One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

By: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Narrated by: Richard Brown

One of the most extraordinary literary documents to have emerged from the Soviet Union, this is the story of labor camp inmate Ivan Denisovich Shukhov and his struggle to maintain his dignity in the face of Communist oppression. Based on the author’s own experience in the gulags, where he spent nearly a decade as punishment for making derogatory remarks against Stalin, the novel is an unforgettable portrait of the entire world of Stalin’s forced work camps. An instant classic upon publication in 1962, it confirmed Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s international stature as “a literary genius whose talent matches that of Dostoevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy” (Harrison Salisbury).

©1978 Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (P)1992 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Richard Brown’s razor-sharp narration perfectly suits this fine translation.”– ( Library Journal)

" One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich yields, more than anything else, a beautiful sense of its author as a Chekhovian figure: simple, free of literary affectation, wholly serious.” ( New Republic)

there's a reason it's popular.

voice dudes ok (shrug). As an American, it's kinda funny picturing Soviet prisoners with a British accent, and comedy's exactly what readers are looking for here.

great book!

Made you really think about our culture and their flirtation with socialism. Also made you realize that life lived under difficult circumstances can still be a life filled with small joys.

Recommended

The audio was a little hard to understand from time to time, especially when accelerated, but the book is as vital as ever.

I wanted way more than one day -

I agree with one reviewer that the first 10 minutes are painful and I did consider turning it off. So glad I didn't though. This snapshot "day" opens the world of Stalin's forced labor camps. There is magic in the details, the thoughts, the motives... the bite of sausage, the bread in the mattress. I am so glad it was a good day he chose to share, since I felt almost as if with him. A classic I should have read years ago and will read again.

Best narrative so far.

This was by far the best translation I have read yet. I loved it!

This Book Matters

The years and years indignities and deprivation pile on pebble by pebble as Solzhenitsyn reveals all the inner and outer events of one mans day in a Soviet work camp.
This is a one day version of The Gulag Archipelago and provides a good if super condensed version of some of the topics Archipeligo covers. If you have been meaning to get to the larger work, but haven't had time yet, this could be the short version to just start with.
Very much worth the time.

Incredibly powerful and sad, but funny?

The matter-of-fact way this is written is powerful. It combines the horror of the setting with the quaint comedy of every day life. Highly reccomend.

Decent Story

but it could have used more tension
and I'm not a fan of the Narrator.

Bad Recording

You can hear an echo sometimes and sometimes for large segments the reader will get loud or muffled (possibly from different recording sessions and microphones).

Great story, great narration

In my opinion, every American should be familiar with Solzhenitsyn’s work. This book is a nice short listen; an excellent introduction to his thought.