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PRODUCT
The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]: An Experiment in Literary Investigation
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$9.49
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“BEST NONFICTION BOOK OF THE 20TH CENTURY.” —Time
Volume 1 of the gripping epic masterpiece, Solzhenitsyn’s chilling report of his arrest and interrogation, which exposed to the world the vast bureaucracy of secret police that haunted Soviet society. Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.
“The greatest and most powerful single indictment of a political regime ever leveled in modern times.” —George F. Kennan
“It is impossible to name a book that had a greater effect on the political and moral consciousness of the late twentieth century.” —David Remnick, The New Yorker
“Solzhenitsyn’s masterpiece. . . . The Gulag Archipelago helped create the world we live in today.” —Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gulag: A History, from the foreword
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Categories: Women Writers
Product name:
The Gulag Archipelago [Volume 1]: An Experiment in Literary Investigation
Price:
$9.49
James Obrien –
Great to read. A thorough commentary on the Soviet society. A cautionary tale too. If it happened there it can happen here. An analysis of how far the human mind can rationalize inhumanity.
Carlene –
Admittedly, when I first got this book and seen how large it is, I was immediately intimated. Shortly after starting it, this feeling continued.
Before reading this I literally knew nothing about Russian history, not a thing. So I barely understood what Solzhenitsyn was talking about and for the most of the beginning of the book, this is a problem. Obviously Solzhenitsyn references many names and events relating to Russian history, which I had no understanding or connection to which inevitably made the book difficult to interpret.
So in response to this, I took the time to research Russian history to at least give me a basic understanding. Once things began to make more sense, the book wasn’t as heavy to pick up.
For someone who finds themselves in a similar situation to myself or even struggles to read the first 1/4 anyway, STICK IT OUT.
This book is phenomenal. Solzhenitsyn proves himself as possibly one of the most impressive writers of the 20th century.
His life and the fundamentals that made up the gulag archipelago open your mind in a way which no other book will.The horrific details and truth within this book gave me a new found appreciation for life. You’re life problems immediately seem insignificant as you can’t even imagine the pain and suffering felt by the victims of the gulag archipelago. Solzhenitsyn does an amazing job at showing you very human aspects of so many different events which occurred.
As well as this, you can’t help but appreciate his determination and outstanding skills to have actually written such a book, having gone through what he did.
This book definitely isn’t pretty and can sometimes be tough to read because of the horrific details it shares but, is a massive eye-opener for anyone who is willing to read it.
I’m very happy I read it and can say it has influenced me to dig even deeper into Russian literature.
Frank –
I think Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s “The Gulag Archipelago” is one of the most important books of world literature. It provides a deeper look into the horrors of the Stalinist regime while giving a voice for those who could not be heard.
Terry Strasser –
THE book to understand what Lenin and Stalin did to the people of Russia and the other countries around.
Marco Costa –
Da leggere
Cody Allen –
It’s a classic. What more can I say? Books are very nice. Try turning off your phone/tv and reading. You will be surprised how nostalgic it is.
Cody Allen –
We in the West have all heard of Hitler’s holocaust against the Jews. Many of us, however, know little of the holocaust against the people of the Soviet Union. Hitler’s holocaust came and went with his rise and fall; the population destruction in the Soviet Union lasted from 1919 until the closure of the Gulag work camps in 1960, a remarkable 41 years. Hitler’s holocaust is infamous in history and is taught in schools around the world. The story of the Soviet Union’s internal genocide is unknown to many who are not from the region.
The author of this book, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, was a commander in the Red Army and saw action on the front lines against the Nazi’s in 1944. Despite his heroism, he was arrested in 1945 for writing negatively about Joseph Stalin to a friend in a private letter. He spent eight years in the Gulag work camps before being released, only to then be sentenced to internal exile in a remote part of southern Kazakhstan. It was there that he wrote much of The Gulag Archipelago, (this is just volume one of three) as he realized the importance of telling the world the horrors of what the Soviet Union had perpetrated against its own people. He was eventually expelled from the country for his writing by the KGB, finding his way to the United States and settling in Vermont.
This book, volume one, is a compilation of stories about the Soviet prison system compiled from a variety of sources including newspapers, letters, documents, personal diaries, things he remembered told to him from other prisoners, and his own personal experiences. It is a searing indictment of the entire Soviet complex, a harangue against communism as it was perpetrated by a government against its own citizens. The Soviet Union was a system built on lies, and our brave author believed that the world needed to know the destruction that such a system of lies perpetrates.
The reality of life in the Soviet Union in its early days was a feeling of perpetual uncertainty; nobody was safe. Anyone could be picked up and arrested at any time and for seemingly any reason. Many people were tortured into signing confessions of guilt (despite their obvious innocence) and given the most common prison sentence—a ‘tenner,’ meaning ten years. In the 1940’s, this often became quarters, or twenty-five years. The criminal code was in its infancy when Lenin came to power in 1918, but as Stalin ruled the country for nearly three decades, the code became more and more encompassing. Anyone who was even suspected of being a threat to power was grabbed off the street and thrown in a cell. Most were then promised a lighter sentence if they named others who had similarly ‘transgressed.’ Many did, and still found themselves beaten and starved anyways.
All of the traditional forms of torture were pursued, including physical beatings, sleep deprivation, exposure to extreme heat and cold, the withholding of food and water, and degradations of all kinds. Many captives experienced being stuffed in an overcrowded cell, with so little room that one could not properly sit down and sleeping was done on top of one another. There is a chapter dedicated to the description of the transport trains, which often visited the same stations as free citizens did, perhaps stopping around the corner of the main platform so as to remain out of sight (and therefore out of mind). There is another chapter describing the almost limitless power of the Bluecaps—the Soviet secret police in charge of arrests and prosecutions.
Solzhenitsyn describes how he came to truly appreciate the people he was held captive with, for they provided stories, the only fruit in season for a human deprived of all else. He met many former military men like himself throughout his time in the jails and Gulags in addition to academics, artists, and people from all trades and walks of life. There were prisoners from other countries and cultures, all thrown into the meat grinder of a prison system, most destined never to escape. As depressing as many of their lives were, it was always exciting when a new prisoner was brought in, for that was the only way to learn about the events of the outside world.
What is most amazing to me is how much of this entire episode is hidden under the heavy dust of history. The Gulag camps were officially closed in 1960, which is only 63 years ago. How shamefully recent! It is both a testament to Soviet secrecy and our own 21st century blind spots that so many people are unaware of the true horror and atrocity of the Soviet genocide. We have only a select few resources to look to for education on the subject, and we owe our courageous author eternal gratitude for bringing such important history to light through his writing.
Chris –
The author, a Nobel Prize-winning Soviet military officer and prominent dissident, discusses both (1) his own experience of being arrested, interrogated, tortured, and sentenced in the Soviet Union in the mid-1940s and (2) the historical development of the Soviet security apparatus, in this unique work of memoir, history, and novel. The author argues that the oppressive Stalinist system was an outgrowth of Leninism, and that the brutal police procedures and show trials were developed in the earliest days of the Communist Revolution. These techniques may have been refined over the next few decades, but their origin lay at the birth of the Soviet state.
As others have noted, this work is one of the monumental human artistic achievements and is a must-read. I leave just a few of my favorite quotes from the book:
“Every man always has handy a dozen glib little reasons why he is right not to sacrifice himself.”
“Even the most broad-minded of us can embrace only that part of the truth into which our own snout has blundered.”
“Objects and actions change their aspect quite decisively depending on the position of the observer.”
“Human nature, if it changes at all, changes not much faster than the geologic face of the earth.”
“If you live in a graveyard, you can’t weep for everyone.”
Brianna –
“The Gulag Archipelago Volume 1” by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn is a profound exploration of the Soviet Union’s brutal labor camp system, and it stands as a monumental testament to the resilience of the human spirit. This volume, which is the first in a three-part series, delves into the harrowing realities of life in the gulag, the infamous network of forced labor camps that epitomized the terror of Stalin’s regime.
Solzhenitsyn, himself a survivor of the gulags, employs his unparalleled literary skills to weave a narrative that is both deeply personal and universally resonant. The book is a painstakingly detailed chronicle of the systemic cruelty and dehumanization that characterized the Soviet penal system, yet it is also a powerful indictment of the broader totalitarian ideology that allowed such atrocities to occur.
The strength of “The Gulag Archipelago” lies in its meticulous documentation and the sheer breadth of its scope. Solzhenitsyn’s exhaustive research and firsthand accounts from fellow prisoners lend an authenticity and urgency to the narrative that is both compelling and heartbreaking. Through a blend of personal anecdotes, historical analysis, and philosophical reflections, Solzhenitsyn captures the full spectrum of human suffering and endurance.
One of the most striking aspects of the book is its exploration of the moral and ethical dimensions of survival under extreme conditions. Solzhenitsyn grapples with profound questions about guilt, complicity, and the capacity for evil that lies within all of us. His reflections on the nature of suffering and the potential for redemption amidst the darkest circumstances are both deeply moving and intellectually rigorous.
Despite the grim subject matter, Solzhenitsyn’s prose is often lyrical and deeply evocative. His ability to convey the bleakness of the gulag experience without succumbing to despair is a testament to his literary genius. The book is replete with moments of profound beauty and insight, making it not only a historical document but also a work of great literary merit.
Reading “The Gulag Archipelago Volume 1” is a transformative experience. It is a stark reminder of the capacity for human cruelty, but also a tribute to the indomitable spirit of those who endured and resisted. This volume is essential reading for anyone interested in understanding the true cost of totalitarianism and the enduring power of the human spirit. Solzhenitsyn’s masterpiece is a timeless testament to the resilience of humanity and a clarion call for justice and remembrance.