but for its portraits, the good the bad and the ugly, each of them real.

This is him going...more

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Feb 03, 2012 David Sarkies rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Those who like prison stories

Shelves: dark

This is one of those very rare books where I read the first two sentences and knew instantly that I was going to like this book. This is one of the post-imprisonment books that Dostoevsky wrote, and in short, it is the story of a man sentenced to ten years imprisonment for the murder of his wife. The story is set in 19th Century Russia during the reign of the Czars, and imprisonment pretty much meant exile to the frozen wastes of Siberia. Further, even if one was not imprisoned in one of the 'S...more This is one of those very rare books where I read the first two sentences and knew instantly that I was going to like this book. This is one of the post-imprisonment books that Dostoevsky wrote, and in short, it is the story of a man sentenced to ten years imprisonment for the murder of his wife. The story is set in 19th Century Russia during the reign of the Czars, and imprisonment pretty much meant exile to the frozen wastes of Siberia. Further, even if one was not imprisoned in one of the 'Special Divisons' (the camp in which this book is set), one is still imprisoned not only by the vast emptiness and frozen wastes of Siberia, but also due to the fact one once one has been sent there, unless special dispensation was granted by the Czars, one would never leave Siberia. In many ways it mimics the method of incarceration by the British in the 18th and 19th Centuries, where convicts would be sent out to the colonies, and one would only return on pain of death.
Dostoevsky did spend four years in one of the Gulags, and it was only by the grace of the ruling Czar that he was allowed to return. His crime was being involved with a socialist group connected with the intelligensia of Russia (of which Dostoevsky was a member). While his group was not necessarily violent in nature, there were a number of violent revolutionary groups in Russia at the time, and Dostoevsky happened to get caught up in the purges. Prior too his imprisonment, Dostoevsky had already made his mark as a writer, however many of his pieces were pretty much overlooked. It was not until he returned from exile (as in many other cases) that he went on to write his classics, such as the Brothers Karmokov and Crime and Punishment (a bit of which I will discuss here).
However, this is not an autobiographical novel, Dostoevsky does not write about his experiences, but the experiences of a fictional character. Maybe it was a form of self-censorship, that by writing about a fictional character, he would be less likely to attract unwanted attention from the powers that be, and by writing a true story about life in the Gulags could easily have brought trouble upon himself. As such, but writing a fictional account, he could easily say that the events in the book never actually happened, however he was using his experiences to outline what life was like.
The House of Death is not a continuous story, but rather jumps all over the place. It is not a linear narrative that intends to tell a story, but rather written as the thoughts and recollections of the narrator. There is a large section at the beginning where he describes his first experiences in the Gulag, but as time drags on, everything tends to settle down. As such, he ends up focusing on the characters, and descriptions of what went on. Obviously it is the first section where he is learning and discovering about life that brings out the most detail.
Dostoevsky discusses punishment in the book, and I suspect that it is a glimpse into what he intended to write with regards to his book Crime and Punishment (however at this stage I have not read the book so can't comment beyond speculation, though a quick look on Wikipedia suggests that it is not). His argument here is that while in some cases punishment may appear consistent with a crime, depending on the culprit, it is not. For instance, if a peasant were to murder somebody, and be sentenced to ten years in the Gulag, he would not be too concerned as life both before and after the sentence was harsh, and in some ways, life in the Gulag is better for at least one is fed (barely), clothed, and given shelter. However, for one of the elite to be punished for the same crime in the same way, the punishment is much harsher, since all of the luxuries and benefits of his class is taken away from him.
Dostoevsky is very detailed in the book, with everything from the food, the beds, to life in the hospital, the festive period of Christmas, and details on the rare showers that the prisoners might have. When we enter the prison, we hear about how money exists, but is generally kept hidden from the guards, how trades people will go and perform their trades, and be paid for them, while others work in the work gangs. He learn of food and vodka smuggled into the prisoner, and of prisoners becoming exceedingly violent while under the influence. We also learn that all books, with the exception of the New Testament, are banned.
I guess the book finishes off in the same way that it begins. In the opening we are told that it is about life in the Gulag, and how he survived, and by the end we see that he is survived. He is finally released, and taken to the blacksmith to have his fetters removed. Once free, Dostoevsky writes 'Freedom, new life, resurrection from the dead … what a glorious moment!'.(less)

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Feb 12, 2012 Lauren Hopkins rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first full-length Dostoevsky work I've ever read, and it was so worth it! I love how he turns every little detail into some philosophical revelation, from the prisoners celebrating Christmas and putting on a play to the purchasing of a horse and tending of animals, and then especially in the more "life changing" moments such as entering and leaving the prison. He gives you a lot to think about in terms of prison life without being overdramatic. It's very much about the day to day life in a S...more

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Jan 07, 2012 Juliet rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: clasically-classic, history-winners, reviewed

The House of Dead is a largely autobiographical novel based on Dostoyevsky's years in a Siberian prison labour camp. The title refers to the prisoner status which renders them dead to society. Although the book is perhaps not shocking in its narrative about the conditions, prison microcosm and attitudes, it is an eye opener all the same. We don't imagine conditions quite so severe and learn that British prisoners of the time lived a life of relative luxury by comparison. The diet, sleeping and b...more

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Feb 28, 2013 HalaH Amin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

هل أحرق عليكم فكرة العمل؟
ولم لا..! لقد ظننت أنني سأقرأ شيئا في أدب الرعب ^^
لكنه مختلف, هو لا يزال في دائرة الرعب لكنه من نوع آخر
...
منزل الأموات أو المنزل الميت يقصد فيه دوستويفسكي السجن, المنفى, سيبيريا
وحياة السجناء والأعمال الشاقة و...و...
...
دوستو, في هذا العمل يحلل نفسية وشخصية الإنسان السجين, ويتحدث عن ألكسندر عن ذكرياته ومذكراته التي لا تمثل سوى ذكريات ومذكرات دوستو نفسه
...
كان تحليله عميقا نظرته واسعة انغماسه في أغوار كل شخصية قابلها في السجن كان ممتعا بحق
نورا الأسد, آكيم, علي من الشخصيات...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Aliide rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: russian

The House of the Dead is not Dostoyevsky at his most entertaining. It's not as heart-wrenchingly dramatic as The Idiot or Brothers Karamazov, and is generally slower. The dark depths of humanity reveal themselves in a matter-of-fact, gradual way, with the exception of a few startling incidents from peasant life.

It was enjoyable, all in all, although a bit long and an odd choice of reading, unless it is immediately relevant to one's main interests or occupations. Still, it is - as all of Dostoye...more

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Jan 16, 2013 Tolan Baranduna rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

A principal qualidade literária de Dostoiévski é a forma como parece entender o humano, ou procurar entendê-lo e suscitar a reacção de pois é, as coisas são mesmo assim perante personagens em situações de vida particulares, extremas, ambíguas... De alguma forma, Dostoiévski consegue sempre parecer um homem moderado, que está no meio de extremos e erros, que identifica as injustiças mas nunca se precipita para soluções. Tem tanto de revolucionário como de conservador. Quanto a Dostoiévski, os lei...more A principal qualidade literária de Dostoiévski é a forma como parece entender o humano, ou procurar entendê-lo e suscitar a reacção de pois é, as coisas são mesmo assim perante personagens em situações de vida particulares, extremas, ambíguas... De alguma forma, Dostoiévski consegue sempre parecer um homem moderado, que está no meio de extremos e erros, que identifica as injustiças mas nunca se precipita para soluções. Tem tanto de revolucionário como de conservador. Quanto a Dostoiévski, os leitores podem dividir-se entre dois grupos, os que consideram que isto é uma qualidade literária e os que acham isto manipulador ou básico. O certo é que passou quase século e meio e as suas histórias continuam a apelar a um enorme número de leitores, mais do que Gogol, Tchekhov ou Tolstói. E são histórias que, voluntaria ou involuntariamente, levantam na cabeça do mais empedernido leitor, dúvidas como "o que faria eu naquela situação?"

Os Cadernos da Casa Morta, pelo menos toda a primeira parte, são uma sucessão de perfis de criminosos e dos agentes da ordem e, consequentemente, das noções de moral, da própria sociedade no seu sentido prático e real. A principal conclusão é a de ser tudo um tanto ou quanto absurdo e desafiar as ideias pré-concebidas. Um caso extremo é o da troca de identidades. Por vezes, condenados a crimes graves compram a identidade de outro criminoso que aceita a pena muito mais severa do outro a troco de dinheiro para a vodka. Tanto pode ser muito dinheiro como apenas uns copeques, a personagem em questão aceita a troca porque acha que isso é um ritual e que as coisas são feitas assim e não há nada a fazer. Quando Dostoiévski escreve sobre mujiques ou grilhetas (os prisioneiros), sabe que não está a escrever para este público alvo, mas sim para um leitor alfabetizado, provavelmente urbano, que tem destes universos uma série de ideias pré-concebidas. O segredo do sucesso de Dostoiévski nos dias de hoje, é que essas ideias continuam a ser actuais e relevantes. Um crime é um crime, uma prisão uma prisão. Quando aborda temas como a humilhação a que um guarda de prisão submete os seus prisioneiros, podemos rever nisto uma relação hierárquica no próprio local de trabalho. Ou quando diz que o trabalho não custa, o que custa é a sensação de absurdo desse mesmo trabalho: se um chefe ordenar ao condenado que mova umas pedras de um sítio para o outro e depois de volta ao mesmo sítio, só para o manter ocupado, instala-se um desespero que o pode levar o preso à loucura, enquanto que se sentir na tarefa um propósito e uma recompensa, pode dar tudo de si por mero orgulho e brio.

Neste pequeno livro, o objectivo parece ser o de voltar humanos do avesso, numa constante surpresa pelo que se descobre, uma surpresa genuína, muito provavelmente biográfica, visto que Dostoiévski esteve preso numa prisão igual e também era, nela, um estrangeiro, uma minoria relativamente fidalga atirada para o meio dos desgraçados. Mas não há aqui moralismo de pacotilha. Um sacana continua a ser um sacana, mas todos têm uma reserva de dignidade, como se os seus actos não os caracterizassem, pelo menos, não no próprio entender. Podem até ter vaidade nas patifarias que cometeram. Os colegas de cela roubam coisas uns aos outros, mesmo aos que neles têm confiança e tudo isso é considerado como que inevitável e ninguém "julga" o outro. É como se fosse um processo automático, como se não pudessem escapar à natureza das coisas. As discussões entre prisioneiros são quase que encenadas, estão zangados, mas não estão bem zangados no fundo. O homem que matou seis pessoas pode parece mais dócil e frágil que um matulão carrancudo e explosivo que se limitou a espancar um superior que o insultou. O que Dostoievski parece querer desarmar são as lógicas de quem, não conhecendo a realidade, emite sobre elas explicações simples para poder continuar a ter as suas coisas bem arrumadas, sejam elas benevolentes demais e idílicas ou então condenatórias e violentas.

Esta atitude é completamente diferente daquela de escritores que tentam humanizar o "povo" e dignificá-lo a todo o custo, muitas vezes em busca de uma consagração comercial ou ética e moral, como se fossem candidatos políticos e não artistas. Independentemente da eventual qualidade de um escritor que se predisponha a este exercício, sabemos que está longe de Dostoiévski se não conseguir admitir que podia caracterizar qualquer pessoa como um filho da puta, incluindo o mais desgraçado dos desgraçados. (less)

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Sep 13, 2011 Harold Griffin rated it 4 of 5 stars

A wonderful mostly fictional account of life in a Siberian prison. Dostoyevsky's narrator offers insights not only into historical prison conditions and practices, but into universal reactions of prisoners to their jailors, to each other (class divisions separate and isolate upper class prisoners from the rest), to their pets (some of which are killed for food or fur), to the duration of their sentences and to the prospects for escape. Reading his account of inmates' high hopes for escaped fello...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Tyler rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone

Recommended to Tyler by: Author's Reputation

Shelves: 19th-century

While this book is good enough, I do not recommend it as the first Dostoevsky people should read, no matter what Tolstoy says! The account of the dog being sold best shows Dostoevsky's authorial magic. But generally, the book is documentary in style and little in it anticipates the author's later genius.

I was struck by the contrasts between the Russian prison system of the 19th century and the American one of the present. Dostoevsky's contemporaries experienced a prison life full of physical di...more

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Jun 25, 2012 Ioana rated it 3 of 5 stars

I struggled to finish this book; it was depressing - but not in the usual Dostoievski way, more like hinting at a dark pit of despair and unpleasantness that threatens to swallow the reader. However the perverse desire to finish it persisted; at the end my masochistic streak was sad it was over.

I don't quite know how to rate it -- I am objectively aware that it is a very good book; subjectively it was a pain to get through it, but in the end you get the same weird feeling of catharsis you always...more

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About Fyodor Dostoyevsky

Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky (Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) was a Russian novelist, journalist, and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul had a profound influence on the 20th century novel.

Dostoevsky was the second son of a former army doctor. He was educated at home and at a private school. Shortly after the death of his mother in 1837 he was sent to S...more Fyodor Mikhaylovich Dostoyevsky (Russian: Фёдор Михайлович Достоевский) was a Russian novelist, journalist, and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the human soul had a profound influence on the 20th century novel.

Dostoevsky was the second son of a former army doctor. He was educated at home and at a private school. Shortly after the death of his mother in 1837 he was sent to St. Petersburg, where he entered the Army Engineering College. Dostoevsky's father died in 1839, most likely of apoplexy, but it was rumored that he was murdered by his own serfs. Dostoevsky graduated as a military engineer, but resigned in 1844 to devote himself to writing. His first novel, Poor Folk appeared in 1846.

That year he joined a group of utopian socialists. He was arrested in 1849 and sentenced to death, commuted to imprisonment in Siberia. Dostoevsky spent four years in hard labor and four years as a soldier in Semipalatinsk, a city in what it is today Kazakhstan.

Dostoevsky returned to St. Petersburg in 1854 as a writer with a religious mission and published three works that derive in different ways from his Siberia experiences: The House of the Dead , (1860) a fictional account of prison life, The Insulted and Injured, which reflects the author's refutation of naive Utopianism in the face of evil, and Winter Notes on Summer Impressions, his account of a trip to Western Europe.

In 1857 Dostoevsky married Maria Isaev, a 29-year old widow. He resigned from the army two years later. Between the years 1861 and 1863 he served as editor of the monthly periodical Time, which was later suppressed because of an article on the Polish uprising.

In 1864-65 his wife and brother died and he was burdened with debts. His situation was made even worse by his gambling addiction. From the turmoil of the 1860s emerged Notes from the Underground, a psychological study of an outsider, which marked a major advancement in Dostoevsky's artistic development.

In 1867 Dostoevsky married Anna Snitkin, his 22-year old stenographer. They traveled abroad and returned in 1871. By the time of The Brothers Karamazov (1879-80), Dostoevsky was recognized in his own country as one of its great writers.(less)

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“Killing myself was a matter of such indifference to me that I felt like waiting for a moment when it would make some difference.” — 90 people liked it

“Sorrow compressed my heart, and I felt I would die, and then . . . Well, then I woke up.” — 46 people liked it

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