One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch (Signet Classics (Paperback)) 
asked by maxwell on November 3, 2006 5:39 PM
Solzhenitsyn's first book, this economical, relentless novel is one of the most forceful artistic indictments of political oppression in the Stalin-era Soviet Union. The simply told story of a typical, grueling day of the titular character's life in a labor camp in Siberia, is a modern classic of Russian literature and quickly cemented Solzhenitsyn's international reputation upon publication in 1962. It is painfully apparent that Solzhenitsyn himself spent time in the gulags--he was imprisoned for nearly a decade as punishment for making derogatory statements about Stalin in a letter to a friend.
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Solzhenitsyn crafts his experience in a russian labor camp into an effective social commentary on communist russia. using the mircocosm of the prison camp and the charcacters in it, he rips apart the Stalinist gov't. if you are interested in communism or just want an account of life in a prison camp, read it. a short and easy read.
reviewed by rafit on November 23, 2006 10:04 PM
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This is one of the greatest novels of the 20th century. But then the vast majority of 135 reviewers have said the same thing, and you don't need to hear it again from me. My purpose here is to call attention to another book that readers of Solzhenitsyn's book don't seem to be aware of, but which deserves to be equally well known. That book is "A World Apart" by Gustaw Herling. The book records the experiences of a Polish prisoner in a Soviet labor camp who was imprisoned by the Soviets for the crime of fighting against ... the Nazi German invaders of Poland in 1939 (remember, at that time the USSR was allied with Hitler). If you are impressed by Solzhenitsyn's work, I guarantee you will find Herling's book fascinating and horrifying as well.
Personally I'd get the Herling book before "The Gulag Archipelago", which is what Amazon is promoting along with this book.
PS. Another book that I'd recommend by a Polish author on the subject of the Soviet Union is Ryszard Kapuscinski's "Imperium" - also a must-read.
Personally I'd get the Herling book before "The Gulag Archipelago", which is what Amazon is promoting along with this book.
PS. Another book that I'd recommend by a Polish author on the subject of the Soviet Union is Ryszard Kapuscinski's "Imperium" - also a must-read.
reviewed by freedrink on November 24, 2006 11:44 PM
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This one is not a bad book but it would be better if he excapes from the prison in the end of the book. Why cant he dig a tunnel or something? I bet thats why they never made a movie about this book.
Still I like the strong message in here that no matter how bad things get for you one day you can write a book about it and then maybe you get to be on Oprah. I dont think Oprah ever actually had this guy Ivan Solthenysian on her show as a guest but you get my point.
But if you want Hollywood to make your book into a movie the hero has to break out of prison in the end.
Still I like the strong message in here that no matter how bad things get for you one day you can write a book about it and then maybe you get to be on Oprah. I dont think Oprah ever actually had this guy Ivan Solthenysian on her show as a guest but you get my point.
But if you want Hollywood to make your book into a movie the hero has to break out of prison in the end.
reviewed by jazzman on November 27, 2006 11:16 PM
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A remarkable look at a day in the life of a prisoner in a Siberian prison camp. A must read !
reviewed by teacher on November 28, 2006 3:55 PM