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The House of the Dead

By Fyodor Dostoyevsky
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Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is a semi-autobiographical novel that explores the experiences of a former nobleman sentenced to a Siberian prison camp. Through the protagonist's eyes, the narrative delves into the brutal and oppressive conditions of the penal colony and offers profound insights into the human condition, freedom, and redemption within a harsh, unyielding environment. It reflects Dostoyevsky's own time in exile, providing a compelling and affecting portrait of despair and endurance.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this novel if you're fascinated by deeply personal explorations of the human spirit and keen on stories of redemption. This work offers a profound insight into the psychology of prisoners, delivering a poignant narrative that reveals the resilience and transformation of individuals in the most challenging circumstances. If you appreciate classic literature that delves into intense emotional and existential themes, this book could be an engaging read.

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The House of the Dead

In January, 1850, Dostoyevsky was sent to a remote Siberian prison camp for his part in a political conspiracy. In this fictionalized account, he recounts his soul-destroying incarceration - the daily battle for survival, the wooden plank beds, the cabbage soup swimming with cockroaches, his strange 'family' of boastful, ugly, cruel convicts.

In January 1850 Dostoyevsky was sent to a remote Siberian prison camp for his part in a political conspiracy.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The four years that Dostoevsky spent in a Siberian prison camp were nasty, brutish and long, the most agonising of his life. Its documentary detail—the convicts and their fascinating stories, the wooden plank bed that they sleep on, the cabbage soup swimming with cockroaches that they eat—is made all the more vivid by the controlled, oddly impersonal tone of the narrator.

He, like the others, had stepped beyond himself to commit his crime. He found his strange family of convicts boastful, ugly, vain, cruel and ludicrously obsessed with outward appearances. But it is their vitality that overtakes the house of the dead, turning the crisis of its narrator into a slow miracle: the return and reawakening of his personality.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky is often praised for its profound exploration of the human condition and the psychological depth of its characters. Readers appreciate its portrayal of life in a Siberian penal colony and the insights into suffering, redemption, and resilience. The book’s vivid illustrations of prison life and the impact on the incarcerated are highlighted as compelling, making it a significant work in Dostoyevsky's oeuvre.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780140444568

Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 26 September 1985

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Penguin Classics

Contributors:

  • Translated by David McDuff
  • Introduction by David McDuff
  • Translated by David McDuff
  • Introduction by David McDuff

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 21.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 198.0mm

Weight: 276g

Pages: 368

Collections

2025 Best Sellers Featured Fiction Fyodor Dostoyevsky General Fiction In-Stock Fiction Books Literary Fiction New Release Fiction Penguin Books Penguin Classics

About the Author

Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky (1821 - 1881) studied at the Military Engineering College in St Petersburg, and achieved officer's rank. Arrested in 1849 and sentenced to death for his involvement in a political coup, he was reprieved at the last moment but sentenced to penal servitude. On his return, he fell into debt as a result of gambling. His greatest works were all written in the last 20 years of his life. David McDuff is a renowned Russian translateor and has written books and articles on Russian literature.

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