The house of the dead
Fyodor Dostoevsky, Constance Garnett
Readers rate it 4.1 (57 on Hardcover)
247 pages · Released 2004 · Dover Publications
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The house of the dead parent’s guide: what’s inside
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A note for parents
This is a challenging classic depicting prison life in 19th-century Siberia with authenticity based on Dostoevsky's own experiences. While not graphically violent, it contains references to brutality, harsh conditions, and the moral struggles of inmates; the philosophical and literary merit is significant, but the subject matter and density make it unsuitable for younger readers. The work rewards patience and maturity, offering insight into human nature, redemption, and social injustice rather than conventional narrative satisfaction.
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From the publisher
The House of the Dead (Russian: Записки из Мёртвого дома, Zapiski iz Myortvovo doma) is a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1860–2 in the journal Vremya by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, which portrays the life of convicts in a Siberian prison camp. The novel has also been published under the titles Memoirs f... The House of the Dead (Russian: Записки из Мёртвого дома, Zapiski iz Myortvovo doma) is a semi-autobiographical novel published in 1860–2 in the journal Vremya by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, which portrays the life of convicts in a Siberian prison camp. The novel has also been published under the titles Memoirs from the House of The Dead, Notes from the Dead House (or Notes from a Dead House), and Notes from the House of the Dead. The book is, essentially, a disguised memoir; a loosely-knit collection of facts, events and philosophical discussion organised by "theme" rather than as a continuous story. Dostoevsky himself spent four years in exile in such a prison following his conviction for involvement in the Petrashevsky Circle. This experience allowed him to describe with great authenticity the conditions of prison life and the characters of the convicts.
Shelved under
- Poor
- Exiles
- Classic Literature
- Fiction
- Social conditions
- Russian Short stories
- Russia
- Fiction, general
- Continental european fiction (fictional works by one author)
- Slavic philology
- Social life and customs
- Translations into English
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ISBN 9780486434094 · Dover Publications