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Heath's Reviews > The Gulag Archipelago
The Gulag Archipelago
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One of the most compelling non-fiction texts I've ever read. I naively picked this up after reading One Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovitch thinking it would be a longer version of a similar concept. Instead, it turns out this mighty work is half well-researched investigation into the processing of Soviet political prisoners and half personal account of the author's own experience in the "sewage-waste disposal" that led to the gulag.
I'll concede that Solzhenitsyn's personal accounts are the real treasure here. He masterfully weaves his own story into the larger picture leaving no one to possibly mistake this for a vanity project. This is material is detailed, comprehensive, and utterly captivating - even though it carries many Russian idiosyncrasies.
Finally, I'd like to add that I spent most of February on this book, thinking there is no better time to read about the Siberian prison system than slugging through my own wintry prison everyday. As I was conducting my normal post-reading research, I happened to discover that my edition of the book only contains the first two volumes of the Gulag Archipelago. Apparently, there are several more volumes! I thought I had accomplished something! It was then that I finally understood the plight of the poor zek who thinks the transit system is the height of his suffering. "In camp, it will be...worse."
I'll concede that Solzhenitsyn's personal accounts are the real treasure here. He masterfully weaves his own story into the larger picture leaving no one to possibly mistake this for a vanity project. This is material is detailed, comprehensive, and utterly captivating - even though it carries many Russian idiosyncrasies.
Finally, I'd like to add that I spent most of February on this book, thinking there is no better time to read about the Siberian prison system than slugging through my own wintry prison everyday. As I was conducting my normal post-reading research, I happened to discover that my edition of the book only contains the first two volumes of the Gulag Archipelago. Apparently, there are several more volumes! I thought I had accomplished something! It was then that I finally understood the plight of the poor zek who thinks the transit system is the height of his suffering. "In camp, it will be...worse."
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Reading Progress
September 7, 2007
– Shelved
Started Reading
February 1, 2008
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Finished Reading
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Angela
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Jul 09, 2010 02:38PM
Good review--I've been wanting to read more about Russia; I'm adding it to my list. Not sure if I'll try for all of it, though....
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OBSERVATIONS about the Soviet system in the 20’s through the 50’s. Survival? Few did. This is a look at life in a setting where one person governs — CRUELLY. Interested in Solzhenitsyn’s observations on America and the West? Look at his 1978 address to Harvard; 20,000 people standing in the rain. Introduced with a standing ovation and “BOOED” when he was finished. Panned in review in the press, liberal and conservative. Incisive observations on our government and our media and milieu.
