One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich
Ratings37
Average rating3.8
15
Ratings37
Average rating3.8
First published in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in 1962, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich stands as a classic of contemporary literature. The story of labor-camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, it graphically describes his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of communist oppression. An unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin's forced work camps, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is one of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union and confirms Solzhenitsyn's stature as "a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dosotevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy"--Harrison Salisbury
This unexpurgated 1991 translation by H. T. Willetts is the only authorized edition available and fully captures the power and beauty of the original Russian.
Reviews with the most likes.
“The belly is a demon. It doesn't remember how well you treated it yesterday; it'll cry out for more tomorrow.”
“That knife's a breadwinner too. After all, you can be put in the cells for keeping it, and only a man without a conscience would say: lend us your knife, we're going to slice some sausage, and you can go fuck off.”
Well-written. Not a fave, but I learned some things through it.
A single day in the life of a prisoner in a Stalinist labor camp in 1951. Ivan Denisovich was arrested in 1954 for criticizing Stalin (God-forbid you had an opinion!) in a private letter, spending 8 years of his life in labor camps of various names. This book was amazing, thought provoking and humbling. It sticks with you and I'm still in awe of how men like this kept there spirits up and looked to the positive throughout that time. I would recommend this to anyone.
