(Fiction, Book Reviews)

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn

This Book Is About

From the icy blast of reveille through the sweet release of sleep, Ivan Denisovich endures. A common carpenter, he is one of millions viciously imprisoned for countless years on baseless charges, sentenced to the waking nightmare of the Soviet work camps in Siberia. Even in the face of degrading hatred, where life is reduced to a bowl of gruel and a rare cigarette, hope and dignity prevail. This powerful novel of fact is an eloquent affirmation of the human spirit.

Skip to Ratings » Skip to Book Info » Buy This Book »

My Thoughts On This Book

I first read One Day in the Life because we had to for English class in high school. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, to my surprise. I’ve had my copy of the book ever since and I’ve re-read it several times. When my high school copy finally falls apart, I’ll definitely buy another. I can’t see not having this novel in my personal library.

Ivan Denisovich is a day-in-the-life survival story told in the first person by a carpenter imprisoned in a labor camp in Siberia. It’s very realistic, very human, with an every-day sort of humor around the edges. I enjoy Solzhenitsyn’s writing, or at least this English translation since I can’t read Russian. The style is very engaging, whether the main character is talking about keeping felt boots dry or building a brick wall.

They say write about what you know. In 1945 Solzhenitsyn was sentenced to eight years in a labor camp. His experiences are the fuel for this novel.

The Nobel Prize for Literature was awarded to Alexander Solzhenitsyn in 1970, incidentally.

Rating & Levels For This Book

I Give This Book two Vikings out of five (”good”)	Violence Level one Burning Village out of five	Romance Level zero Hearts out of five
# of actual vikings in book: 0 What do these levels mean? »	Humor Level zero Smiles out of five	Lust Level zero Kisses out of five

Author and Publishing Information For This Book

Author & Book Details Title: One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich Author(s): Alexander Solzhenitsyn (translated by Max Howard and Ronald Hingley) ISBN#: 0553247778 Genre(s): classic Russian fiction Edition Reviewed: unabridged massmarket paperback Illustrations: N/A Page Count: 203 Part of a Series: no

Publishing & Copyright Details Publisher(s): Bantam Books Copyright: 1990, 1963 (there are newer editions available) In Print: yes Original Language: Russian Published in Other Languages: yes Buy This Book Online » Find a Local Book Store »

Comments

Back to top »    Comment »    Trackback from your own site »