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caliesha's review against another edition
3.0
mr chekhov... please include more flowering verses. i know u can do it. death, disease, dismay - the misogyny was almost welcome as a break. the end of Chapter 21 about the innocent hanged man broke me. a devastating, but important moment.
blueyorkie's review against another edition
3.0
While reading volume 1 of 1984 by Haruki Murakami, I wanted to read this book. Indeed Murakami inserts some pages of the story of Chekhov in his novel.
When Chekhov went to the island in the 1880s, he left without authorization but as soon as he arrived, he obtained permission to visit what he wanted.
He will share the lives of all the people on the island for a few months, both representatives of authority and those sentenced.
He will be able to visit even "the prison of the recidivists" he will also attend a punishment which he will find very brutal, the application of the shots of the rods (the whip).
He will soon realize that individual sentences are arbitrary, depending on the guards' humanity; some try to soften a little life on the island; others resort to force and humiliation and are evidence of sadism.
Chekhov, a doctor, will give a minute account of the sanitary conditions of the island, where mass prostitution, alcoholism, and tuberculosis. Reign supreme, and where had provided little care. He will draw up an implacable indictment of the methods of repression employed, methods which do not permit any amendment, on the contrary.
I particularly appreciated the pages concerning the indigenous populations: Ghiniaks and Ainis, peaceful peoples better adapted to the climatic conditions, who ate almost exclusively whales and had never washed!
The author shows us a micro-society with the prisoners who presented better than others, those who trade in alcohol and cigarettes; he shows us discussed the too great distance from Moscow in some sentences without knowledge of the field. Initiatives were full of goodwill that missed their goal, like the harvests of clothes and toys made in Moscow by charitable works that do not arrive in the right place. The climate of the island itself is a punishment per se. In the very short summer, the temperatures do not exceed 15 degrees; otherwise, for the rest of the year, temperatures can reach - 40, making working conditions even more inhuman.
The author will say that he will never be the same again when he returns from Sakhalin.
It is sometimes tedious and repetitive, but it remains a magnificent memory work.
When Chekhov went to the island in the 1880s, he left without authorization but as soon as he arrived, he obtained permission to visit what he wanted.
He will share the lives of all the people on the island for a few months, both representatives of authority and those sentenced.
He will be able to visit even "the prison of the recidivists" he will also attend a punishment which he will find very brutal, the application of the shots of the rods (the whip).
He will soon realize that individual sentences are arbitrary, depending on the guards' humanity; some try to soften a little life on the island; others resort to force and humiliation and are evidence of sadism.
Chekhov, a doctor, will give a minute account of the sanitary conditions of the island, where mass prostitution, alcoholism, and tuberculosis. Reign supreme, and where had provided little care. He will draw up an implacable indictment of the methods of repression employed, methods which do not permit any amendment, on the contrary.
I particularly appreciated the pages concerning the indigenous populations: Ghiniaks and Ainis, peaceful peoples better adapted to the climatic conditions, who ate almost exclusively whales and had never washed!
The author shows us a micro-society with the prisoners who presented better than others, those who trade in alcohol and cigarettes; he shows us discussed the too great distance from Moscow in some sentences without knowledge of the field. Initiatives were full of goodwill that missed their goal, like the harvests of clothes and toys made in Moscow by charitable works that do not arrive in the right place. The climate of the island itself is a punishment per se. In the very short summer, the temperatures do not exceed 15 degrees; otherwise, for the rest of the year, temperatures can reach - 40, making working conditions even more inhuman.
The author will say that he will never be the same again when he returns from Sakhalin.
It is sometimes tedious and repetitive, but it remains a magnificent memory work.
alcomia's review against another edition
5.0
my school's curriculum did not include sakhalin island, even though it was, in fact, on sakhalin and we read a lot of chekhov in my literature class.
one can argue the reason for that is that this book is too bleak and depressing for a young reader, but then again we are talking about russia here. a place, where 16 year olds are forced to analyse war and peace and write full-blown literary essays on raskolnikov's actions as an example of nihilism and manifestation of the ubermensch concept.
sakhalin island is one of the greatest works of journalism from the nineteenth century because unlike many other major journalistic works from that time, this book has not aged. i was born and brought up on the island and left when i was 17. as i was reading chekhov's reminiscence about his first encounter with the sakhalin crowd, i could't help myself but feel extremely harrowed, rootless, abandoned — angry, hurt and sad. more than 130 years has passed since he published this book, but little has changed in the general sentiment of the young islanders.
i am a russian born japanese with no ties to my ethnic homeland so i was genuinely fascinated reading chekhov demarcating the japanese from the russians. in 1869 sakhalin, the largest of russia's islands, was officially announced to be a zone of 'penal servitude and exile' and until the beginning of the 20th century the majority of its citizens were convicts. to this day it remains one of the most interesting and controversial constituents of russia. formerly a part of japan, during world war 2, tens of thousands of korean labourers were taken to the island to work for the japanese empire's war effort. a couple years later, sakhalin became a spoil of war and was given to the USSR along with the kuril islands, leaving the koreans on the island stuck in a limbo that many remain in today. the status of sakhalin and, to a greater extent, the kuril islands has dominated relations between modern russia and japan. today sakhalin is one of the least visited parts of russia, basting amazing nature, japanese historical relics, and soviet history.
chekhov spent months on the island meeting with convicts and collecting information on every person he met. he filled in more than 7400 census cards and in 1895 issued this book - a true story about the miserable life of sakhalin convicts. it is clearly based on scientific method. chekhov carefully describes his data cards, the methods, and the difficulties of data collection. he presents his findings systematically, settlement by settlement. during his stay on sakhalin, he witnessed the appalling conditions and treatment many of the inmates and settlers were forced to endure. he took a particular interest in the intellectual needs of the colony’s children, later collecting and sending a library of over 2,200 books to sakhalin. he also came into contact with the island’s indigenous peoples and observed first-hand the devastating effects of colonialisation on their communities.
this book drew attention to the previously obscure sakhalin colony and added to the growing pressure to reform the russian penal system. ironically, now that it is mostly forgotten, sakhalin too remains an underfunded, chronically poor, prospectless place. in soviet russia depression struggles with you, eh?
one can argue the reason for that is that this book is too bleak and depressing for a young reader, but then again we are talking about russia here. a place, where 16 year olds are forced to analyse war and peace and write full-blown literary essays on raskolnikov's actions as an example of nihilism and manifestation of the ubermensch concept.
there were men and women of working age, old folks and children, but there were absolutely no young people. it seemed that here was nobody on sakhalin between thirteen and twenty years of age. and i reluctantly asked myself, "doesn't this mean that when the young people are old enough they leave the island at the first opportunity?
sakhalin island is one of the greatest works of journalism from the nineteenth century because unlike many other major journalistic works from that time, this book has not aged. i was born and brought up on the island and left when i was 17. as i was reading chekhov's reminiscence about his first encounter with the sakhalin crowd, i could't help myself but feel extremely harrowed, rootless, abandoned — angry, hurt and sad. more than 130 years has passed since he published this book, but little has changed in the general sentiment of the young islanders.
i am a russian born japanese with no ties to my ethnic homeland so i was genuinely fascinated reading chekhov demarcating the japanese from the russians. in 1869 sakhalin, the largest of russia's islands, was officially announced to be a zone of 'penal servitude and exile' and until the beginning of the 20th century the majority of its citizens were convicts. to this day it remains one of the most interesting and controversial constituents of russia. formerly a part of japan, during world war 2, tens of thousands of korean labourers were taken to the island to work for the japanese empire's war effort. a couple years later, sakhalin became a spoil of war and was given to the USSR along with the kuril islands, leaving the koreans on the island stuck in a limbo that many remain in today. the status of sakhalin and, to a greater extent, the kuril islands has dominated relations between modern russia and japan. today sakhalin is one of the least visited parts of russia, basting amazing nature, japanese historical relics, and soviet history.
chekhov spent months on the island meeting with convicts and collecting information on every person he met. he filled in more than 7400 census cards and in 1895 issued this book - a true story about the miserable life of sakhalin convicts. it is clearly based on scientific method. chekhov carefully describes his data cards, the methods, and the difficulties of data collection. he presents his findings systematically, settlement by settlement. during his stay on sakhalin, he witnessed the appalling conditions and treatment many of the inmates and settlers were forced to endure. he took a particular interest in the intellectual needs of the colony’s children, later collecting and sending a library of over 2,200 books to sakhalin. he also came into contact with the island’s indigenous peoples and observed first-hand the devastating effects of colonialisation on their communities.
this book drew attention to the previously obscure sakhalin colony and added to the growing pressure to reform the russian penal system. ironically, now that it is mostly forgotten, sakhalin too remains an underfunded, chronically poor, prospectless place. in soviet russia depression struggles with you, eh?
smackmyass's review against another edition
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
4.25
witkac's review against another edition
4.0
Miałem przeczytać fragmenty do eseju, ale wciągnęła mnie całość :)
msgtdameron's review
3.0
Chekov should have stuck to writing plays and fiction. His foray into documentaries is a lot of stats and travel log. I was hoping for more stories of the inhabitants, but those are few and far between. Mostly the stories one does get are from guards, officers, and the people who followed their family member onto Sakhalin. The prisoner stories aren't told often. this is probably because Chekov was forbidden to talk to any political prisoners and only talked to the common criminal, mostly murders. Chekov does bring out many problems with the Russian prison system and these problems continued under the Soviets; bad food, terrible working conditions, terrible housing, lack of sanitation, poor hospitals, no hope for escape, parole, or return. Over all this is a sad work that at times is quite tedious. For a student of penal systems, Russian history, or those who like oddball locals (I fit all three.) it is a useful read. If you don't fit these three categories, skip it.
bearofsand's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
3.25
This book's got a little bit of "eating your spinach" syndrome to it because of Chehov's steadfast commitment to supplying the reader with statistics and figures that make it really hard for modern readers to have any discernable context. I'd compare it to reading some of the super dense portions of the Bible when it talks about the ark dimensions or random family lineages.
But what we've also got here is a methodical, calculated description of the worst prison colony in Russia Siberia. It's heartbreaking to read about the living conditions and lives of these people cast off from society. Chekhov rarely relies on pathos to describe what he sees but he doesn't need to; the cold, hard facts are enough to deject the reader appropriately.
But what we've also got here is a methodical, calculated description of the worst prison colony in Russia Siberia. It's heartbreaking to read about the living conditions and lives of these people cast off from society. Chekhov rarely relies on pathos to describe what he sees but he doesn't need to; the cold, hard facts are enough to deject the reader appropriately.
giuseppepepe's review against another edition
After 20% I just could not get through this. I have been trying for like six years and this shit is a DRAG. I give in, I am a quitter. It is so boring. A Russian penal colony on a secluded island should be exciting but it got a little TOO every-day detailed. Best of luck to others.
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