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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
it is not possible to read this book and not be changed, even in a small way, by it. genuinely one of the best books i've ever read
dark
informative
sad
slow-paced
"The Gulag Archipelago" is a masterpiece.
Solzhenitsyn's poignant descriptions introduce the reader to one of humanity's most horrible accomplishments. Although this isn't the most precise historical account of Gulag- it was written in the USSR - the Russian writer does a great job of portraying the emotions and thoughts that go through a prisoners mind once he becomes a part of the *Sewage Disposal System*. Besides drawing from his own experience, Solzhenitsyn also gathered hundreds of stories from people across the Soviet Union, without which the book wouldn't have had the same impact, I am sure. From the types of arrests, to the terrors of interrogation and the horrible *Stolypin* cars, - the trains used to transport prisoners - this 1st volume is the perfect introduction to Gulag and to the awfully bureaucratic and misanthropic soviet regime.
In page 353, one of Lenin's letters is mentioned, in which he discusses the criminal code he was working on, and, had those thoughts not been uttered, I don't think I would be sitting here writing this review. Here is an excerpt:
“The basic concept, I hope, is clear, notwithstanding all the shortcomings of the rough draft: openly to set forth a statute which is both principled and politically truthful (and not just judicially narrow) to supply the motivation for the essence and the justification of terror, its necessity, its limits. The court must not exclude terror. It would be self-deception or deceit to promise this, and in order to provide it with a foundation and to legalize it in a principled way, clearly and without hypocrisy and without embellishment, it is necessary to formulate it as broadly as possible, for only revolutionary righteousness and a revolutionary conscience will provide the conditions for applying it more or less broadly in practice.
With communist greetings, Lenin"
This is not to say, however, that the book isn't boring. Believe me, It can be very hard to get through some parts, like the 133 pages in which Solzhenitsyn describes a number of trials dating from the October Revolution to the 1930s.
Still, reading volume 1 of "The Gulag Archipelago" is fundamentally worth it, and I can't wait to read the other two volumes.
Solzhenitsyn's poignant descriptions introduce the reader to one of humanity's most horrible accomplishments. Although this isn't the most precise historical account of Gulag- it was written in the USSR - the Russian writer does a great job of portraying the emotions and thoughts that go through a prisoners mind once he becomes a part of the *Sewage Disposal System*. Besides drawing from his own experience, Solzhenitsyn also gathered hundreds of stories from people across the Soviet Union, without which the book wouldn't have had the same impact, I am sure. From the types of arrests, to the terrors of interrogation and the horrible *Stolypin* cars, - the trains used to transport prisoners - this 1st volume is the perfect introduction to Gulag and to the awfully bureaucratic and misanthropic soviet regime.
In page 353, one of Lenin's letters is mentioned, in which he discusses the criminal code he was working on, and, had those thoughts not been uttered, I don't think I would be sitting here writing this review. Here is an excerpt:
“The basic concept, I hope, is clear, notwithstanding all the shortcomings of the rough draft: openly to set forth a statute which is both principled and politically truthful (and not just judicially narrow) to supply the motivation for the essence and the justification of terror, its necessity, its limits. The court must not exclude terror. It would be self-deception or deceit to promise this, and in order to provide it with a foundation and to legalize it in a principled way, clearly and without hypocrisy and without embellishment, it is necessary to formulate it as broadly as possible, for only revolutionary righteousness and a revolutionary conscience will provide the conditions for applying it more or less broadly in practice.
With communist greetings, Lenin"
This is not to say, however, that the book isn't boring. Believe me, It can be very hard to get through some parts, like the 133 pages in which Solzhenitsyn describes a number of trials dating from the October Revolution to the 1930s.
Still, reading volume 1 of "The Gulag Archipelago" is fundamentally worth it, and I can't wait to read the other two volumes.
Too realistic and scary. I can't continue. Definitely not for the faint hearted.
Impresionante y revelador, no tenía ni idea ni de la mitad. Muy exhaustivo y bien escrito, aunque a veces algo pesado.
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
Solzhenitsyn is a great historian but he does not write great literature. I know most Americans will say Gulag is a masterpiece but his best work is August 1914, as long as you skip pg's 700 to 1000. Gulag is a fantastic work of history but as for literature it is disconnected short stories that follow a very basic chronological order. The best part are his personal story as he went through the system. it flows as a chronology but as a writer in the Russian tradition it has nothing to offer. Better to read Bulgakov a far superior heir to the tradition of Dostoyevsky and Gogol.
I finally (after months) finished the first book. But I am not sure I will get to book 2, let alone 3. A gripping account of an incredibly dark period of history. I would still highly recommend this volume.
dark
informative
slow-paced
It's hard to say that one enjoyed this book, but I definitely felt it was important. I liked the second book, about his experiences, more than the first book, which was about the history, background, trials, and execution of the gulag system.