One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

One assumes that those who have stumbled across this review are probably already somewhat familiar with the work Solzhenitsyn so this review can be brief. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of this novel because, though it is a novel--a work of fiction--it is also a historical document, one of the most important books of the twentieth century and essential for understanding the corruption of the Soviet system.The novel literally does bring the reader along for the ride during one day in the life of the titular character, a soldier falsely accused of treason and sentenced to a term of hard labor in the Gulag system of Siberian prison camps. The utter horror of this book is contained in the rich detail with which the author conveys life inside these camps (a life the author lived for himself), not only in the extremes of their abuses but in the minutiae of everyday life. The day described is not one of the most horrifying days--to fully grasp the horror of the Gulag, one needs to read other books including Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archipelago. Indeed, the "one day" described is portrayed as a relatively good day, a perspective which forces the reader to confront the inhumanity of a system whose good days make for a bleak and depressing read.But the book is not merely a fictionalized documentary concerning what life was like in the prison camps, it is a historical document in its own right. It was this novel that (finally) brought the evils of the Gulag system into open discussion. Imagine the experience it must have been to read such a book upon its publication in 1962 and to realize that the events it described not only *did* happen but were *still* happening to the millions of prisoners who inhabited the prison camps that dotted the bleak Siberian landscape (which existed in modified form as late as the 1980s). While it would be folly to credit Solzhenitsyn with the fall of the Soviet Union (as some writers given to hyperbole have done), it would be equally unwise to discount the impact this book's revelations had on Russian history. In that way, reading this book is necessary not only to understand the nature of life inside the forced labor camps but to understand the course of Russian history in the 20th century.From a literary perspective, this is an odd work. With few events described in excruciating detail, the novel doesn't leave much room for the expected conflict/resolution or character arc. Instead, the novel presents a snapshot of an unchanging life. Combined with the dispiriting description of the lives of political prisoners, this makes for a less-than-enjoyable yet incredibly thought provoking and intellectually stimulating read. Upon finishing, the reader is left feeling quite glad to have read the book but perhaps equally glad that it's mercifully short. A longer book with the same subject matter could easily send the reader into a deep depression.In sum, you owe it to yourself to read this book, but you would be well-advised to save it for a day when you're more in the mood for intellectual stimulation than mere entertainment.

In addition to second helpings of dinner and supper (of oatmeal and fish stew), Ivan Denisovich also wrangled six extra ounces of bread, a biscuit, two lumps of sugar, and enough tobacco for a couple cigarettes. Thus this particular day in 1951, in the eighth year of Ivan Denisovich's ten-year sentence to a work camp in Siberia -- one of 3,653 days of the sentence -- was a good one. Despite laboring ten hours in subzero weather building a wall to a power station with cement blocks and mortar, despite standing around in the freezing cold for repeated prisoner counts, and despite all sorts of petty harassment from guards and trusties.Ivan Denisovich committed his crime in the following manner: As a Red Army soldier in 1942, his army, having exhausted all food and ammunition, was surrounded in a forest by the Germans and captured in small groups. Ivan Denisovich and four others soon escaped from the Germans. As they approached the Red Army lines, three of them were machine-gunned down and Ivan Denisovich and one other survived, only to be branded a deserter.Just like Ivan Denisovich, author Alexander Solzhenitsyn had been imprisoned in the Gulag, the system of Soviet forced-labor camps. Solzhenitsyn wrote ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH in order to depict a single day in the life of an ordinary Siberian work-camp prisoner. Via an odd confluence of events (described by Yevgeny Yevtushenko in the excellent Introduction to this edition), Khrushchev authorized its publication in 1962. Publication had the effect, in the words of Yevtushenko, "of a political bomb. It took millions of stunned readers--Soviet and foreign--behind the barbed wire, dissecting for them the horrible life of daily self-genocide."Though it no longer is as "newsworthy", fifty-five years later ONE DAY IN THE LIFE remains well worth reading. Especially notable is Solzhenitsyn's low-key, matter-of-fact narrative style, which conveys the banality of the evil of the Soviet Gulag more effectively than would a sensationalist, overwrought account. In this respect, the novel resembles Primo Levi's classic account of the Nazi concentration camps, "If This Is a Man."I believe that ONE DAY IN THE LIFE OF IVAN DENISOVICH is one of the handful of classics of literature that are well suited for high school students. To be sure, there is a smattering of "vulgar" words, but what tenth-grader is not familiar with them? (They are tame in comparison with the recent filthy tirade of the White House Communications Director.) The novel is not overly demanding of the inexperienced reader and it would constitute a good introduction to the realm of "literature." Moreover, in these politically fractious times it is hard to think of another novel less likely to offend parents, educators, or school boards on political grounds.

I think if people look at Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's other work such as The Gulag Archipelago and find it's sheer length daunting then One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a great starting point. It covers a good deal of the experience but has a much more limited scope and can be finished much faster. It works great as fiction in terms of characters but obviously the things these characters go through is genuine. If you want to dip your toes into Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn without having to commit a large chunk of time then give tis a try.

La edición es sencilla, papel rugoso, oscuro, letra pequeña, pero cómoda para la lectura, nada se transparenta. Cuenta con una introducción, prólogo y epílogo que enriquecen la obra. En definitiva una historia que todos debemos leer, al describir solamente un día en la vida del personaje, la obra es sumamente descriptiva, te sientes parte del campo de concentración y empatizas con los personajes. Además sirve para practicar tu inglés.

I just finished this extraordinary book. Very well written on the experiences with labour camps in erstwhile Soviet Union. The book captures the essence of the life spent in one such labour camp. The prose is so lively and the overall tone of the book is sarcastically positive. Everyone in the world should read it to get a perspective on life.Everyman's edition is an absolute delight to own.

Tots els productes que he adquirit a Amazon (excepte un el preu del qual em va ser retornat just al mateix moment en què en van rebre la notificació de devolució) han complert amb les meves expectatives. N'estic molt content i hi continuaré comprant encantadíssim.

Complex and brilliant.