The House of the Dead by Fyodor Dostoyevsky. Several times over the past few years, I tried to read Dostoyevsky’s novels, but at some point, I gave up. I suppose I was not ready for him yet. The House of the Dead is the first novel by Dostoyevsky that I have successfully completed, and it is remarkable.
Dostoyevsky is one of those rare authors who transcend time and culture, and this is perhaps one reason why he is regarded as one of the greatest writers ever. He lived at the end of the 19th century, a period when Russia was undergoing many social changes against the power of the upper classes. His involvement in literary associations was considered progressive, and eventually, he was arrested and sent to prison in Siberia, where he gathered the experiences that shaped this book.
The main character, Aleksandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, is sent to a remote Siberian prison for the murder of his wife. Over several years, Aleksandr witnesses the harsh life of the military prison, where hundreds of inmates live crowded together in a few buildings. The prisoners fight, steal from one another, and commit all kinds of terrible acts. During this time, Aleksandr learns to understand and appreciate his fellow inmates.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the book is how Dostoyevsky builds and analyzes the psychological profiles of the inmates. This is what makes the book timeless. It reaches beyond historical and geographical boundaries and portrays the human mind with astonishing precision. Dostoyevsky explains, for example, why a convict behaves even worse in prison than he might as a free man. The reason, he writes, is that a convict already sees himself as such and can act badly without feeling shame. He also explores the idea of freedom and how inmates idealize it as their ultimate goal, even though many will spend decades in prison and some will die there without ever being released.
The book examines forced labor, brutal corporal punishment that sends inmates to the hospital, and gives a vivid portrait of pain and loss of hope. One of its main messages is that all human beings share a common core of psychological traits, regardless of their social class.