The House of the Dead

by Fyodor Dostoyevsky Narrated by Malk Williams

Overview

Accused of political subversion as a young man, Dostoyevsky was sentenced to four years of hard labour at a Siberian prison camp - a horrifying experience from which he developed this astounding semi-autobiographical memoir of a man condemned to ten years of servitude for murdering his wife.

A haunting and remarkable work filled with wonder and resignation, The House of the Dead ranks among the Russian novelist's greatest masterpieces. Of this powerful autobiographical novel, Tolstoy wrote, "I know no better book in all modern literature".

Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a Russian novelist and short-story writer whose psychological penetration into the darkest recesses of the human heart and his unsurpassed moments of illumination, had an immense influence on 20th-century fiction. He is commonly regarded as one of the finest novelists who ever lived, penning works including four long novels: Crime and Punishment, The Idiot, Demons, and The Brothers Karamazov. His ideas profoundly shaped literary modernism, existentialism, and various schools of psychology, theology, and literary criticism. His works are often called prophetic because he accurately predicted how Russia's revolutionaries would behave if they came to power. In his time, he was also renowned for his activity as a journalist.***

Editorial Reviews

MAY 2020 - AudioFile

Nicolas Boulton gives a splendid narration of Dostoyevsky’s semiautobiographical novel based on his exile in Siberia. First published in a journal written from 1860 to 1862, the novel concerns a nobleman, Aleksandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, who is imprisoned for murdering his wife. Goryanchikov encounters and witnesses great acts of brutality by both inmates and the keepers of the prison, as well as great acts of kindness and humanity. This novel displays Dostoyevsky’s insight into the human condition in all of its evil and good, and his skill at depicting this. It also shows his religious views, which are developed more in his later works. Boulton’s British accent works well for the nobleman who recounts his own story, and he’s also remarkably versatile and credible as peasants, foot soldiers, and officers. His pacing and expression are perfect. This production grabs one from the beginning and never lets go. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

MAY 2020 - AudioFile

Nicolas Boulton gives a splendid narration of Dostoyevsky’s semiautobiographical novel based on his exile in Siberia. First published in a journal written from 1860 to 1862, the novel concerns a nobleman, Aleksandr Petrovich Goryanchikov, who is imprisoned for murdering his wife. Goryanchikov encounters and witnesses great acts of brutality by both inmates and the keepers of the prison, as well as great acts of kindness and humanity. This novel displays Dostoyevsky’s insight into the human condition in all of its evil and good, and his skill at depicting this. It also shows his religious views, which are developed more in his later works. Boulton’s British accent works well for the nobleman who recounts his own story, and he’s also remarkably versatile and credible as peasants, foot soldiers, and officers. His pacing and expression are perfect. This production grabs one from the beginning and never lets go. M.T.F. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine

Product Details

BN ID:	2940191729633
Publisher:	SNR Audio
Publication date:	03/28/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged

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