One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich by Solzhenitsyn

by Chriss Cornish published: December 14, 2007 No Comments

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.

My Thoughts On This Book

This is one of my favorite books. Seriously.

I first read One Day in the Life Ivan Denisovich because we had to for English class in high school. I actually enjoyed it quite a bit, to my surprise. I’ve had my highschool 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.

The story is a day-in-the-life survival tale told in the first person by a carpenter imprisoned in a labor camp in Siberia. It’s very realistic, with a very human, 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, by the way.

Rating & Levels For This Book

I Give This Book
two Vikings out of five

Violence Level
one Burning Hut 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 & Ronald Hingley)
ISBN#: 0553247778
Genre(s): Russian literature classic
Edition Reviewed: Unabridged massmarket paperback
Illustrations: N/A
Page Count: 203
Part of a Series: No