Excellent read. You really feel the desperation and emotion that these poor people experienced under such extreme circumstances in the gulags. Some of the book was difficult to get through. It was time well spent and really made me a thankful for where I live and for the blessings I have. I recommend it highly.
Helpful Score: 1
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich gives any reader a reachable introduction to Solzhenitsyn. By dwelling on the concrete and living within Ivan's thoughts about his practical problems, Solzhenitsyn soulfully paints a lifescape of the goulag and the effects of Communism on regular people.
Helpful Score: 1
Here, in the authors nascent novel, he recounts the daily existence in the Siberian gulags of the 1940s-50s. Life is harsh for the prisoners and soldiers alike. Each face severe penalty for infraction of the rules. This short novel (only 140 pages) is a good introduction to the authors work.
Helpful Score: 1
A great look at another time and culture. Probably one of the most depressing books I have read. These men have no hope, no life. Even some extra bread is enough to bring some joy. If you think you have it bad then you need to read this.
Helpful Score: 1
The fictional account of life in a soviet Siberian labor camp. How one man survives with dignity in the face of impersonal and uncaring evil
Story of a guy who makes an gloomy day into a positive. Shows the the will of human spirit. A good book all around.
This is the terifying story of an almost unbelievable man-made hell- the Soviet work camps and one man's heroic struggle to survive in the face of the most determined efforts to destroy him. A scathing indictment of Communist tyranny that has shaken the whole Soviet world.
A classic, brutal, unforgettable tale.
Published 1963.
This is a classic! It is also very easy to read. Can be read in one or two sittings.
True story of the brutal Siberian prison work camp under Stalin's rule. Could not put it down. Recounts one day in the prison and work camp during a typically cold winter day. Quick read and worth the journey.
Russians who were sent to the Gulag under Stalin's regime had no rights. They were kept incommunicado, subjected to cold, hunger, and harsh interrogations. A chilling reminder of the inhumanity of the Soviet regime.
Alexander Solzhenytsin first burst on to the literary scene in this harrowing autobiographical novel based on his own experiences as a prisoner on a Siberian gulag after World War II. It was published in 1962 with the personal authorization of Soviet Premier Nikita Krushchev. Ironically, it was the last time Solzhenytsin would enjoy such official sanction. Almost immediately the lid came down on him. It's easy to see why. This book shows just how rotten, vile, hypocritical, and thoroughly despicable Stalinist Russia really was, and anyone die-hard Marxist who argues the contrary needs his eyes opened. Ironically, the book's publication in 1962 was taken as proof that the Soviet Union had changed, and Communist Parties in the west were among its most enthusiastic supporters. Solzhenitsyn writes in a spare, colloquial style, with liberal use of obscenity and slang, taking us through a typical day in the life of a typical prisoner. There is no torture or undue brutality, just back-breaking labor and no personal freedom. Although the Soviet empire crumbled in the early 1990s, it's easy to see that Solzhenitsyn's message is as pertinent today as ever, especially in the aftermath of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. This is a book everyone should read at least once, whatever their ideology.
Good, but sometimes hard to get through. Slow-paced at first.
A Russian Classic, I read this my Russian Culture class at my college.
It gives an interesting insight on a another culture through the story of one man's life. I normally wouldn't read this of my own choice but I'm glad I read it.
It gives an interesting insight on a another culture through the story of one man's life. I normally wouldn't read this of my own choice but I'm glad I read it.
The entire book takes place, as the title suggests, in one day. At first I found it dreadfully boring (although reading it for class doen't enthuse me too often) but once you get into it, it's hard to put down. The truth of the subject matter - shocking, especially since it's a work of (mostly) fiction.
A Signet Classic
A must read for all.
A masterpiece!
i did not read this book, it was required reading for my son's school.
