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Тюремные люди
За десять лет, проведенных в тюрьме, Михаил Ходорковский встретил многих людей. Некоторые из этих, казалось бы, "конченых" для общества людей далеко не "кончились" как личности и в неимоверно тяжелых тюремных условиях демонстрировали мужество. Даже несмотря на угрозы новым сроком, карцером или ножом, они находили в себе силы отстаивать свои моральные ценности, свою правду, свои представления о справедливости. Относиться к ценностям этих людей можно по-разному, но если человек готов за свои принципы страдать, и страдать по-настоящему, это достойно уважения.
Тюрьма - место экстремальное и наглядно выявляет, чего стоит тот или иной человек. Рассказы Михаила Ходорковского - не просто истории людей с трудной судьбой. Это книга о российском обществе и его ценностях, о слабости и стойкости, подлости и чести людей.
Тюрьма - место экстремальное и наглядно выявляет, чего стоит тот или иной человек. Рассказы Михаила Ходорковского - не просто истории людей с трудной судьбой. Это книга о российском обществе и его ценностях, о слабости и стойкости, подлости и чести людей.
132 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2014
19 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
6 books27 followersMikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky (Russian: Михаил Борисович Ходорковский), sometimes known by his initials MBK, is an exiled Russian businessman and opposition activist, now residing in London. In 2003, Khodorkovsky was believed to be the wealthiest man in Russia, with a fortune estimated to be worth $15 billion, and was ranked 16th on Forbes list of billionaires. He had worked his way up the Komsomol apparatus, during the Soviet years, and started several businesses during the period of glasnost and perestroika in the late 1980s. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, in the mid-1990s, he accumulated considerable wealth by obtaining control of a number of Siberian oil fields unified under the name Yukos, one of the major companies to emerge from the privatization of state assets during the 1990s (a scheme known as "Loans for Shares").
In 2001, Khodorkovsky founded Open Russia, a reform-minded organization intending to "build and strengthen civil society" in the country. In October 2003, he was arrested by Russian authorities and charged with fraud. The government under Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, then froze shares of Yukos shortly thereafter on tax charges. Putin's government took further actions against Yukos, leading to a collapse of the company's share price and the evaporation of much of Khodorkovsky's wealth. In May 2005, he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison. In December 2010, while he was still serving his sentence, Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev were further charged with and found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering, Khodorkovsky's prison sentence was extended to 2014. After Hans-Dietrich Genscher lobbied for his release, Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky, releasing him from jail on 20 December 2013.
There was widespread concern internationally that the trials and sentencing were politically motivated. The trial was criticized abroad for the lack of due process. Khodorkovsky lodged several applications with the European Court of Human Rights, seeking redress for alleged violations by Russia of his human rights. In response to his first application, which concerned events from 2003 to 2005, the court found that several violations were committed by the Russian authorities in their treatment of Khodorkovsky. Despite these findings, the court ultimately ruled that the trial was not politically motivated, but rather "that the charges against him were grounded in 'reasonable suspicion'". He was considered to be a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
In 2001, Khodorkovsky founded Open Russia, a reform-minded organization intending to "build and strengthen civil society" in the country. In October 2003, he was arrested by Russian authorities and charged with fraud. The government under Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation, then froze shares of Yukos shortly thereafter on tax charges. Putin's government took further actions against Yukos, leading to a collapse of the company's share price and the evaporation of much of Khodorkovsky's wealth. In May 2005, he was found guilty and sentenced to nine years in prison. In December 2010, while he was still serving his sentence, Khodorkovsky and his business partner Platon Lebedev were further charged with and found guilty of embezzlement and money laundering, Khodorkovsky's prison sentence was extended to 2014. After Hans-Dietrich Genscher lobbied for his release, Putin pardoned Khodorkovsky, releasing him from jail on 20 December 2013.
There was widespread concern internationally that the trials and sentencing were politically motivated. The trial was criticized abroad for the lack of due process. Khodorkovsky lodged several applications with the European Court of Human Rights, seeking redress for alleged violations by Russia of his human rights. In response to his first application, which concerned events from 2003 to 2005, the court found that several violations were committed by the Russian authorities in their treatment of Khodorkovsky. Despite these findings, the court ultimately ruled that the trial was not politically motivated, but rather "that the charges against him were grounded in 'reasonable suspicion'". He was considered to be a prisoner of conscience by Amnesty International.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
April 30, 2015
I first saw a couple short essays from this book in an issue of The New York Review of Books. Being something of an aficionado of Russian prison literature, ranging from Dostoyevsky's House of the Dead through Varlam Shalamov's Kolyma Tales to Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky is perhaps Putin's most famous prisoner. Founder and head of Yukos, Khodorkovsky angered Putin, who had him put away for two jail terms, some of which was served in Siberia. My Fellow Prisoners is very like Dostoyevsky's House of the Dead, consisting as it does of isolated recollections that add up to a system in which people serve as much time as the State wants them to, whether they are innocent or no.
If someone powerful wants you in prison. There you'll go, and serve out as much time as the powers that be want.
Mikhail Khodorkovsky is perhaps Putin's most famous prisoner. Founder and head of Yukos, Khodorkovsky angered Putin, who had him put away for two jail terms, some of which was served in Siberia. My Fellow Prisoners is very like Dostoyevsky's House of the Dead, consisting as it does of isolated recollections that add up to a system in which people serve as much time as the State wants them to, whether they are innocent or no.
If someone powerful wants you in prison. There you'll go, and serve out as much time as the powers that be want.
June 15, 2021
This is a slim, beautifully designed book of brief stories, essays, about various prisoners Khodorkovsky met in the course of his multi-year imprisonment as well as an explanatory forward, or introduction, explaining why Khodorkovsky ended up going to prison etc.
Mr. Khodorkovsky had become very rich from his oil business (Yukos) and then became involved in civic affairs. He probably was seen as an opponent of Pres. Putin and since he may have been regarded as a possible eventual political challenger, Putin must have decided to put him on trial, and have the prosecutors do whatever it took to find Khodorkovsky guilty. The guilty verdict meant that he was separated from his business, and once let out, he emigrated to England. At least he didn´t meet the fate of Navalny - whom they attempted to poison, or Nemtsov, who was assassinated practically in the shadow of the Kremlin. Considering Russia is supposed to be a democracy, what does suppression of political opponents say about the leadership? Are they so insecure that they must destroy any opposition figures to ensure re-election? Does that betray how unpopular they may really be - such that they fear they´ll lose so they have to cheat - eliminate the opposition unjustly - in order to win?
The overall tone of the book is rueful acceptance of the injustice - and coping with prison life by finding out about fellow prisoners, and recounting their stories, each of which may ironically illustrate some aspect of Russian society, a contradiction that the powers-that-be perhaps would rather not see exposed.
Here are some quotes from the book:
From ¨That´s them over there¨ - about Sergei, on trial for suspected drug dealing
¨He´s been a drug-user for a long time (like most of the young people in his small town)..."
From ¨The Guards¨
¨Sometimes, what takes place in prison seems like a version of ordinary life beyond the prison gates, just taken to a grotesque extreme. Nowadays in ´ordinary´ life, too, it can be difficult to distinguish a racketeer from an employee of an official organization. In fact, does this distinction even exist for most people?¨
From ¨The Witness¨ About a fellow-prisoner, Lyosha, that Khodorkovsky expected would falsely testify against him at the trial of the charges he filed against the administration about a reprimand he received.
¨Lyosha points at the head of operations: ´He gave me two packs of cigarettes and told me to lie.´¨
¨We make a deal with our conscience: we lie, keep quiet, don´t ´notice´ things for the sake of a quiet life, we hide behind the interests of our nearest and dearest. We justify ourselves, saying that ´these are the time we live in,´ that ´everyone else is the same.´ But whom in fact, are we striking that deal with? And how will we know when ´the other party´ -- our conscience -- has refused it? Is it only when we end up facing adversity ourselves? Or is it when we´re near the end and we make that final reckoning of our lives, agonizingly aware that the time for ´dodging the raindrops´ is over and all we have left is memory? But surely by then it is too late to change anything.¨
From ¨The Nazi¨ about a conversation with Sasha, a 19 year-old prisoner who is a Nazi (one of around a dozen at that particular camp)
¨A state that crushes society and stakes everything on the dehumanization of its people does resolve some of its ongoing political problems. Competition for power is weakened. Bureaucracy is able to take advantage of universal apathy and arbitrary political control.¨
From ¨The Suicide¨- about a prisoner who attempted suicide
¨How long can a country survive when indifference becomes the norm? The time of reckoning always comes eventually.¨
From ¨The Rat¨
¨It´s very strange to expect anything positive to come from ´stability,´ when the entire political regime is gradually turning into a nest of greedy, vile rats.¨
From ¨Amnesty¨
¨Cruelty begets cruelty. A society where goodness and empathy are seen as synonymous with madness.¨
Mr. Khodorkovsky had become very rich from his oil business (Yukos) and then became involved in civic affairs. He probably was seen as an opponent of Pres. Putin and since he may have been regarded as a possible eventual political challenger, Putin must have decided to put him on trial, and have the prosecutors do whatever it took to find Khodorkovsky guilty. The guilty verdict meant that he was separated from his business, and once let out, he emigrated to England. At least he didn´t meet the fate of Navalny - whom they attempted to poison, or Nemtsov, who was assassinated practically in the shadow of the Kremlin. Considering Russia is supposed to be a democracy, what does suppression of political opponents say about the leadership? Are they so insecure that they must destroy any opposition figures to ensure re-election? Does that betray how unpopular they may really be - such that they fear they´ll lose so they have to cheat - eliminate the opposition unjustly - in order to win?
The overall tone of the book is rueful acceptance of the injustice - and coping with prison life by finding out about fellow prisoners, and recounting their stories, each of which may ironically illustrate some aspect of Russian society, a contradiction that the powers-that-be perhaps would rather not see exposed.
Here are some quotes from the book:
From ¨That´s them over there¨ - about Sergei, on trial for suspected drug dealing
¨He´s been a drug-user for a long time (like most of the young people in his small town)..."
From ¨The Guards¨
¨Sometimes, what takes place in prison seems like a version of ordinary life beyond the prison gates, just taken to a grotesque extreme. Nowadays in ´ordinary´ life, too, it can be difficult to distinguish a racketeer from an employee of an official organization. In fact, does this distinction even exist for most people?¨
From ¨The Witness¨ About a fellow-prisoner, Lyosha, that Khodorkovsky expected would falsely testify against him at the trial of the charges he filed against the administration about a reprimand he received.
¨Lyosha points at the head of operations: ´He gave me two packs of cigarettes and told me to lie.´¨
¨We make a deal with our conscience: we lie, keep quiet, don´t ´notice´ things for the sake of a quiet life, we hide behind the interests of our nearest and dearest. We justify ourselves, saying that ´these are the time we live in,´ that ´everyone else is the same.´ But whom in fact, are we striking that deal with? And how will we know when ´the other party´ -- our conscience -- has refused it? Is it only when we end up facing adversity ourselves? Or is it when we´re near the end and we make that final reckoning of our lives, agonizingly aware that the time for ´dodging the raindrops´ is over and all we have left is memory? But surely by then it is too late to change anything.¨
From ¨The Nazi¨ about a conversation with Sasha, a 19 year-old prisoner who is a Nazi (one of around a dozen at that particular camp)
¨A state that crushes society and stakes everything on the dehumanization of its people does resolve some of its ongoing political problems. Competition for power is weakened. Bureaucracy is able to take advantage of universal apathy and arbitrary political control.¨
From ¨The Suicide¨- about a prisoner who attempted suicide
¨How long can a country survive when indifference becomes the norm? The time of reckoning always comes eventually.¨
From ¨The Rat¨
¨It´s very strange to expect anything positive to come from ´stability,´ when the entire political regime is gradually turning into a nest of greedy, vile rats.¨
From ¨Amnesty¨
¨Cruelty begets cruelty. A society where goodness and empathy are seen as synonymous with madness.¨
April 11, 2016
This is a good book to read and it can be read in one session. It describes some of the experience of Khodorkovsky who is one of the most famous enemies of Putin.
The book is clever, he doesn't describe his own suffering or stories but those of his fellow prisoners. He tells a few of the many stories he faced during his imprisonment. All of them are short and fairly interesting, they describe the horrifying conditions of the prisons, corruption, and breakdown of state in Russia.
What the book isn't? It isn't a great literary or moral work. The narrative is nearly oversimplified and it is slightly unemotional. And Khodorkovsky cannot resist but put a few political, and slightly over imposing, notes in the end of the stories.
Worth reading though if you are interested in the topic.
The book is clever, he doesn't describe his own suffering or stories but those of his fellow prisoners. He tells a few of the many stories he faced during his imprisonment. All of them are short and fairly interesting, they describe the horrifying conditions of the prisons, corruption, and breakdown of state in Russia.
What the book isn't? It isn't a great literary or moral work. The narrative is nearly oversimplified and it is slightly unemotional. And Khodorkovsky cannot resist but put a few political, and slightly over imposing, notes in the end of the stories.
Worth reading though if you are interested in the topic.
June 30, 2014
A fascinating insight into both the mind of an imprisoned Khodorkovsky and the Russian penal system.
My only problem was that it was too short! I could have read stories of the inmates for hours. However, I suppose the few tales he has chosen to enlighten us with are simply examples of how the same stories are heard day after day, from prisoner after prisoner passing through the 'lack-of-justice' system.
A great little afternoons read..
My only problem was that it was too short! I could have read stories of the inmates for hours. However, I suppose the few tales he has chosen to enlighten us with are simply examples of how the same stories are heard day after day, from prisoner after prisoner passing through the 'lack-of-justice' system.
A great little afternoons read..
January 1, 2022
Short, pretty raw, but all the same, an eye-opening message from inside the rotting carcass of Putin's Russia.
March 14, 2022
Mit klarer Sprache schildert Mikhail Khodorkovsky das Schicksal und die Geschichten seiner Mitgefangenen. Dabei wird vor allem das korrupte System Russlands deutlich und wie die kleinsten in diesem darunter leiden.
October 9, 2022
Ой товарищ мой орёл,
ты до чего же меня довёл
Довёл до леса тёмного,
до домика казённого
Это прекрасная книга, она краткая, понятная, и через истории обычных зеков всесторонне раскрывает суть происходящего в месте, известном как Русская Тюрьма. Тем не менее, она, как и многие другие книги такого рода не лишена, увы, существенного недостатка - момента. Ну кто, в 2022 году, после дела Голунова, "Сети" и публикаций Ярославского архива, еще не представляет, как ЭТО работает?
ФСИН в полной мере наследует советским лагерям, принцип их функционирования отличается не слишком сильно. Система (тут отсылаю не к Станиславскому, а песне группы "Порнофильмы") кушает людей, и перерабатывает их во что-нибудь другое. При тоталитаризме - в инфраструктурные мегапроекты типа БАМа или Комсомольска, или руду, урановую или золотую, в лес или в сталь. Авторитарная система перерабатывает судьбы в 'палки' - раскрываемость должна быть больше чем за АППГ (аналогичном периоде прошлого года), и все остальные соображения приносятся в жертву этому. Суперконцерн СК-прокуратора-суд-УСИН работает без сбоев, конвейером штампуя приговоры по народной 228.1/2, восполняя тюремное народонаселение.
Зеки - идеальные граждане. У них нет никаких прав, их труд не надо оплачивать, их выступления можно подавлять сколь угодно жестко. Ну и, разумеется, каждый зк это бюджет на одежду, еду, транспорт и лекарства, на распилах которого не одно поколение милицейских генералов выстроило себе дворцы.
Тюрьму тяжело изменить. Но разорвав порочную цепь следствие - приговор, создав минимальную систему пробации, новая власть проложит дорогу к позитивным переменам.
ты до чего же меня довёл
Довёл до леса тёмного,
до домика казённого
Это прекрасная книга, она краткая, понятная, и через истории обычных зеков всесторонне раскрывает суть происходящего в месте, известном как Русская Тюрьма. Тем не менее, она, как и многие другие книги такого рода не лишена, увы, существенного недостатка - момента. Ну кто, в 2022 году, после дела Голунова, "Сети" и публикаций Ярославского архива, еще не представляет, как ЭТО работает?
ФСИН в полной мере наследует советским лагерям, принцип их функционирования отличается не слишком сильно. Система (тут отсылаю не к Станиславскому, а песне группы "Порнофильмы") кушает людей, и перерабатывает их во что-нибудь другое. При тоталитаризме - в инфраструктурные мегапроекты типа БАМа или Комсомольска, или руду, урановую или золотую, в лес или в сталь. Авторитарная система перерабатывает судьбы в 'палки' - раскрываемость должна быть больше чем за АППГ (аналогичном периоде прошлого года), и все остальные соображения приносятся в жертву этому. Суперконцерн СК-прокуратора-суд-УСИН работает без сбоев, конвейером штампуя приговоры по народной 228.1/2, восполняя тюремное народонаселение.
Зеки - идеальные граждане. У них нет никаких прав, их труд не надо оплачивать, их выступления можно подавлять сколь угодно жестко. Ну и, разумеется, каждый зк это бюджет на одежду, еду, транспорт и лекарства, на распилах которого не одно поколение милицейских генералов выстроило себе дворцы.
Тюрьму тяжело изменить. Но разорвав порочную цепь следствие - приговор, создав минимальную систему пробации, новая власть проложит дорогу к позитивным переменам.
March 2, 2017
A meaningful look into contemporary Russian life through a series of vignettes. There is a bleakness and dark humor that carries the fine traditions of Russian literature. This book has renewed my gratitude for living in a country where corruption and injustice are not the norm and are agreeably unacceptable. It seems the critics of this book have two complaints: length and style. The book is exactly as long as it should be, it delivers the message it was written to. As for style, one must remember that the book was written in Russian and must indulge translation. But more importantly, the style and word choice of this memoir sets you in a Russian prison, among Russians guilty and innocent facing the hardships of life, particularly Russian life. I think Mr. Khodorkovsky has added a fine little work that does justice to the work of his literary forefathers.
August 28, 2017
Interesting. Unique stories, short yet solid content.
August 3, 2018
Very interesting view from an ex oligarch, how his fall from grace landed him in prison in remote Siberia, on his fellow inmates. A condensed view of Russia’s dark side.
May 27, 2022
Ootasin raamatult rohkem, tõenäoliselt autori tõttu ... aga raamat ongi omanäoline: Hodorkovski räägib Venemaast ja sealsest korrast läbi inimesaatuste. Omamoodi huvitav.
- Tihti hakkab lihtsalt õudne, kui mõtled neile tulutult raisatud inimeludele. Saatustele, mis on lõhutud oma kätega või hingetu Süsteemi poolt.
- Seaduse järgi on uurija sõltumatu. Peaaegu nagu kohtunik. Tegelikult on ta vaid õiguskaitse vertikaali mutrike. Väike bürokraat, kellel tihti puudub hääleõigus tema tööd puudutavates olulistes küsimustes. /---/ Kas leppida ja kasutada hüvesid tundes end rämpsuna, või võidelda, mõistes, et sind valatakse pealaest jalatallani pasaga üle. Sellised on süsteemis elamise reeglid.
- Koputamine on vene inimese jaoks äärmiselt amoraalne tegevus. Me ei ole sakslased või ameeriklased, kelle jaoks võimudele teatamine on püha tegu. Meil on koputajad hävitanud tuhandeid süütuid elusid. Peaaegu igas peres on ka oma represseeritu. Vihkamine keelekandjate vastu on kestnud ajast aega ning pole alati tajutav.
- Tänapäevases õigussüsteemis südametunnistusega inimesed ellu ei jää. Vale – kohtule, kodanikele, iseendale – see on seadus.
- Tihti hakkab lihtsalt õudne, kui mõtled neile tulutult raisatud inimeludele. Saatustele, mis on lõhutud oma kätega või hingetu Süsteemi poolt.
- Seaduse järgi on uurija sõltumatu. Peaaegu nagu kohtunik. Tegelikult on ta vaid õiguskaitse vertikaali mutrike. Väike bürokraat, kellel tihti puudub hääleõigus tema tööd puudutavates olulistes küsimustes. /---/ Kas leppida ja kasutada hüvesid tundes end rämpsuna, või võidelda, mõistes, et sind valatakse pealaest jalatallani pasaga üle. Sellised on süsteemis elamise reeglid.
- Koputamine on vene inimese jaoks äärmiselt amoraalne tegevus. Me ei ole sakslased või ameeriklased, kelle jaoks võimudele teatamine on püha tegu. Meil on koputajad hävitanud tuhandeid süütuid elusid. Peaaegu igas peres on ka oma represseeritu. Vihkamine keelekandjate vastu on kestnud ajast aega ning pole alati tajutav.
- Tänapäevases õigussüsteemis südametunnistusega inimesed ellu ei jää. Vale – kohtule, kodanikele, iseendale – see on seadus.
June 17, 2021
Short, but powerful
I was expecting a biography, or maybe a political treatise. What I got was a short, 70 page book filled with stories I would never have heard otherwise. It does end up being a moral treatise - it's a scathing condemnation of Russia's 'criminal justice' system. A worthy read for anyone interested in modern Russia.
I was expecting a biography, or maybe a political treatise. What I got was a short, 70 page book filled with stories I would never have heard otherwise. It does end up being a moral treatise - it's a scathing condemnation of Russia's 'criminal justice' system. A worthy read for anyone interested in modern Russia.
February 20, 2019
Üks aspekt, millest Venemaad tundma õppida. Kiire lugemine.
August 7, 2023
Lightweight but very enjoyable
July 13, 2024
Dołączonej korespondencji między autorem a Adamem Michnikiem nie czytałam.
August 27, 2025
Really enjoyed this, a different more human perspective into the (relatively) current Russian prison system. Easy to read, and enjoyable in its little stories
April 15, 2016
Khodorkovsky, oligarken som var en av världens rikaste, men som hamnade i onåd hos Putin och fängslades.
"Om bara några år kommer vi av allt att döma att leva i en byråkratisk polisstat med en korrumperad, känslokall och förslagen ämbetsmannaklass som härskar oinskränt". Utifrån beskrivningar av medfångar han träffar och pratar med i fängelset beskriver han Rysslands korrumperade rättssystem.
Ett gammalt ryskt ordspråk står i centrum för boken "ingen går säker för tiggarstaven och fängelset". Han talar ofta till medborgarna att vi måste göra världen mindre grym eller som boken avslutas "Människor, medborgare! Vi är ju redan så få och blir bara färre för varje år som går. Vi dör bort... Låt oss visa medlidande med varandra medan det ännu kan hjälpa någon".
Även om Khodorkovsky 2001 startade en stiftelse för att modernisara och demokratisera Ryssland så tycker jag att boken är problematisk. Det är svårt att lyssna på en man som sugit ut det ryska folket och anekterat stora oljefyndigheter under 1990-talet. Hur kan han tala till de ryska "medborgarna" utan att stinka hyckleri.
Samtidigt är det en ganska intressant bok om hur det ryska rättssytemet fungerar, dvs inte alls och även om de fångar han beskriver uppenbarligen är härdade brottslingar så får man en viss medkänsla med dem. Det är en kort och koncentrerad bok och således ingen stor tidsinvestering. Tycker absolut att man ska läsa den.
"Om bara några år kommer vi av allt att döma att leva i en byråkratisk polisstat med en korrumperad, känslokall och förslagen ämbetsmannaklass som härskar oinskränt". Utifrån beskrivningar av medfångar han träffar och pratar med i fängelset beskriver han Rysslands korrumperade rättssystem.
Ett gammalt ryskt ordspråk står i centrum för boken "ingen går säker för tiggarstaven och fängelset". Han talar ofta till medborgarna att vi måste göra världen mindre grym eller som boken avslutas "Människor, medborgare! Vi är ju redan så få och blir bara färre för varje år som går. Vi dör bort... Låt oss visa medlidande med varandra medan det ännu kan hjälpa någon".
Även om Khodorkovsky 2001 startade en stiftelse för att modernisara och demokratisera Ryssland så tycker jag att boken är problematisk. Det är svårt att lyssna på en man som sugit ut det ryska folket och anekterat stora oljefyndigheter under 1990-talet. Hur kan han tala till de ryska "medborgarna" utan att stinka hyckleri.
Samtidigt är det en ganska intressant bok om hur det ryska rättssytemet fungerar, dvs inte alls och även om de fångar han beskriver uppenbarligen är härdade brottslingar så får man en viss medkänsla med dem. Det är en kort och koncentrerad bok och således ingen stor tidsinvestering. Tycker absolut att man ska läsa den.
March 7, 2015
Ходорковский конечно не писатель. Книга пропитана каким-то скептицизмом и безнадежностью. Ходорковский описывает людей, которых повстречал в тюрьме. Маловато конечно историй для десятилетнего срока. Есть истории про несправедливость, когда невиновного человека сделали крайним. Например, про прораба, начальники которого кинули инвесторов на 8 млн. долларов, а сами скрылись. Есть истории про тех кого сломала судьба и опустила на самое днище. Например, история про бомжа который потерял сына и жену. Большое горе, которое человек просто не смог пережить. Есть истории о тех кто сознательно пошёл на преступление чтобы обеспечить жизнь своих близких и не жалеет об этом. А есть истории про тех кто просто не может жить по другому не совершая преступлений. Это воры, наркоманы, и прочие бандиты. И совершенно чётко ясно, что этих людей не изменить. Всё это очень грустно, учитывая тот факт, что нам с этими людьми жить. Ещё Ходорковский рассказывает про коррупцию во власти, про то что ворон ворону глаз не выклюет, про то что полиция и суды стоят на службе у власть имущих. Книга очень заземленная и отрезвляющая. После прочтения настроение очень паршивое и просто понимаешь, что ничего не изменить из-за сознания самих людей. Возможно Ходорковский перегибает палку. Он же сам пострадал на всём этом. Но тем не менее есть и такая грань у нашей многогранной жизни. И от этого никуда не деться.
January 6, 2017
Ein kurzes und prägnantes Buch über die Mitgefangenen des berühmten politischen Häftling, welcher aufgrund des verletzten Stolzes eines Monsters jahrelang hinter Gitter musste. Es ist nach Kapiteln gegliedert, welche die Namen der Männer tragen, um die es geht. Obwohl hier keine Schnörkel und Ausschmückungen vorhanden sind, weckt es Mitleid, Wut, das Gefühl der Hilflosigkeit. Ein kaputtes System mit einem Diktator an der Spitze. Dort wo Waisen, Kranke und Alte auf die Strasse weggeworfen werden wie Müll, während Schwerverbrecher in Saus und Braus leben. Das Buch beschränkt sich auf die Beschreibung der Schicksale der einzelnen Männer. Chodorkowski wurde frei gelassen, damit Diktator Putin seine "Güte" der Welt demonstrieren konnte. Ein kluger Schachzug im Zusammenhang mit den olympischen Winterspielen in Sotschi. Die Kurzgeschichten im Buch geben aber eine Vorstellung davon, wieviele Gefangene unschuldig in russischen Gefängnissen dahinvegetieren ohne Aussicht auf Entlassung, weil sie keinen Nutzen für ein System haben, das von Korruption, Machtgier und Bestechung durchzogen ist.
October 25, 2020
Михаил Ходорковский - один из самых успешных бизнесменов России, который создал самую крупную нефтяную компанию нашей страны - ЮКОС. Но Ходорковский стал известным не столько за бизнес-деятельность, сколько за его уголовное дело, которое внесло резонанс в российское общество нулевых.
Никто не сомневается, что это дело - политически сфабриковано. Иначе не объяснить тот факт, что когда Ходорковский осмелился критиковать нынешнего автократа, у него внезапно обнаружились экономические преступления. Совпадение? Не думаю.
А его книга - хоть и маленькая - очень интересно рассказывает про судьбы тех людей, которые попали в тюрьму.
Книга маленькая, но благодаря этому читается на одном дыхании - лично я прочитал её менее, чем за час. Всем тем, кому не безразличен Михаил Ходорковский и судьба России - рекомендую прочесть.
Никто не сомневается, что это дело - политически сфабриковано. Иначе не объяснить тот факт, что когда Ходорковский осмелился критиковать нынешнего автократа, у него внезапно обнаружились экономические преступления. Совпадение? Не думаю.
А его книга - хоть и маленькая - очень интересно рассказывает про судьбы тех людей, которые попали в тюрьму.
Книга маленькая, но благодаря этому читается на одном дыхании - лично я прочитал её менее, чем за час. Всем тем, кому не безразличен Михаил Ходорковский и судьба России - рекомендую прочесть.
March 28, 2015
A strange wee book. Not particularly well-written (or perhaps it's the translation that lets it down), but nonetheless it's an engaging set of chapters about Mikhail Khodorkovsky's fellow inmates: how they came to be in prison and what they do to get by while they're there. I finished it and felt there was so much more he had obviously left out, but if you want a quick read that will give you some insight into the workings of the criminal 'justice' system in Russia, give this a go.
March 14, 2017
English translation not particularly well written, but provided a specific glimpse into the corruption of the current Russian governmennt--perhaps on its way to becoming a police state? Enjoyed Khodorkovsky's personal reflections. Take it from me--he's the man to watch. Recommend the documentary about his life (prior to release), available for streaming from Amazon.
October 17, 2014
Mikhail Khodorkovsky details his interaction with other prisoners within the Russian penal system which is corrupt and uncalculating at times depending on what side of the fence you're on. Even though the book is 80 pages it displays a culture of a system that its indoctrination has been cyclical for decades. The book had a George Orwell Animal Farm feel to it. A good read.
August 2, 2015
This was an odd little read. I picked it up on a whim from the library, not expecting much. The writing was poor, and it seems like almost something out of Hollywood from the American perspective. It made for a good reminder to be grateful for what I have. As many problems as my country has, at least I'm not in Russia.
December 20, 2014
Opisy życia współwięźniów czynione przez Chodorkowskiego bardzo strawne, dobrze opisane miniatury działania rosyjskiego sądownictwa. Jednak przyrównywanie Chodorkowskowskiego do Havla czynione przez Michnika jest jednak nieznośne i ciężko strawne.
April 8, 2015
A neat little read, can be read in one go. Khodorkovsky describes the people he meets during his time spent in a Russian prison. Enjoyed it, worth reading if you're into this kind of thing, or if you want to know a little more about Russia under VP.
August 17, 2014
بسيط,يوضح لك الصورة القاتمة عن سجون روسياو فساد النظام الأمني والقضائي فيها بأبسط صورة,ينفع للمهتم بأدب السجون وقصص من بداخلها
February 25, 2015
Quick read ! Very short and I am not sure how much he didn't write about. Not very candid.
June 14, 2015
very engaging read.
October 27, 2014
Каждый седьмой...
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