Notes from the Dead House

The story is documentary and introduces the reader to the life of prisoners in Siberia in the second half of the 19th century. The writer artistically comprehended everything he saw and experienced during the four years of hard labor in Omsk (from 1850 to 1854 ), being exiled there in the case of the Petrashevists . The work was created from 1860 to 1862 , the first chapters were published in the journal " Time ".

The narration is conducted on behalf of the main character, Alexander Petrovich Goryanchikov, a nobleman who ended up in hard labor for a term of 10 years for the murder of his wife. After killing his wife out of jealousy, Alexander Petrovich himself confessed to the murder, and after serving hard labor , cut off all ties with relatives and stayed in a settlement in the Siberian city of K., leading a secluded life and earning a living by tutoring . One of his few entertainments remains reading and literary sketches about hard labor . Actually, “alive by the Dead House”, which gave the title to the story, the author calls the prison where the convicts are serving their sentences, and their recordings are “Scenes from the Dead House”.

Once in the prison, the nobleman Goryanchikov is keenly experiencing his conclusion, which is burdened by an unusual peasant environment . Most prisoners do not take him for equal, at the same time despising him for impracticality, squeamishness, and respecting his nobility. Having survived the first shock, Goryanchikov with interest begins to study the life of the inhabitants of the prison, discovering the "simple people", its low and elevated sides.

Goryanchikov falls into the so-called "second category", in the fortress. In total, in the Siberian penal servitude in the 19th century there were three categories: the first (in mines), the second (in fortresses) and the third (factory). It was believed that the severity of hard labor is reduced from the first to the third category (see. Hard labor). However, according to Goryanchikov, the second category was the most severe, since it was under military control, and prisoners were always under surveillance. Many of the convicts of the second category spoke in favor of the first and third categories. In addition to these categories, along with ordinary prisoners, the fortress where Goryanchikov was imprisoned contained a "special department" in which prisoners were assigned to hard labor indefinite work for especially serious crimes. The “special department” in the code of laws was described as follows: “A special department is established at such a prison, for the most important criminals, until the opening of the most difficult hard labor in Siberia”.

The story does not have a holistic plot and appears before readers in the form of small sketches, however, arranged in chronological order. The chapters of the story contain personal impressions of the author, stories from the life of other convicts, psychological sketches and deep philosophical thoughts.

The life and customs of prisoners, the relations of convicts to each other, faith and crimes are described in detail. From the story you can find out what kind of work convicts were involved in, how they made money, how they brought wine to the prison, what they dreamed of, how they had fun, how they treated their bosses and work. What was forbidden, what was allowed, what the authorities looked through their fingers, how the punishment of convicts took place. The national composition of the convicts, their relationship to imprisonment, to prisoners of other nationalities and classes are examined.

• Goryanchikov Alexander Petrovich - the main character of the story, on behalf of whom the story is being told.
• Akim Akimych - one of four former nobles, comrade Goryanchikov, a senior prisoner in the barracks. Sentenced to 12 years for shooting a Caucasian prince who lit his fortress. Extremely pedantic and stupidly well-disposed person.
• Gazin is a convict- healer , a wine merchant, a Tatar, the most powerful convict in the prison. He was famous for committing crimes by killing small innocent children, enjoying their fear and torment.
• Sirotkin - a former recruit , 23 years old, who went to hard labor for the murder of a commander.
• Dutov is a former soldier who rushed to the guard officer to postpone the punishment (driving through the ranks) and received an even longer term.
• Orlov is a killer with a strong will, completely fearless before punishments and trials.
• Nurra is a highlander, Lezgin, cheerful, intolerant of theft, drunkenness, pious, a favorite of convicts.
• Alei is a Dagestanian, 22 years old, who was sentenced to hard labor with his older brothers for attacking an Armenian merchant. Neighbor in the bunks of Goryanchikov, who came close to him and taught Alei to read and write in Russian.
• Bumstein Isai Fomich - a Jew who went to hard labor for murder. Moneylender and jeweler. He was on friendly terms with Goryanchikov.
• Osip , a smuggler who elevated smuggling to the rank of art, carried wine in prison. Panicky was afraid of punishment and many times he refused to engage in sweeping, but still broke down. Most of the time he worked as a cook, for the money of prisoners preparing separate (not state) food (including Goryanchikov).
• Sushilov is a prisoner who changed his name at the stage with another prisoner: for a ruble of silver and a red shirt, he changed the settlement to eternal hard labor. He served Goryanchikov.
• A-in - one of the four nobles. He received 10 years of hard labor for a false denunciation on which he wanted to make money. Hard labor did not lead him to repentance, but corrupted him, turning him into a scammer and a scoundrel. The author uses this character to depict the complete moral decline of a person. One of the participants in the escape.
• Nastasya Ivanovna is a widow who unselfishly takes care of convicts.
• Petrov , a former soldier, was sentenced to hard labor, killing the colonel in training, because he unjustly hit him. Characterized as the most determined convict. He sympathized with Goryanchikov, but treated him as a non-independent person, a wonder of the prison.
• Baklushin - went to hard labor for the murder of a German, who married his bride. The organizer of the theater in prison.
• Luchka , a Ukrainian, was sentenced to hard labor for the murder of six people, and already in prison killed the head of the prison.
• Ustyantsev is a former soldier; to avoid punishment, he drank wine, insisted on tobacco, to cause consumption , from which he later died.
• Mikhailov is a convict who died in a military hospital from consumption.
• Foals - lieutenant , executor with sadistic inclinations.
• Smekalov is a lieutenant , executor, who was popular among convicts.
• Shishkov is a prisoner who was sentenced to hard labor for the murder of his wife (the story “Akulkin husband”).
• Kulikov - gypsy, horse-thief, cautious veterinarian . One of the participants in the escape.
• Yelkin is a Siberian imprisoned for counterfeiting . A veterinarian who quickly took his practice from Kulikov.
• The nameless fourth nobleman appears in the story, frivolous, eccentric, reckless and non-violent man, falsely accused of killing his father, acquitted and released from penal servitude only ten years later. The prototype of Dmitry from the novel The Brothers Karamazov .

Despite the fact that “Notes from the Dead House” does not contain all of Dostoevsky’s memories of hard labor, which significantly influenced the writer's further work, this work contains many images and plots that appear in the author’s later works ^[1] . Dostoevsky himself, after penal servitude, wrote to his brother Mikhail: “How many folk types and characters I have taken out of penal servitude ... I’ll get enough for whole volumes” ^[1] .

Already in the story " Uncle's Dream " appears jeweler Isai Bumshtein, who is a co-worker of Dostoevsky, a jeweler Isai Fomich Bumshtein from "Notes" ^[2] . And the story about the illness of the teacher Vasily repeats the story of Dostoevsky about the prisoner Ustyantsev: “I knew one prisoner ... sentenced to a full number of sticks. He had already grown so sick that on the eve of punishment he decided to drink a mug of wine, insisting on him snuff tobacco ... He started vomiting with blood ... This vomiting upset his chest so much that several days later he showed signs of a real consumption from which he died through half a year ” ^[3] .

In the story " Notes from the Underground " appears Riga's Lisa, the prototype of which was Riga's Louise from "Notes from the Dead House" ^[2] .

From the drafts of the novel Crime and Punishment , it follows that one of the prototypes of Svidrigailov was Dostoevsky's co-prisoner Pavel Aristov ^[1] . In some cases, “Notes” can make up for information missing from drafts. For example, the painter Dementiev, who assumes the guilt of the murder, resembles an old prisoner who wants to suffer and for this, pretending to attempt the murder of a non-commissioned officer ^[2] . The story of Raskolnikov's alms from passers-by also comes from Zapiski, where a similar thing happens to Goryanchikov ^[3] .

The prototype of Fedka the Convict from the novel Demons is also found in Notes. In draft Drafts, this character is called Kulishov or Kulikov ^[1] . Researchers wrote: “It is possible that Dostoevsky here means the face of some real criminal, but they could not find out. The literary image of Kulishov reaches “Demons”, renaming in the latest edition “Fedka the convict”. In the Life of the Great Sinner, there is an intermediate link in the form of Osip Kulikov. Included in the "Demons" and the killing Kulikov lame feet and captain ... ". Philologist Moses Altman notes that if you turn to the Notes, you can find in them prisoner Kulikov, who served as a prototype for the character ^[2] .

• Altman, M.S. Dostoevsky. By milestones of names. - Saratov: Publishing house of the Saratov University, 1975. - 280 p.

• “Notes from the Dead House” in the project “Fedor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky. Anthology of life and creativity "
• The first separate lifetime edition of Notes from the Dead House. Part one. Petersburg: Publishing House A.F. Bazunova. Type of. E. Praca, 1862. (167 p.)
• The second separate lifetime edition of “Notes from the Dead House” by F. M. Dostoevsky. Second edition. SPb .: Publ. A.F. Bazunova. Type of. I. Ogrizko, 1862. Part One (269 p.) . Part Two (198 p.)
• German lifetime edition of 1864 Aus dem todten Hause: nach dem Tagebuche eines nach Sibirien Verbannten: nach dem Russischen bearbeitet / herausgegeben von Th. M. Dostojewski. Leipzig: Wolfgang Gerhard, 1864. B.1. (251 s.). B.2. (191 s.)
• The last lifetime edition of “Notes from the Dead House” by F. M. Dostoevsky. Fourth Edition. SPb .: Type. br Panteleev, 1875. Part 1 (244 p.) . Part 2 (180 p.)
• Intravital publications of the chapter “Presentation”, printed without the knowledge of Dostoevsky, in A. Filonov’s Russian Reading Book: 1864 , 1869 , 1871 , 1875 , 1880
• Intravital publication of the chapter “Akulkin's husband” in a censored textbook in verse and prose, ed. N. Serno-Solovievich (1863)
• Text of the story