Another Dostoyevsky. For some reason I do not tire of his writing. My last was "The Brothers Karamazov" which proved to be (perhaps) the best Dostoyevsky I have read till date. His story was very free flowing and encapsulated all the scandalous trills that Dostoyevsky is known for. I started "House Of The Dead", forgot it at a friend's place during a visit, read a few books in the mean time, regained possession and restarted the book. The entire sequence of events somehow managed to mellow down the eagerness I had picked up the book initially with.
"House Of The Dead" is mostly a set of personal recollections that Dostoyevsky makes from his time spent in prison for his involvement in the Petrashevsky Circle. He was utterly disgusted by the dilapidated condition of the prison and the disdain that the "common" prisoners treated the "noblemen" criminals with filled him with horror and rancor. The recollections are meant to provide a view into the life of a section of Russians that most people are unaware or. Dostoyevsky manages to put across a very grim picture of the Siberian prisons, which was probably what he intended to do with this book. He focuses on the astounding difference between the common and the noble people and also describes how and why the difference is un-amendable. He delves in the discrimination that the legal system produces by dealing with criminals indiscriminately.
The story is introduced as the writings of an anti-social and meek Siberian "settler" (people who have served their time in the Siberian prisons are not allowed their initial status in the society. Rather, they are required to settle down in the villages and live out the rest of their days.) who dies leaving behind a register full of notes about his time in prison. He details out the character of his fellow prisoners and (ridiculously) describes them all to be "good of heart". He also describes the condition of the barracks and the management; the god complexes of the wardens; the illegal activities within the prison and their necessity for the prison's smooth functioning; the various kinds of labour that the prisoners are made to do. He probes deeply into the psychology of the imprisoned and the romantic notions they hold.
It is a totally different world that Dostoyevsky takes you to. One that is tough to identify with. But the writer does not even expect you to understand his situation. Just puts it forth as an amusing matter worth knowing. Dostoyevsky still holds the charm he did when I read his work first. I have a collection of short stories lined up next. I am sure he will not disappoint.
"House Of The Dead" is mostly a set of personal recollections that Dostoyevsky makes from his time spent in prison for his involvement in the Petrashevsky Circle. He was utterly disgusted by the dilapidated condition of the prison and the disdain that the "common" prisoners treated the "noblemen" criminals with filled him with horror and rancor. The recollections are meant to provide a view into the life of a section of Russians that most people are unaware or. Dostoyevsky manages to put across a very grim picture of the Siberian prisons, which was probably what he intended to do with this book. He focuses on the astounding difference between the common and the noble people and also describes how and why the difference is un-amendable. He delves in the discrimination that the legal system produces by dealing with criminals indiscriminately.
The story is introduced as the writings of an anti-social and meek Siberian "settler" (people who have served their time in the Siberian prisons are not allowed their initial status in the society. Rather, they are required to settle down in the villages and live out the rest of their days.) who dies leaving behind a register full of notes about his time in prison. He details out the character of his fellow prisoners and (ridiculously) describes them all to be "good of heart". He also describes the condition of the barracks and the management; the god complexes of the wardens; the illegal activities within the prison and their necessity for the prison's smooth functioning; the various kinds of labour that the prisoners are made to do. He probes deeply into the psychology of the imprisoned and the romantic notions they hold.
It is a totally different world that Dostoyevsky takes you to. One that is tough to identify with. But the writer does not even expect you to understand his situation. Just puts it forth as an amusing matter worth knowing. Dostoyevsky still holds the charm he did when I read his work first. I have a collection of short stories lined up next. I am sure he will not disappoint.
