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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
challenging
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
“What are we here for? We are not alive though we are living and we are not in our graves though we are dead.”
In 1849 Dostoevsky was arrested for being part of a literary circle that discussed books critical to Tsarist Russia. Though he was sentenced to be executed for his participation, the “merciful Tsar Nicholas commutes his sentence at the very last minute. Instead of death, Dostoevsky was exiled to Siberia where he spent 4 years in prison doing hard labor.
After serving his sentence, he continued writing for multiple literary journals. Due to the literary censorship laws at the time, he was unable to write about his own personal experience in a Siberian prison, but he was able to write this fictional novel which serves as close to a first-person account of his experience that he could deliver.
Because he was considered part of the upper class prior to his conviction (despite losing all his rights and standing when he was sentence) one of his biggest struggles come from feeling alienated from his fellow inmates while he was there. His experience was not quite as brutal, (he was not required to undergo the lash for example) and he was able to afford better provisions. I found this element of his prison life and its effort on him fascinating.
Overall, I found this novel intriguing and I can see how these experiences (and when he was about to be executed) impacted the writings of his later novels. He was fascinated by the criminal mind, their motivations, their justifications, the way they endure their punishments.
If you plan on reading his other works, I definitely recommend this for a glimpse into what made him the man and writer he becomes.
“Bad people are to be found everywhere, but even among the worst there may be something good.”
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Animal cruelty, Animal death
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This is the first Dostoevsky that I’ve read. I found it hard to speed through, and had to pace myself with two chapters a pet sitting.
I also found reading the forward VERY helpful to glean some context about Dostoevsky’s background and life before hard labor camp.
I also found reading the forward VERY helpful to glean some context about Dostoevsky’s background and life before hard labor camp.
"Dievų miškas" be ironijos ir ženkliai humaniškesnėmis kalėjimo sąlygomis, bet su daugiau egzistencinių apmąstymų, nuodugnesniais veikėjų paveikslais, išvystomas kalėjimo poveikis kaliniams. Jaučiama rusiškos kultūros ...esencija?
Bet dėl pasakotojo verkšlenimo (ypač palyginus su B. Sruogos išsilaikymu) šį kūrinį skaityti buvo nuobodžiau nei lagerio išgyvenimus.
Beje, lenkai ir čia patys nekenčiamiausi.
Bet dėl pasakotojo verkšlenimo (ypač palyginus su B. Sruogos išsilaikymu) šį kūrinį skaityti buvo nuobodžiau nei lagerio išgyvenimus.
Beje, lenkai ir čia patys nekenčiamiausi.
reflective
Feeling like a bad bitch for finishing my first Dostoevsky novel.
It was so good
It was so good
"The prisoner knows himself that he is a prisoner, an outcast, and he knows his place before his superior; but no brands, no fetters will make him forget that he is a human being."
In reading a book—and understanding any body of work for that matter—context is important; to know the reality behind those words and paragraphs. While I don't think it's always necessary, I find that context enhances the reading experience; it provides added value to the reader. Such is what Fyodor Dostoevsky's fictional memoir of incarcerated life taught me.
Notes from a Dead House is a truly fascinating read. Had I not known that this was based off Dostoevsky's actual imprisonment in Siberia, I probably wouldn't be as floored with so many thoughts and arguments. Because it's one thing to write about hard labor, and it's a wholly other thing to have gone through it and then write about it.
I think what I admire most about this book is how Alexander Petrovich, that is, Dostoevsky's proxy, is both self-aware and naive of the new and gray world that he is subjected into. He describes prison life and his comrades with such wide-eyed honesty and patience to understand each corner of their fortress, each personality. His voice was that of a human being—raw and real.
And through the colorful cast of characters we meet, and even those mentioned in passing by Alexander, we are empathetically reminded of the complexity of man. That those who are in brands and fetters can be the kindest of hearts; that those who walk freely can be the cruelest of the cruel. And freedom is a major theme in this book though I imagine not the kind we're used to unless you've served a sentence.
Overall, this is without a doubt one of the best things I've read in my entire life. I am eager to read more Dostoevsky and to gain more insight from a context I never dreamt of going through, but I hope to grasp for humanity's sake.
Harder to get through than a more traditional novel since it's more of a memoir about Dostoevsky's time in a Siberian prison rather than a story with a plot. Still, Dostoevsky's brilliant insight into the inner workings of humanity is still there, and it's easy to see experiences that led to many of the themes he explores in his later works. Certain parts are also incredibly relevant to many of the conversations taking place about incarceration happening today.
challenging
dark
funny
informative
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Excellent book! I really like it. That's all I got to say.