Böcker i Vintage Classics-serien

In 1849, Dostoevsky was sentenced to four years at hard labor in a Siberian prison camp for participating in a socialist discussion group. The novel he wrote after his release, based on notes he smuggled out, 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) depicts brutal punishments, feuds, betrayals, and the psychological effects of confinement, but it also reveals the moments of comedy and acts of kindness that Dostoevsky witnessed among his fellow prisoners. 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 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."

A new translation of the ancient Chinese military classic that is widely admired by military and business strategists—with an introduction that provides sweeping historical context, and notes featuring contemporary commentary on Sun Tzu''s wisdom over the centuries.For more than two thousand years, The Art of War has provided leaders with essential tactical and management advice. An elemental part of Chinese culture, it has also become a touchstone in the West for achieving success, whether on the battlefield or in business. This Vintage Classics edition features a brilliant translation by Peter Harris, first published by Everyman''s Library in 2018. Alongside the pithy and powerful ancient text, Harris includes:     • Notes     • A bibliography     • A chronology of Chinese dynasties     • A map     • Extracts from the canon of classical Chinese commentators     • An illuminating introduction on the warrior-philosopher Sun Tzu and the role of The Art of War in history and today