Synopsis
From the acclaimed translators Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky comes a new translation of the first great prison memoir: Fyodor Dostoevsky’s fictionalized account of his life-changing penal servitude in Siberia.
In 1849 Dostoevsky was sentenced to four years at hard labor in a Siberian prison camp for his participation in a utopian socialist discussion group. The account he wrote after his release, based on notes he smuggled out, was the first book to reveal life inside the Russian penal system. The book not only brought him fame but also founded the tradition of Russian prison writing.
Notes from a Dead House (sometimes translated as The House of the Dead) is filled with vivid details of brutal punishments, shocking conditions, feuds and betrayals, and the psychological effects of the loss of freedom, but it also describes moments of comedy and acts of kindness. There are grotesque bathhouse and hospital scenes that seem to have come straight from Dante’s Inferno, alongside daring escape attempts, doomed acts of defiance, and a theatrical Christmas celebration that draws the entire community together in a temporary suspension of their grim reality.
To get past government censors, Dostoevsky made his narrator a common-law criminal rather than a political prisoner, but the perspective is unmistakably his own. His incarceration was a transformative experience that nourished all his later works, particularly Crime and Punishment. Dostoevsky’s narrator discovers that even among the most debased criminals there are strong and beautiful souls. His story reveals the prison as a tragedy both for the inmates and for Russia; it is, finally, a profound meditation on freedom: “The prisoner himself knows that he is a prisoner; but no brands, no fetters will make him forget that he is a human being.”
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
About the Author
Together, RICHARD PEVEAR and LARISSA VOLOKHONSKY have translated works by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov, Gogol, Bulgakov, and Pasternak. They were twice awarded the PEN/Book-of-the-Month Club Translation Prize (for their versions of Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina), and their translation of Dostoevsky’s Demons was one of three nominees for the same prize. They are married and live in France.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Search results for Notes From A Dead House
Stock Image
Notes from a Dead House
Seller: HPB-Emerald, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Connecting readers with great books since 1972! Used books may not include companion materials, and may have some shelf wear or limited writing. We ship orders daily and Customer Service is our top priority! Seller Inventory # S_474928059
Stock Image
Notes from a Dead House
Seller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00103255750
Stock Image
Notes from a Dead House
Seller: World of Books (was SecondSale), Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00102964877
Seller Image
Notes from a Dead House
Seller: -OnTimeBooks-, Phoenix, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: very_good. Gently read. May have name of previous ownership, or ex-library edition. Binding tight; spine straight and smooth, with no creasing; covers clean and crisp. Minimal signs of handling or shelving. 100% GUARANTEE! Shipped with delivery confirmation, if you're not satisfied with purchase please return item! Ships USPS Media Mail. Seller Inventory # OTV.0307959597.VG
Seller Image
Notes from a Dead House
Published by
Knopf, New York, 2015
ISBN 10: 0307959597
ISBN 13: 9780307959591
Used
Hardcover
First Edition
Seller: Joes Books, Lombard, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Near Fine. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st Edition. $26.95 Publishers DJ Price Intact, First Edition is stated on the Copyright Page, Red Ink Remainder Dot on the Bottom Edge, Light Shelf Rubbings to the Dust Jacket, b2. Seller Inventory # ABE-1774909616505
Stock Image
Notes from a Dead House
Seller: Gold Country Books, Sacramento, CA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Fair. Dust Jacket Condition: Fair. 1st Edition. Seller Inventory # 023189
Stock Image
Notes From A Dead House
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR007473907
Buy Used
£ 24
£ 5.60 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Notes From A Dead House
Seller: Sell Books, Elland, YORKS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
hardcover. Condition: Good. Our good condition books are generally good for reading but not for gifting or collecting. They could have imperfections such as creasing, fanning, inscriptions, margin notes, yellowing, staining on edge or cover or pages, bumps, scuffs, etc etc (sometimes multiple of these). It's a wide category that encompasses anything that isn't almost-new down to anything that is slightly better than poor. We would NOT recommend gifting Good books - these should be considered reading copies. Our books are dispatched from a Yorkshire former cotton mill. We list via barcode/ISBN so please note that the images are stock images and may not be the exact copy you receive, furthermore the details about edition and year might not be accurate as many publishers reuse the same ISBN for multiple editions and as we simply scan a barcode or enter an ISBN we do not check the validity of the edition data when listing. If you're looking for an exact edition please don't order (at least not without checking with us first, although we don't always have time to check). We aim to dispatch prompty, the service used will depend on order value and book size. We can ship to most countries, see our shipping policies. Payment is via Abe only. Seller Inventory # P-BPX00051-RAG-20241126-G
Buy Used
£ 56.15
£ 12.15 shipping
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Ships from United Kingdom to U.S.A.
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Notes from a Dead House
Seller: GoldBooks, Denver, CO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: new. New Copy. Customer Service Guaranteed. Seller Inventory # 14B55_32_0307959597
Seller Image
Notes from a Dead House
Seller: Chamblin Bookmine, Jacksonville, FL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. 8vo. Condition: Very Good. Dust Jacket Condition: Very Good. 1st edition. This first edition has gray boards quarter bound in gray paper with straight edges and pointed corners. Rose gold detailing on front board. Spine is uncreased with straight edges and rose gold lettering. Text block is square with deckled pages. Binding is tight. 311p. Interior is unmarked with crisp white pages through out. Dark dust jacket is unclipped in good condition with clear white lettering, straight edge and pointed corners. Seller Inventory # 116514