Product Description
Part of a sequence of novels about the Russian Revolution carrying the overall title of "The Red Wheel". The other titles in this series include "October 1916" and "Lenin in Zurich". Other books by Solzhenitsyn include "The Gulag Archipelago". ... Read more

Customer Reviews (22)

August 1914
I was told that the book was "like new," but upon recept found that it had scratches in the lower portion of the spine. It was only a dollar, so I am not too put out, but if I had known this I may have chosen to purchase a different version, one that was actually "like new."

More Russian literature than war novel.
August 1914 does not strive for the same goals as many war novels, and perhaps should not even be seriously included in that category. I view it as part of Solzhenitsyn's "War and Peace in 1914" and approached it more as a reader of Russian literature than of war novels. Despite the time spent, it is not particularly (or really much at all) concerned with discussing the tactical or strategic minutia involved with the Tannenberg campaign, doing so only to advance the plot, but of trying to capture a sense of the people and times in which it took place.

Aside from the disjointed amalgamation of screenplays and newspaper headlines, the characterizations of many of the actors I found to be not terribly compelling, particularly in light of some of the shades-of-Dostoevsky characters created in other similar Solzhenitsyn works such as The First Circle.

I found myself almost constantly wondering when it was characters doing the talking or Solzhenitsyn saying his own thing from 50 years of hindsight through the characters. This sentiment also contributes to the feeling that the characters lack a certain something present in Solzhenitsyn's other works. This may be an inevitable byproduct of the readers' worldview which is shaped by fame Solzhenitsyn has achieved as a chronicler and critic of the USSR. Nevertheless, this flatness is covered up better in many of his other books.

It feels in many places incomplete and Solzhenitsyn himself has implied as much. It is a pity that it didn't get further than it has, but it is still a valuable piece of literature.

I really wanted to like this book
I was really hoping that I would like this book. I just don't see why people consider Solzhenitsyn to be such a brilliant writer. This seemed to me to read like an unfinished work. The writing is o.k. but the characters are somewhat flat, the story is confusing and lacking direction and, at the end, it's like he started writing a different story that had little or nothing to do with the first. Like someone else already said: a well-done narrative history would be more informative, more interesting, and more entertaining. I definatly won't be moving on to the next book in the series.

Not recommended.

August 1914: Bland
Title: August 1914 by Alexander Solzhenitsyn

Pages: 622

Time spent on the "to read" shelf: 4 or 5 years.

Days spent reading it: 6 days.

Why I read it: In high school I was forced to read "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich." I remember not liking it at all. I thought it was boring. But many things I found boring in high school I now enjoy. So I thought I would read another novel by Solzhenitsyn, and see how it went.

Brief review: I am not sure what I was expecting, but this book was not it. From Solzenhitsyn I guess I expected a little more. The characters were fairly flat, thus it was difficult to tell one officer from another. The fighting sequences were complicated. I had no idea if an advance was good or bad, even after the battle was explained. I have read good war novels that explain complicated maneuvers. The Killer Angels comes to mind as a good example, where I could envision the entire battle and basic battle plans were given as pictures on occasion so I understood the flow of the battle better. That was not present in August 1914 and I think the book suffers because of it.

I have no deep understanding of the Russian front during World War I. So this was my first real exposure to that era. One thing that is brought out in this book was how terrible the conditions of war are. My tenth grade English teacher once summed up every war novel. She said their theme is always very simple: "War is hell." August 1914 does not press this point as much as other novels, but it does convey the hardships endured by the soldiers of the day. The one overriding theme that I did understand was that the Russian generals were completely incompetent in this battle. From start to finish Solzenhitsyn blasts the generals in charge of this offensive (and defensive) blunder.

I had a few qualms with this book in its current form. First, every now and then the narrative stops and we are given these "scenes" that are written with screen play directions. These directions were apparently how Solzenhitsyn envisioned this book on film. It was strange to break the flow of the story in order to introduce his vision for another medium. It felt like the book was 90% complete, not 100% complete. And, oddly, chapter 22 was omitted "by the request of the author." Strange. I have read that this book was revised later and nearly 200 pages were added to it. I don't think I could read through 200 more pages, but I wonder if it would clarify some of the issues I had with the work.

Anyway, in brief, this book was alright, but I would not read it again and I would not recommend it to anyone unless they were extremely interested in Russian literature (or possibly Russian history).

Favorite quote: "Evil people always support each other; that is their chief strength."

Stars: 2.5 out of 5

Final Word: Bland.

Best Translation of an Epic Work
"August 1914" kicks off the epic "Red Wheel" as Solzhenitsyn tries to capture the coming of the Russian Revolution in a series of novels. Another man's book is on Solzhenitsyn's mind; how can a Russian novelist write an epic on war and not confront Tolstoy and "War and Peace"? Tolstoy even makes a brief appearance at the start of the book. Solzhenitsyn guides the reader through the disastrous Russian invasion of East Prussia in August 1914 and unveils a number of characters-some real and some imaginary. There are haunting portraits of General Samsanov and Tsar Nicholas II. There are also descriptions of the battle and Solzhenitsyn's background from World War Two help him a great deal; these are some of the greatest battle scenes I have ever read. He guides the reader through the staff headquarters and to the front lines. He also offers unforgettable characters drawn from all of Russian society: a well off family at home, young officers connecting with the men, radical students, gentle peasants serving as troops. While his narrative is excellent, Solzhenitsyn is not as strong when he attempts to mimic the "camera eye" used by John Dos Passos in the USA trilogy. Nor does he quite succeed when he lists a number of headlines from the newspapers or offers detailed history in small print. But these are minor flaws that do not take away from the grand epic.

If you are reading the work in English, make sure you use the version translated by H.T. Willetts that was released in 1989 and FSG published the paperback in 2000. This version, unlike the original, contains a scathing look at Lenin as well as a detailed description of the rise and death of Stolypin, the one Russian statesman who may have been able to lead Tsarist Russia through the chaos it would succumb to during the Great War.

Be warned. This is an epic undertaking. The book is almost a 1,000 pages and I advise you keep notes on characters, events and places. This is not a book for everyone. But it is a great epic and, if not up to the level of "War and Peace", "August 1914" is still in the same ballpark. How many other recent novels can we make that claim about? ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Relevant these many years later
Reread tonight after a couple of decades. How interesting to see George Meany and Lane Kirkland writing introductions...the American labor movement has "moved" away from these guys for sure. Written in the 70's, this title is as relevant today as it was then: Liberty versus tyranny. This is "brief" for Solzhenitsyn, so take advantage. Highly recommended.

What our Government needs to know & listen to.
It is not very often that one person can have such an influence and an understanding of what is wrong with our world; the United States in particular.
It isn't even a warning from a religious point of view, but can be viewed as such, even though it is from a secular slant.
We need to wake up to the encroaching persistence of socialism, humanism, and most importantly, atheism. Our need for God back into our government has never been more needed.
Our present governing body (and to a degree that from the past century)has slowly eroded our freedoms given us by our founders. One day we will wake up and say, "what happened?"

Those who fail to learn the lessons of history...
The warnings of the Cold War are just as poignant today with regards to the new enemy of Western Civilization.Appeasement is always doomed to failure.

Early warnings...still current
These are powerful reminders of the underlying driving force of secular humanism and communism.We see the u.s. closer than ever, to giving up it founding principals in favor of these "religions of man".Every step taken is ground that is never surrendered.We need to learn these lessons now, before this collapse hits critical mass.you can find audio of some of these speeches online.This book should be required reading for all.

height of apostasy
Predictions all correct.Writing clear and prophetic.Coming true in vivid detail.Could be instrumental immediately in averting disaster in the West. ... Read more

Product Description
This account of a day in the life of a prisoner in a remote Siberian labour camp pays tribute to the capacity of man to survive under appalling conditions and an indictment of humanity that such conditions exist. This edition has been retranslated and revised and approved by the author.Amazon.com Review
Solzhenitsyn's first book, this economical, relentless novelis one of the most forceful artistic indictments of politicaloppression in the Stalin-era Soviet Union. The simply told story of atypical, grueling day of the titular character's life in a labor campin Siberia, is a modern classic of Russian literature and quicklycemented Solzhenitsyn's international reputation upon publication in1962. It is painfully apparent that Solzhenitsyn himself spent time inthe gulags--he was imprisoned for nearly a decade as punishment formaking derogatory statements about Stalin in a letter to a friend. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (201)

Gulags R us
Ivan or Shuhkov as he's called through out the book is imprisioned in a Russian prison camp. His days starts with hanging out in bed because he feels ill. The book could really be considered a long story. There are no chapter breaks. And even though the idea of tracing one through a day seems dull its interesting. I especially like the three types of narration which is so subtle you may miss that it changes. It's good literature. I recommend it.

A Voice for the Countless
"One Day in the Life..." is stark, humane, and ceaselessly hopeful.

Solzhenitsyn spend years in labor camps and exile, and he filters those experiences into this tale of one prisoner going through a day in the freezing wastelands of Siberia. Ivan has a ten-year sentence, and has learned to work the system of guards, gangs, and mess hall. He hates the cold, but he knows ways to fight it and finagle better tools, smokes, and food. He, like the others, is a survivor who thinks mostly of himself; on the other hand, he is willing to share with his favorite Estonians.

Throughout, Solzhenitsyn gives glimpses into the various regions of the former Soviet Union, into the politics and even religious thoughts, and let's us see these things through colorful yet simple language that befits his protagonist. Ivan is anything but self-pitying. He is a voice for the countless prisoners of that day ang age. It's hard to fathom, in our culture, the impact this story had on the international community in the midst of Communism in Russia. Many then were unaware of the abuses under that system. Solzhenitsyn brought into the light the many cruelties suffered under Stalin's rule. I traversed Russia on the Trans-Siberian Express in the late 1980s, and it is sad to think of the many censored artists, writers, poets, and preachers who died in the country's harsh eastern landscape.

The final paragraphs of this book don't rely on heightened drama but on the weighty realism of Ivan's ongoing incarceration. Despite this reality, Ivan is focused on the next day alone, thankful, full of hope, looking for the good in the midst of trouble. It's this attitude that makes "One Day in the Life..." a classic to be shared for generations to come.

Bleak and Disturbing
Written from the perspective of a common prisoner, laboring in a Soviet camp, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is the semi-authobiographical novel of former political prisoner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. It is a simple novel, telling the story of Ivan Denisovich, imprisoned in the Gulag for crimes comitted while serving in the Russian Army during WWII. It takes place over the course of a single day, from reveille to retreat. The protagonist spends his day in hard labor, in this instance he and his squad are building a power station, construction on which had been abandoned six months previous. His day begins in misery, cold, and sickness, yet somehow Denisovich manages to end his day, and the novel with a note of hapiness, even hopefulness.

However this book is about so much more than just what Ivan's day to day life is like; it is a political statement. It is a look at the cruelty and oppression of the Soviet regime under Stalin, when a man could be imprisoned for just about any action, real or imagined. Denisovich was imprisoned for supossed desertion (in actuality he had been held as a German POW and escaped) while serving in the Soviet Army during WWII. Another character, Aloyshka - a dedicated Baptist, was imprisoned for his religious beliefs. Tiurin, squad captain, was imprisoned despite his impressive military record, for his birth. Solzhenitsyn, himself, was imprisoned for supossed derogatory remarks regarding Stalin.

It was suprisingly published in 1962, despite the rampanent censorship of the Soviet era, after gaining the approval of Kruschev while having one of his "anti-Stalin" days. It was later banned in Russia and Solzhenitsyn expelled after the ouster of Khrushchev, yet elsewhere the novel was so important and widely regarded that it's author received the Nobel Prize.

The novel itself is short, my edition only 139 pages, and the writing style spare, almost simplistic. However I feel this to be a reflection of the experience it is telling. One living in Stalin workcamp isn't going to have the time or energy for superflous words or emotion. Solzhenitsyn's austere style only served to emphasize the horror of the topic, and made it that much more powerful. The labor camps of Stalinist Russia rank right up there with Hitler's Death Camps as one of humanity's darkest moments. In a way that no history text could, Solzhenitsyn and One Day In the Life of Ivan Denisovich shed light on events that should horrify and sicken anyone. This is one novel that should be required reading in any history of the world.

Essential Russian Literature
A central twentieth century Russian literary work, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is significant for many reasons. It is best known as a highly autobiographical novel exposing the Soviet Union's infamous gulags and is certainly noteworthy in this way. However, it is also excellent in itself, a gripping, highly moving story of determination, endurance, and in the end, hope. Anyone at all interested in twentieth century Russian literature or history must read it.

The historical angle is such that the book would be well worth reading for it alone. Before One Day, gulags were hardly even publicly admitted; having its horrors given in such detail was astonishing, one of the most dramatic examples of the Soviet Union's anti-Stalin program. To put this in perspective, it is necessary to remember that Boris Pasternak, whose Doctor Zhivago criticized Soviet tactics less openly, had to refuse the Nobel Prize only four years before to avoid scandal after the Soviets told the Nobel committee not to award him. This would of course be a mere historical footnote if One Day had no other value, but it does even in this sense. Years after gulags - and even the Soviet Union itself -- are gone, it is an invaluable, practically first-person account of the important phenomenon. Anyone wanting to know about gulags would do well to start here; it introduced them to the world and arguably remains the best source.

Noteworthy as this is, the literary merit is at least as great. Alexander Solzhenitsyn tells a remarkable story in straight-forward, admirably concise prose that cuts to the proverbial core; his story is so immediate that he has no time for verbal trappings. This is to the book's benefit, as the story more than stands on its own -- an utterly engrossing, distinctly modern drama of humanity's inhumanity. We identify with the title hero's trials and sufferings, which are detailed in a vividly visceral way that makes them unforgettable. Yet this is not a work of despair. Dark as it is at times, especially considering its nearly autobiographical nature, it is ultimately a triumph of the human spirit. It shows, as few works can, just how much a person can survive. We do not see Ivan leave the camp, but we know Solzhenitsyn did, which means much. Despite all, the book thus leaves us with hope.

Few twentieth century Russian works can be more essential, but it is important to remember that this is very different from nineteenth century Russian masterpieces. It is short and sticks firmly to the bare subject, lacking the long, philosophical digressions so characteristic of those works. Anyone expecting an update of them will be disappointed, but One Day in many ways strongly resembles them in spirit. The seemingly paradoxical Russian soul -- partly overflowing with goodness, even self-sacrificing saintliness, partly crowded with darkness leading to oppression -- is on prominent display here as there, as is profound psychological insight. Fans of those great works may find much to like, and those who usually dislike Russian literature are at least as likely to appreciate the book. One Day is that rare work that probes deeply yet still has wide appeal, which is high praise indeed.

Man's Inhumanity on Display
As you read this slim novel, you keep shaking your head about man's inhumanity towards his fellow man. You wonder how a political system could be set up in which people are sent off to live under near-impossible conditions for decades, and why other people acquiesced to the insanity. Even though we know today that the Soviet system collapsed, we also know that Russia has penal colonies and prisons that are filled with innocents who are living scarcely better than Ivan Denisovich Sukhov does in the book.

The blunt language of Alexander Solzhenitsyn brings out the utter barrenness of existence in a Siberian labor camp. As other reviewers have said, you actually find yourself shivering as you read about ill-clothed men standing for an hour in minus-20 degree weather, waiting to be frisked by prison guards. You mind reels at the thought that a bowl of thin gruel, gulped down in less than 5 minutes, is so great of a luxury that it feels to these men as if time has stopped. You try to imagine being sent to live in those conditions for 10 years or more, and you come away feeling that you would lose all hope.How could you do otherwise?

It's a remarkable book.By showing the typical day in a prison camp -- in fact, a day that Ivan Denisovich considers "good" because he got an extra ration of soup and bread and avoided getting in trouble for anything -- you see the Soviet system in all its brutality.And you see how people tried to maintain their dignity and hope in the face of oppression on an industrial scale.While the system is inhuman, the people remain humans, as they try to survive on hope, pride, and ingenuity.

There's a reason that high schoolers were assigned this book 20 years ago, and there's still good reason to have young people (and older people) read it.The book is a warning about the depths to which a political system and social system can descend. ... Read more

Product Description
When Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn gave the commencement address at Harvard University in 1978, many Americans expected to hear their country praised by this celebrated refugee from a totalitarian state. Instead they heard some sharply critical views of their legal system, their press, their popular culture, and even their national will. The forthright and controversial speech makes up Part One of this book. A sampling of the avalanche of comment that followed it is included in Part Two. In Part Three, six thoughtful scholars reflect on the ideas and judgments expressed by the great Russian writer. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

More significant than enjoyable
Solzhenitsyn at Harvard is an early reaction to a devastatingly significant, intellectually shocking commencement address by the Russian nationalist Alexander Solzhenitsyn to Harvard University in 1978, called "A World Split Apart."Solzhenitsyn openly condemned western materialism and secularism.

Suffice to say that the western intelligencia (as full of liberals - including the neo-con brand of liberals - as it remains today) was deeply dissappointed that Solzhenitsyn seemed less than appreciative of liberal America than they had expected.

This is a terribly significant book. When it was written the neo-cons were just coming into their flowering - but they were not recognized then as they have become today (a look at their names Richard Pipes, Sidney Hook, Michael Novack reads like the architects of the Iraq war).Ronald Berman balances them with overt liberals like Arthur Schlessinger.

Sometimes there is barely concealed rage as in the essay by Richard Pipes in which he manages to condemn Solzhenitsyn, the Russian people, and the Russian Orthodox Church.

"In places, Solzhenitsyn uses virtually the same language as his nineteenth-century forerunners. This fact emphasizes the remarkable continuity of Russian intellectual history, especially its conservative strain, to which Solzhenitsyn indubitably belongs. Each generation of Russians seems to discover afresh the same answers, partly because of the hold on their imagination of Orthodox Christianity.."

In this book, in the condemnation of Solzhenitsyn, you can read the germinating seeds of the modern American belief in progress which enslaves the American people to the worst angels of their nature - the belief that they know what is wrong with the world and can fix it, and have the right to fix it.

While occasionally shallow, this book is of great historical, intellectual significance - not because it documents the address of Solzhenitsyn, but because it documents the reaction of the people who would come to dominate political discourse in 21st century.

Solzhenitsyn passed away this week. He was a great man. May he rest in peace. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Well done
A well-written, unbiased and honest account. Not likely to be translated and published in English anytime soon.

bolshevism 101
you're going to have to learn russian
if you want to read this modern hero's account
of the TRUTH about bolshevism.
freedom of the press indeed. ... Read more

Product Description
Finally at liberty to recount the fates of the people who helped him hide his writings and smuggle them to the West, Solzhenitsyn has written an intimate memoir celebrating their triumph of spirit despite intimidation and oppression. These imperiled co-conspirators, often unknown to one another, shared a devotion to the dissident writer's work and a hatred of the regime that brought terror to every part of their lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Great Abridgement of an Extremely Important Work
In this abridgment authorized by Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago has been made even more accessible to more readers (the complete work is 1300 plus pages).One of the most important books of the 20th Century, The Gulag Archipelago exposed the horrific, authoritarian state that was the Soviet Union.In this book, Solzhenitsyn revealed the failure of the utopian, socialist/communist experiment in Russia.Sadly, in order to perpetuate this experiment, the Soviets used mass imprisonment as a way to control its citizens.The Gulag Archipelago was that system of prison camps stretching to the outer reaches of the Soviet Union.Solzhenitsyn was a prisoner of the Gulag for 8 years and collected his and others' stories in this book.Before this book, much of the West was still under the illusion that the Soviet Union was a wonderful workers' paradise.Solzhenitsyn shattered that myth.For those with an interest in the Cold War, you must read this book.

Stunning depiction of the epitome of Communist Tyranny
If one defines a totalitarian sytsm as a classification of government which attempts, throught the use of power and coercion, to control and regulate all aspects of communication and organizational life, there can be no doubt that The Gulag System, as depicted in The Gulag Arcipelago was in fact a mirror reflection of the larger totalitarian regime, and the epitome of ideological disparity which both motovated and inhibited Russo-American relations throughout the cold war era. A skillfully crafted true-to-life account of the penal system of the Stalinist regime.Awesome in the true sense of the word. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Parable in Power
As much power as "For the Good of the Cause" packs, it is amazing that this book is not better known.It many ways, it is better than his best known work.Even stepping away from the commentary on the corruption of the Soviet government, the book makes an overall statement on the corruption of power and bureaucracy.

Pride in the technical school runs high as they are nearing completion of the new building on campus.The sense of accomplishment is furthered by the fact that the students built the new building with their own hands.Fyodor, the man in charge of the school, becomes suspicious when the school is not immediately able to occupy the building.Upon investigation, he discovers that a new research institute is to occupy the building.When he asks why, he is told that it is for the good of the cause.

As this novella draws to an end, readers are left to ponder whether Fyodor's actions at the end of the story were the right course.Though it was a drastic path, it would seems few options were available."For the Good of the Cause" is certain to create thoughts in the minds of readers.It lead to the argement of whether "my country right or wrong" can ever be truly justified.

What Is Right or Wrong
For the Good of the Cause by Aleksandr Isaevich Solzhenitsyn

This is both a simple and a difficult book. It proved to be a much shorter story than I expected -- only 97 pages. What I liked about it was the way it opened. The entire first chapter is dialog and nothing else. The reader feels as if she were plunked down into the place, hearing many of the things, though not all, said by several people and not knowing who is saying what. The second chapter brings it into focus and we start to get to know some of the characters. Solzhenitsyn is good at making even briefly appearing characters real.

The term "right and wrong" is used several times in the story and it is clearly the point of the story, to make readers think what is right and what is wrong. And that's where the story becomes difficult. It's not a situation we're likely to encounter in the US. Americans will immediately side with the principal of the school. The main fuss about this is the political importance of the story. As a story, without taking into consideration the politics, it feels incomplete. It takes the reader to the climax and stops with no resolution of any sort. There are seeds for a fight to resolve the issue and there is also the sense of defeat because it's "for the good of the cause."

At first I thought that there is no point of this story with the Soviet Union no longer in existence, but upon further thought I've changed my mind. This isn't a story to be read simply for the pleasure of reading. Whether something is right or wrong is something that will always be a concern. After reading this story, our minds will debate how it ends, how it should end, how actually did/would end if it were a true story. That, I suppose it the greatest value of For the Good of the Cause. There is nothing to grasp from it that can deter the reader form the point of the story - no love story or grand adventure, just ordinary people with an relatively ordinary dilemma.

My copy of this book was published in 1974 and contains a short biography of Solzhenitsyn as a preface, and discussions from various Soviet sources as an appendix. My comments are on the the story and (since I haven't read them yet) do not take preface or appendix into consideration.

Short work, big message.
To begin, this is a great work with a good long (about 20 pgs or so) introduction. Along with that is an appendix that includes some of the public responses to the controversial work.

Set in a post-Stalin period, this work takes place at a technical school that is relatively young with not a whole lot of money to spend. There is little equipment and even less room. So, instead of waiting for some kind of handout (which they would never get anyways), the students (about fourteen or fifteen) take matters into their own hands and decide to build themselves a new dormitory. The students and faculty represent a kind of idealistic work ethic and fervor where each does their part for the benefit of everyone and the job gets done in good time and quality.

Now, after it's just about finished, instead of being able to move in, a certain self-centered bureaucrat (Knorozov) decides to take it for himself and transform it into a "research institute" in the hopes that he will become its new director, but it will deny the students a new place to live. While doing it, he makes sure he can take as much of the property around it as he can. The principle (Fyodor Mikheyevich) tries to get a straight answer from those taking the new building away, but the only answer he ever gets back is "it's for the good of the cause."

The unanswered question that must be asked is: what is the good of the cause? Of course, it is quite clear that the cause is anything but good.

Solzhenitsyn goes out of his way to disparage these bureaucrats, like Knorozov, as he depicts them as self-serving, egotistical, underhanded, and even perverted.

The point of this extremely controversial work is that even though Stalin is dead and his reign over, there are still bureaucrats and government officials who take advantage of the good will of good people. These government officials are aptly called "little Stalin's."

An excellent read.

a great find
This was the first Solzhenitsyn I read and it is unbelievable if you can find it. It's more of a long short story than a short novel and just gives you a short, but good idea of what Solzhenitsyn is about. Solzhenitsyn, in my opinion, is the greatest mind in the twentieth century and this hidden gem showcases him well. For starters with Solzhenitsyn 'One Day in the life of Ivan Denisovich' is also a great read. The subject topics are quite different and both are well worth the read. ... Read more