The House of the Dead is a novel published in 1861 by Russian author Fyodor Dostoyevsky, which portrays the life of convicts in a Siberian prison camp. Dostoyevsky himself spent four years in exile in such a camp 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. The narrator, Aleksandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, has been sentenced to penalty deportation to Siberia and ten years of hard labour. Life in prison is particularly hard for Aleksandr Petrovich, since he is a "gentleman" and suffers the malice of the other prisoners, nearly all of whom belong to the peasantry. Gradually Goryanchikov overcomes his revulsion at his situation and his fellow convicts, undergoing a spiritual re-awakening that culminates with his release from the camp. It is a work of great humanity; Dostoyevsky portrays the inmates of the prison with sympathy for their plight, and also expresses admiration for their energy, ingenuity and talent. He concludes that the existence of the prison, with its absurd practices and savage corporal punishments is a tragic fact, both for the prisoners and for Russia itself.
Der Untergang
Stefan Zweig
audiobookDer Mann in der Kiste
Stefan Zweig
audiobookMrs. McWilliams und der Blitz
Mark Twain
audiobookDas Ende
Stefan Zweig
audiobookWeltgeschichte in einem Augenblick
Stefan Zweig
audiobookDer Pakt
Stefan Zweig
audiobookDie Vorbereitung
Stefan Zweig
audiobookThe Machine Stops
E. M. Forster
audiobookHorror Collection (Dracula, Frankenstein, The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde)
Robert Louis Stevenson, Bram Stoker, Mary Shelley
audiobookDie Novelle / Ferdinands Schuld und Wandlung
Johann W von Goethe
audiobookKlein Zaches, genannt Zinnober: Ein Märchen
E. T. A. Hoffmann
audiobookDas Lied von der Glocke
Friedrich Schiller
audiobook