I have had The Gulag Archipelago on my reading list for some time. It is noted as a seminal work by the Nobel Prize winner, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, which shook the Russian communist government to its core on it’s release in 1973. It chronicles the gulags that spread across Russia between 1918 and 1956, especially in the north western regions of the country. I have the abridged version, which is still nearly 500 pages long. Solzhenitsyn worked to abridge the original work which was almost 1,000 pages to make it more accessible, so I felt that reading the shorter version was still a pretty authentic experience. This book was an incredible read, and I highly recommend it.
Plot summary
While this book does have distinct chapters and a general framework, I would say that it is more a deep roar of pain and bewilderment, than a neatly presented plot.
It is broken into seven parts, which outline:
- The Prison Industry (the history of how the gulag system can into being)
- Perpetual Motion (how they transported prisoners)
- The Destructive Labour Camps (explaining the history of that particular type of camp)
- The Soul and Barbed Wire (experiences of camp life)
- Katorga (tales of camp rebellions and escapes
- Exile (outlining this process and the experience of it)
- Stalin is No More (camp life after Stalin’s death)
In each part, the chapters range over vast amounts of statistics, history and first hand accounts. In places that have been abridged, there are brief summaries of what information has been left out.
Solzhenitsyn discusses in detail the horrible evolution of the prison system, from the revolution of 1918, through to 1956 and slightly beyond. He includes some of his own experiences, as he was interned between 1945 – 1953, followed by exile until 1956.
However, he spends the majority of the work giving voice to the stories of hundreds of fellow prisoners. The stories are each different and yet the same. Torture, unjust imprisonment, starvation, cruel labour and appalling living conditions are universal. Death is the main character.
Everyone should read this and remember the gulags
Almost immediately I was hooked by this book. I expected it to take me longer to finish, but I ploughed through it.
You cannot read this book without being confronted by the truly demonic evil of the Russian Communist government and the atrocities practiced over more than 40 years. But perhaps the most shocking part of it all is the expose on the evil that resides in every human heart.
We all think ‘that wouldn’t be me’ ‘I wouldn’t do that’. But why not? Why wouldn’t you sell out your friend to keep yourself safe from torture and death? Does it shock you that I say that? But what is really stopping you from failing to stand up for your beliefs, your friend, your family when you’re faced with the very, very real threat of appalling treatment?
I have never been confronted with such a choice, thank God. This book put the question to me, as near as possible given the circumstances. I realised that by myself, I don’t have the strength. I would need to throw myself into my faith and hope that God would give me the strength to conquer my deep weakness. But I know that on my strength alone I could not stand up to such pressure. Solzhenitsyn concurs. He recounts many stories of strong and upright people crumbling into appalling behaviour while many apparently ‘weak’ people committed heroic acts, upheld only by their faith.
Reading The Gulag Archipelago was an emotional and somewhat confronting experience. However, I strongly recommend that everyone read this book. We must not forget these atrocities so that we never repeat them. It is also good to question ourselves, to recognise that we must strive for virtue if we are to avoid falling into the same actions.
Not a book for the faint hearted
This book certainly contains many confronting topics, stories and some images. I would say that the more thoughtfully and closely you read, the more emotionally provoking it will be. However, as I said above, I think that there are times when being emotionally provoked is a good thing.
I can away from this book, deeply impressed with the necessity of not forgetting these things so that we may learn not to repeat them. I am concerned that this book is not more widely read in schools and universities. We have (rightly) been very proactive in teaching the dangers of Fascism and the Nazi party’s evil. But I find we are shockingly silent on the atrocities practiced by the Communist regimes and that should change. Evil should be roundly denounced, regardless of which side of politics if occurs on.
While I would note that for sensitive reads this book may be difficult, I would still strongly recommend it for those wishing to learn more about this period of history and to reflect on the great need to strive for virtue to combat vice.
