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The House of the Dead & The Gambler

The House of the Dead & The Gambler

  • Downloads：6071
  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-05-23 10:55:06
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  • ISBN：1840226293
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Summary

"Man is a creature that can get accustomed to anything， and I think that is the best definition of him。"

Translated by Constance Garnett with an introduction by Anthony Briggs。

Dostoevsky's fascination for mental breakdown and violence （20 murders in his four main novels） was based on his own life， and these two unmistakably autobiographical works bear this out。

The House of the Dead is fiction， but based on his four years in a Siberian prison。 An educated upper-class man is condemned to live among criminals and brutal guards， with arbitrary punishments， lousy food， disgusting living conditions， hard toil and many floggings。 Somehow he avoids bitterness and recrimination; faith in humanity survives。 With its breadth of characterisation， acute sense of detail and strong narrative interest， this work can still shock， entertain and inspire。

In The Gambler we see the Russian community in a German spa town。 Drawn to the casino， Alexey becomes obsessed with roulette。 In a gripping story， full of psychological interest， his growing mania eclipses even his interest in Polina， a heroine of demonic and vibrant sexuality。 Dostoevsky himself was rescued from a similar gambling obsession by the young stenographer who took down this work at his dictation and married him soon afterwards。

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Reviews

Hugo Bell ，

The gambler was wicked good

Brian ，

I enjoyed the Gambler more than the House of the Dead， which was too prosaic， too without hope or flow; it’s a journal with some interesting insights His style is less impressive than I recall Such calm and reflective notes and journals of this time“The idea has occurred to me that if you wanted to crush a man absolutely， give him meaningless labour - give him work of an absolutely completely useless and irrational character”The time in the hospital is most interesting - where he can learn from I enjoyed the Gambler more than the House of the Dead， which was too prosaic， too without hope or flow; it’s a journal with some interesting insights His style is less impressive than I recall Such calm and reflective notes and journals of this time“The idea has occurred to me that if you wanted to crush a man absolutely， give him meaningless labour - give him work of an absolutely completely useless and irrational character”The time in the hospital is most interesting - where he can learn from others about corporal punishment， the relative severity （birch so much worse than sticks） and encountering those who are mad203 The psychological reflections on torture and torturers - how good people can be torturers - pre dates the American experimented of the 50s and 60sThe executioner who is compelled - other convicts 204 Bribery of the executioners - You have eaten is with your iron beaks” say the convicts 274 “how can you be our comrade？” Class in Russia Then he just leaves。 A strange and muted account。 The Gambler 333 Russians as dissipates of capital - national stereotype of wastefulness- “I really don’t know which is more disgusting; the Russian unseemliness or the German faculty of accumulation by honest toil”378 Granny/Auntie is a magnificent Russian battleship of a woman Granny: “oh you can tell the bird by it’s flight。 One can see she has a sharp claw。 “After his fall: “only Russians can contain so many opposites in them at the same time” 。。。more

Luna ，

Read only The House of the Dead。 Dense and difficult to navigate （for me） this took longer than anticipated。 It was worth it though， very well worth reading。 It's the story of a man's years in a Siberian jail， during the 1800s。 Read only The House of the Dead。 Dense and difficult to navigate （for me） this took longer than anticipated。 It was worth it though， very well worth reading。 It's the story of a man's years in a Siberian jail， during the 1800s。 。。。more

Ivan Pascari ，

Dostoevskii face referință la cauzele crimelor care au loc în societate。 Și de fiecare dată când compară oamenii liberi cu cei damnați， el observă că diferența nu-i așa mare， că oamenii sunt peste tot oameni， că și cei condamnați trăiesc după aceleași norme generale， mai exact， oamenii liberi trăiesc la fel ca și cei de la ocnă。 Nu întâmplător， unele crime sunt comise cu intenția de a ajunge la ocnă "ajungând aici să fugă de incomparabila ocnă din libertate"。Văzând niște trăsături comune dintre Dostoevskii face referință la cauzele crimelor care au loc în societate。 Și de fiecare dată când compară oamenii liberi cu cei damnați， el observă că diferența nu-i așa mare， că oamenii sunt peste tot oameni， că și cei condamnați trăiesc după aceleași norme generale， mai exact， oamenii liberi trăiesc la fel ca și cei de la ocnă。 Nu întâmplător， unele crime sunt comise cu intenția de a ajunge la ocnă "ajungând aici să fugă de incomparabila ocnă din libertate"。Văzând niște trăsături comune dintre viața de la ocnă și cea "liberă"， Dostoevskii atinge înainte de toate cele mai principale probleme sociale: despre relația poporului față de nobili și administrație， despre rolul banilor， despre rolul muncii， etc。 。。。more

Lucy Croker ，

Two great stories — not my favourites from Dostoyevsky but there is always something so compelling about his writing that still shines through here。 Both are semi-autobiographical tales， one based on Dostoyevsky's years spent in a Siberian prison and the other his experience of gambling addiction。 The House of the Dead gave a shocking insight into the realities of a Siberian prison camp。 I found the characters and the dynamics between individuals and different groups within the prison to be fasc Two great stories — not my favourites from Dostoyevsky but there is always something so compelling about his writing that still shines through here。 Both are semi-autobiographical tales， one based on Dostoyevsky's years spent in a Siberian prison and the other his experience of gambling addiction。 The House of the Dead gave a shocking insight into the realities of a Siberian prison camp。 I found the characters and the dynamics between individuals and different groups within the prison to be fascinating。 The observations made about the daily experiences of the prisoners and the workings of the prison reveal a brutal life full of suffering and yet Dostoyevsky manages to give the story heart too。 Three successive chapters had me ranging through a whole series of emotions: in 'Christmas' a sort of quiet despair and pity as the prisoners' attempts at merrymaking are unable to disguise their true misery; in 'The Theatricals' I was full of joy and amusement at the way in which they threw themselves into the performance of a play; in 'The Hospital' a deep feeling of disgust at the horrific conditions and outrage on behalf of the prisoners。 The narrative structure was the let down in this story， it was far too circuitous for my tastes and the narrator kept circling back to reference an anecdote he'd already told or to explain that he would talk more about the subject later。 I suppose it felt more like the way someone would retell a story verbally， jumping from one subject to the next as it occurs to them， but it felt a bit sloppy and at times frustrating to read。The Gambler was an engrossing novella which I burned through very quickly。 As someone who is fairly risk-averse and gets a bit nervous even at the thought of gambling， this was an uncomfortable but enthralling read for me。 It is obvious the whole time that things are not going to turn out well for Alexei， in fact for his whole group of associates there is a constant sense of impending catastrophe。 Dostoyevsky is a master at exploring human psychology through his works and this story was no different， Alexei's unshakeable belief that through willpower and determination he can control his destiny and win at roulette was certainly a fascinating glimpse into the head of someone in the grip of a gambling obsession。 。。。more

Hamad Baqi ，

It was Leo Tolstoy's favourite book by Fyodor Dostoevsky and that in itself is more than a recommendation so just read it 。 It was Leo Tolstoy's favourite book by Fyodor Dostoevsky and that in itself is more than a recommendation so just read it 。 。。。more

Sergiu Pop ，

The House of the Dead was extraordinary。The Gambler so-so， although I liked how the Germans were described。 Spot on， even 150+ years later。

Marko ，

I have two different editions of the same series。

Nicki Markus ，

I am a huge Dostoevsky fan， and yet I found The House of the Dead a tad disappointing。 It had its moments and was interesting， but I felt it lacked the depth of some of his other works， so I don't recommend it to anyone except die-hard fans。 On the other hand， The Gambler was much more on form for him。 It was a gripping tale with an interesting protagonist， and I was keen to see how things would work out for him as the story progressed。 I am giving this 4 stars， but really it is 3。5 for The Hous I am a huge Dostoevsky fan， and yet I found The House of the Dead a tad disappointing。 It had its moments and was interesting， but I felt it lacked the depth of some of his other works， so I don't recommend it to anyone except die-hard fans。 On the other hand， The Gambler was much more on form for him。 It was a gripping tale with an interesting protagonist， and I was keen to see how things would work out for him as the story progressed。 I am giving this 4 stars， but really it is 3。5 for The House of the Dead and 4。5 for The Gambler。 。。。more

Michael D ，

First book of 2018。 Brutal， harrowing and essential。

Abdeljalil ，

The House of the Dead was lesser than what someone would expect from Dostoevsky， the novel was poorly structured and the events didn't follow their chronological order and since it was inspired by events in his own life a reader may expect a better-written more-passionate work， but still a good one and a view on how imprisonment was in tsarian Russia。the second shorter yet better-written novel， The Gambler， was quite good， its themes were gambling， love， debt。。。I liked the parts where Alexei Iva The House of the Dead was lesser than what someone would expect from Dostoevsky， the novel was poorly structured and the events didn't follow their chronological order and since it was inspired by events in his own life a reader may expect a better-written more-passionate work， but still a good one and a view on how imprisonment was in tsarian Russia。the second shorter yet better-written novel， The Gambler， was quite good， its themes were gambling， love， debt。。。I liked the parts where Alexei Ivanovich was expressing his love to Paulina: I love without hope， and know that hereafter I shall love you a thousand times more。 If ever I should kill you I should have to kill myself too。 But I shall put off doing so as long as possible， for I wish to continue enjoying the unbearable pain which your coldness gives me。 It is curious and absurd how much may be expressed by the eyes of a modest and painfully chaste man， moved by love， at the very time when the man would gladly sink into the earth rather than express or betray anything by word or glance Do you know that I shall kill you one day？ I shall kill you not because I shall cease to love you or be jealous， I shall simply kill you because I have an impulse to devour you 。。。more

Rachel ，

Couldn't bring myself to rate less than full marks。 It is brilliantly written and， I imagine， a shocking revelation for the times。 I have to put it down unfinished because the subject was simply too depressing for me right now。 I need to come at it with detached interest， not lay next to him while he tells it。 Not sure that's possible。 I'll find out in a few years。。。 Couldn't bring myself to rate less than full marks。 It is brilliantly written and， I imagine， a shocking revelation for the times。 I have to put it down unfinished because the subject was simply too depressing for me right now。 I need to come at it with detached interest， not lay next to him while he tells it。 Not sure that's possible。 I'll find out in a few years。。。 。。。more

Hayley ，

The House of the Dead was a bit on the disappointing side。 For something that was inspired by his own imprisonment， I had hoped for something with a bit more passion。 What I got was a meandering， timeless mess of recollections that left practically no impression whatsoever。 The writing was good， but if the structure isn't there， then it leaves a lot to be desired。 The far superior novel in this collection， The Gambler is a fascinating look at the dangers of gambling， as well as the kind of socia The House of the Dead was a bit on the disappointing side。 For something that was inspired by his own imprisonment， I had hoped for something with a bit more passion。 What I got was a meandering， timeless mess of recollections that left practically no impression whatsoever。 The writing was good， but if the structure isn't there， then it leaves a lot to be desired。 The far superior novel in this collection， The Gambler is a fascinating look at the dangers of gambling， as well as the kind of social scheming that I'm a great fan of。 Perhaps a bit simple at times， but well constructed and engaging。 。。。more

Dimitri ，

While some of Dostojevski's authobiographical observations of prison life are only comprehensible to those knowledgable about customs of tsarist Russia， others resonate through the gulags down to the present day， as you can tell a lot about a society by observing its prisoners。 I am no crusader for prison reform at heart， but one of his closing statements tugs a string: "And how much youth lay uselessly buried within those walls， what mighty powers were wasted here in vain！ After all， one must t While some of Dostojevski's authobiographical observations of prison life are only comprehensible to those knowledgable about customs of tsarist Russia， others resonate through the gulags down to the present day， as you can tell a lot about a society by observing its prisoners。 I am no crusader for prison reform at heart， but one of his closing statements tugs a string: "And how much youth lay uselessly buried within those walls， what mighty powers were wasted here in vain！ After all， one must tell the whole truth; these men were exceptional men。。。but their mighty energies were vainly wasted， wasted abnormally， unjustly， hopelessly。 And who was to blame ？"Some people deserve to have the key thrown away。 Most can find contentment in the security of a regular life， even if they need to learn it behind bars first。 。。。more

Johan Haneveld ，

One of the lesser 'Dostoevsky's' that I read so far。 But a lesser Dostoevsky is still a great work in its own right， and I believe scenes and insights from these two novels （here collected in one volume） will continue to haunt me and inform my view of life in years to come。 The first of the two novels is hardly a novel， as it hasn't a narrative to speak of， but is a very involving description of life in a Syberian prisoncamp， as Dostoevsky experienced himself for several years。 The protagonist i One of the lesser 'Dostoevsky's' that I read so far。 But a lesser Dostoevsky is still a great work in its own right， and I believe scenes and insights from these two novels （here collected in one volume） will continue to haunt me and inform my view of life in years to come。 The first of the two novels is hardly a novel， as it hasn't a narrative to speak of， but is a very involving description of life in a Syberian prisoncamp， as Dostoevsky experienced himself for several years。 The protagonist is， like Dostoevsky， a gentleman， and finds himself suddenly between convicts。 This is not a depressing book， though， lots of involving descriptions of the animals in the prison， the smuggling of wodka， a christmas play put up for officers， in between the soup with cockroaches and the different ways people react to bodily punishment。 What Dostoevsky tries to prove here is that more evil to the human spirit than corporal punishment， is taking away his freedom， robbing him from something worthwile to do， robbing him from hope。 The crushing effect of this on the spirit is something the author describes very well。The second novel （a bit shorter） is about another type of inprisonment: gambling。 The protagonist is unable to get ahead in life， because he is caught by the slavery of gambling。 I always find it disturbing to read about the horrors of gambling， and was horrified by passages here。 。。。more

John ，

A fascinating read， a very vivid， candid and elegantly straightforward account of life in a Russian penal colony。 Dostoyevsky was able to pass along the lessons and anecdotes he bitterly learned over years of hard labor。

Melanie ，

。

Steve Evans ，

This is a thinly disguised autobiographical novel that is a compelling view of life in prison in mid-19th century Russia。 In some ways it is surprising that in a country that at the time practised widespread censorship that it was able to be published， though perhaps the authorities thought it would "encourager les autres"。 In any case it is "typical" Dostoevsky fare - that is to say， terrific in its understated， realistic horror。 There are also - typically - strange faults， as the narrator， who This is a thinly disguised autobiographical novel that is a compelling view of life in prison in mid-19th century Russia。 In some ways it is surprising that in a country that at the time practised widespread censorship that it was able to be published， though perhaps the authorities thought it would "encourager les autres"。 In any case it is "typical" Dostoevsky fare - that is to say， terrific in its understated， realistic horror。 There are also - typically - strange faults， as the narrator， who in the beginning supposedly killed his wife and was released to live out his days in Siberia， is transformed at the end into a "political" - as Dostoevsky was in fact。 Dostoevsky spent four years in prison in Siberia and a further ten in the military on his release。 Crime and Punishment and this book followed his return to St Petersburg。The Russian prison novel has a tradition of its own and this fits somewhere in the middle; later books， like Koestler's Darkness at Noon and several of Solzhenitsyn's， suggest that the Russia has known for a long time about locking people up and making their lives a misery。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The House of the Dead & The Gambler

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The House of the Dead & The Gambler&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The House of the Dead & The Gambler&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0