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    The House of the Dead
    The House of the Dead
    The House of the Dead
    Audiobook12 hours

    The House of the Dead

    Written by Fyodor Dostoyevsky

    Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

    4.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    Completed six years after Dostoyevsky’s own term as a convict, The House of the Dead is a semi-autobiographical account of life in a Siberian prison camp, and the physical and mental effects it has on those who are sentenced to inhabit it. Alexandr Petrovitch Goryanchikov, a gentleman of the noble class, has been condemned to ten years of hard labour for murdering his wife. He is little prepared for the cruel conditions and punishing temperatures, and struggles to integrate with the other prisoners, who claw for their sanity. Fettered, hungry and isolated, Alexandr Petrovitch must find faith and hope if he is to make his way out alive, and resurrect himself from the ‘dead house’.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherNaxos Audiobooks
    Release dateFeb 18, 2020
    ISBN9781781982600
    Author

    Fyodor Dostoyevsky

    Fyodor Dostoyevsky (1821-1881) was a Russian novelist, essayist, short story writer and journalist. He is considered by literary critics to be not simply the greatest writer in Russian history, but one of the greatest writers of all time. He has been cited by many authors - Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Anton Chekhov, Friedrich Nietzsche, Albert Camus, and Jean-Paul Sartre among them - as having profoundly influenced their own works. Fyodor was introduced to literature at an early age and was drawn to writing, but he was forced to enter a military academy after the death of his mother. A poor cadet, Fyodor whipped himself into shape after the death of his father and graduated with a strong academic record. His epilepsy was also diagnosed about this time. Upon graduation, Fyodor continued his military career by becoming a lieutenant engineer, but almost immediately began writing as well, completing his first book, "Poor Folk," in 1845. The success of the book encouraged him to continue writing, but as he became involved in politics, he began to into serious trouble with the authorities. Fyodor was imprisoned (and almost executed) for belonging to a progressive literary group that the Tsarist government thought traitorous. He served four years in a labor camp before being released in 1854. Fyodor had a serious gambling addiction and was always in financial straits of one kind or another. He serialized and published "Crime and Punishment" in 1866 and married his second wife, Anna Snikina, shortly afterwards. After an extended, four-year honeymoon, they returned to Russia. By this time, he had completed and published "The Idiot" and had established himself as a leading Russian author. He and Anna published "Demons" in 1873 for the newly founded "Dostoyevsky Publishing Company," and the family finally enjoyed financial stability. As his fame increased, Fyodor's health deteriorated. His epileptic seizures increased but he still continued working, producing what many consider his finest work just prior to his death, publishing "The Brothers Karamazov" in 1880. The following year, Fyodor suffered a series of pulmonary hemorrhages and died at home surrounded by his family.

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    Reviews for The House of the Dead

    4.5/5

    86 ratings9 reviews

    What our readers think

    Readers find this title to be a beautiful and profound collection of stories from inmates. It portrays the sadness, anger, and desperation of prison life, while also highlighting the hope and resilience of some individuals. The book offers astute observations on human behavior and psychology, particularly in the context of Russian culture. Although not Dostoevsky's best work, it is still worth reading for its tight and focused writing. The author's descriptions of prison life are vivid, allowing readers to experience it without actually being there. Overall, this book is a wonderful and thought-provoking read.

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    • 5/5
      The genius of Dostoevsky clearly shines in this book. Wonderful book!
    • 5/5
      A great book. Make's you really think how much potential we as a society have wasted. And also how not all people in a prison are bad. In my opinion this wasn't the house of the death but instead this was a family of men. Cast away cause the society rejects them. A family, nothing less.
    • 5/5
      The writing and story was impeccable well worth a read.
    • 5/5
      A wonderful read; the hospital and theater passages are just out of this world ??
    • 5/5
      I’ve read most of Dostoevsky’s works. I wouldn’t say this is his best or most interesting or innovative. However, it’s observations of human behavior and psychology are astute and ring absolutely true.

      The text here is tighter and more focused, less mawkish and religious. Very much worth the read.

      I think there are some potential insights here on the specific pathologies of the culture of Russia and it’s former colonies/dominions. The contradictory reverence and extreme cruelty towards women and animals. The deep intractability of class differences and feeling. The hypocrisy of religious reverence and feeling. The ironic ubiquity and acceptance of diversity.

      I’m sure it would have been censored even if Dostoevsky had the bravery to mention it, but the assiduous lack of any acknowledgement of same-sex male sexual or romantic relationships is stark and obviously a lie. Also hard to believe rape wasn’t a common occurrence in a situation with so much abuse. So what I’m saying is this is still a consummately 19th century book.
    • 5/5
      Wow.. just wow... an experience that will stay with me for the rest of my days and inspired me to start writing. 10/10
    • 5/5
      Wonderfully read, beautiful book. It's taken me too long to read Dostoyevsky and am very glad for this stunning introduction.
    • 5/5
      What a beautiful and profound writing.
      The book is a collection of all the stories of the inmates who Fyodor acquainted when he was a prisoner in Síria for the 6yrs of his life.

      You see the sadness, the anxious, the angriness, the desesperation of them. The dead, the injustice, the hope and the sadness and some of them just simply gave up.

      The daily basic of the prison life, and how he made friends and still to his surprise that he was still not included within the group of the criminals.

      i absolutely loved it but as it‘s a quite a long and can be a pretty despressed book, i had to switch many times to other easier readings just to have a lighter feel.

      i strongly recommend this.
    • 5/5
      The author describes prison life so well , the reader can visualize and live the experience. Satisfies ones morbid curiosity of what prison life is like, with the safety of not having to be there in reality. Makes you feel grateful to not be in prison. Good story telling. I read this book twice. The 2nd time it seemed familiar but I kept reading until I was sure I had already read it before.