One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

De: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Narrado por: Frank Muller

Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn’s startling book led, almost 30 years later, to Glasnost, Perestroika, and the "Fall of the Wall". One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich brilliantly portrays a single day, any day, in the life of a single Russian soldier who was captured by the Germans in 1945 and who managed to escape a few days later. Along with millions of others, this soldier was charged with some sort of political crime, and since it was easier to confess than deny it and die, Ivan Denisovich "confessed" to "high treason" and received a sentence of 10 years in a Siberian labor camp.

<[>In 1962, the Soviet literary magazine Novy Mir published a short novel by an unknown writer named Solzhenitsyn. Within 24 hours, all 95,000 copies of the magazine containing this story were sold out. Within a week, Solzhenitsyn was no longer an obscure math teacher, but an international celebrity. Publication of the book split the Communist hierarchy, and it was Premier Khrushchev himself who read the book and personally allowed its publication.

©1963 E.P. Dutton & Co., Inc. (P)1982 Recorded Books

Brutal and yet human depiction of the gulags

I enjoyed this book for really getting you into the head of a gulag prisoner, without it feeling preachy or fake. You feel Ivan’s pain and frustration as he goes through one more day of his ten year term, knowing that it might all be in vain when he is released back to a home he has long forgotten (or is sent to another camp due to the machinations of a bloated and corrupt communist government).

Ivan often talks about God throughout the book, and you can sense the frustration of a quasi-theistic soviet: he has been told that belief in God is stupid but at the same time is shown that belief in man is more stupid. He sees the joy and content of the Baptist prisoner, and wonders how such a man could keep his faith and love in such a hell as the gulag. Towards the end Ivan and the Baptist try to convert one another: Ivan talks about a materialistic agnosticism where God exists but that man is only a temporary being in creation; while the Baptist argues for a eternal providence where God uses all things (good and bad) for the salvation and nurturing of his beloved children (while citing many examples for imprisonment and suffering as the paths to holiness and conforming one’s self to Christ).

Sadly, Ivan rejects the Baptist’s pleas for the embracing of one’s cross in suffering. He has been hardened through surviving the Eastern front, being taken prisoner by the Germans, and being sent to gulag by the Soviets for having been a German prisoner. He looks through his life and can not accept that is was all ordained by God, but rather the cruelty and stupidity of man. Yet he still believes in God, even while he rebels in his wounded state.

TL;DR:
It’s a great book, and will make you think about the fate of countless millions like Ivan who suffered by the hands of Godless socialist governments.

An Important Book

I’ve always wanted to read One Day. Now I’ve experienced it, and I’m glad I did.

I think it may be more important historically than valuable literarily. The author gets into Ivan’s inner life a bit. I wanted him to do that more.

But, in the end, I recommend both the book and the performance. It’s both a key piece of Soviet history and yet another glimpse into the tyranny of the 20th century.

Excellent narration of a haunting tale

It turns out that &quot;Ivan Denisovich&quot; makes a great audiobook! The text itself is short and to the point. And the translation does a great job turning the Russian into plain, conversational English.

Frank Muller is excellent, really embodying the mood and tone of Gulag life.

Hard times

A quick story showing the manaughteny of prison life in Siberia. Time takes forever to come and it often stays too long.

This will wake you up

Wondered how a woke world treats its own? This books gives a beautiful account of one day in that people’s replublic. Wonderful poetry, great allegories and a riveting plot.

Must read

This book should be required reading for its literary and moral importance. I would recommend it for anyone.

Audio Quality

This review has nothing to do with the story which was fantastic.
As of October 2, 2018 :
I did however experience 2 - 3 very noticeable glitches in the playback of the book. I rewound thinking maybe it was my computer but they were there the second time around...Just a heads up.
Hope they'll fix it soon.

Ivan's day, almost a happy day.

Ivans day reminds me of the saying by Confucius, "it is more difficult for a rich man to be humble than it is for a poor man not to murmer". I feel very blessed to know about this book.

A captivating window into the life of a Zek

originally, I read this back in college. Very much enjoyed listening to it and reliving this day again.
The narrator is excellent.

Loved it!

Loved it! I was introduced to this book in high school and loved this book ever since that time.