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The Soul & Barbed Wire: An Introduction to Solzhenitsyn

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Two top flight Solzhenitsyn scholars here provide a first rate, concise guide to his complete works. Solzhenitsyn is not a difficult writer to read, but his historical and philosophical contexts are dense and may be largely unknown, especially to younger readers. This book can be read side by side with any Solzhenitsyn book the reader is starting with, and it will not constitute a "spoiler."

It is rare enough that a major literary scholar can set forth his knowledge plainly for the general reader, but that is what occurs here. The complete works are meaningfully analyzed in the order they were written, and without regard to whether they have been translated in the West. This latter feature is important, because the individual works of this writer meaningfully resonate with each other, and sometimes directly cross-reference in terms of fictional characters and settings. Solzhenitsyn did not consciously, like Faulkner, set out to write one massive saga constituted of 10 or more books, but when he is seen in context by these scholars you are virtually given that effect. It is quite a revelation, even to readers generally well acquainted with this genius' work.

Most gratefully, the authors tell us plainly which of several extant English translations of certain books is most reliable. 30+ years after Solzhenitsyn's works began appearing in the West, here at last is an impeccable roadmap. For both those who care about the writer and those newly investigating him, this fine little book cannot be recommended highly enough.

_The Soul and Barbed Wire: An Introduction Solzhenitsyn_, published in 2008 by ISI Press, by Edward E. Ericson, Jr. and Alexis Klimoff is an excellent biography of the late Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, the Nobel Prize winning writer who escaped the Soviet Union to live in the West. Solzhenitsyn (1918 - 2008) was a Russian intellectual and writer who escaped from the Soviet Union to live in the West after revealing some of the horrors of the Soviet camps in his novels from the Stalin era. Solzhenitsyn's reputation at times varied in the West in that some saw him as a dangerous nationalist and reactionary, while others argued that his works were a resounding statement in favor of human freedom. Solzhenitsyn was a deeply spiritual man and heavily influenced by Russian Orthodox Christianity which frequently serves as the moral basis for his novels. In light of the collapse of the old Soviet state however, many of Solzhenitsyn's writings have become largely ignored by the younger generation. However, they remain deeply important both for their spiritual message and for their commentary on the horrors of totalitarianism. In 1994, Solzhenitsyn returned to Russia after the Soviet Union had collapsed and lived there for the rest of his life until his death in 2008. With Solzhenitsyn's death, perhaps his works will be re-examined afresh and re-considered in light of new developments in Russia and for their deeply moving spiritual and moral message. It should be noted however and frequently is noted by Solzhenitsyn's detractors that Solzhenitsyn was not a Western liberal. He saw Russia as his homeland and viewed the tradition of Russian Orthodox Christian as highly important spiritually. As such, he came to be regarded by some in the West in an antagonistic manner, although they initially praised him highly. Others continued to praise him as an individual who opposed totalitarianism and his works continued to be of great value for them. This book really serves as a means to introduce a new generation to his important works.

The book begins with an "Introduction" in which the authors lay out the life of Solzhenitsyn, they explain the layout of this book and the importance of Solzhenitsyn from the beginning with his story _One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich_ (1962). The authors also explain that their title for this book is drawn from Solzhenitsyn's _The Gulag Archipelago_. The book then offers an examination of Solzhenitsyn's "Life". This provides a biography of Solzhenitsyn from his birth to his earliest days living in the Soviet state, his military career, his publication of _One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich_ in Russia, his complicated relationship with the Soviet state, and his eventual banishment to the West, his winning of the Nobel Prize in Literature, his exile in the West and life in Vermont, his relationship to various individuals and intellectuals in the West (often marked by hostility), and finally his return to Russia with the collapse of the Soviet state. Solzhenitsyn's life proves a fascinating and important one and one faced with much adversity. For example, Solzhenitsyn faced an early struggle with cancer, his struggles against totalitarianism in Russia, and his struggles with Western intellectuals. The book then focuses on Solzhenitsyn's "Works" including such works as of course _One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich_, _Cancer Ward_, _The Gulag Archipelago_, various lectures made in the West concerning Russia, _The Red Wheel_, and various other lectures and stories. This part of the book offers a useful study of all his works and is sure to provide the interested reader with much material to pursue in their further study of Solzhenitsyn. Following this appears a section on Solzhenitsyn's "Beliefs" emphasizing in particular his strong moral commitments and commitment to the Russian Orthodox faith. Indeed, Solzhenitsyn's Christianity plays a highly central part in his works. This section also discusses such things as Solzhenitsyn's relationship to art and his criticism of post-modernism, Solzhenitsyn's love for country and Russian patriotism, and other beliefs about Russia and government. Finally, the book ends with a section entitled "Reception". This examines Solzhenitsyn's complicated reception in Russia, Europe, and the West. In particular, although initially praised by many of them, Solzhenitsyn's reception by Western Anglo-American liberal intellectuals became cooler as time went on. Frequently Western liberals saw him as deeply reactionary, nationalistic, and too Christian and moralistic. Although they agreed with his opposition to totalitarianism, they felt he too frequently blamed their precursors for supporting the rise of the Soviet state. In France, Solzhenitsyn had a better reception where his works continued to be appreciated. And in Russia, Solzhenitsyn also had a mixed reception, particularly after the collapse of the Soviet state where some admired him greatly and argued that he should be made president while others felt he was a superfluous old man. Overall then, Solzhenitsyn's reception in both the West and in Russia has proven to be a complicated one.

This book offers an excellent biography and important study of the late Nobel Prize winning novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. Solzhenitsyn's works prove important for what they have to say about the nature of Soviet totalitarianism and for their deeply moral and fundamentally Christian message. As such, his works should be rediscovered by a younger generation because they are so highly important. This book hopes to offer some efforts in that direction.

"Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between political parties either -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts.
This line shifts. Inside us, it oscillates with the years. And even within hearts overwhelmed by evil, one small bridgehead of good is retained, And even in the best of all hearts, there remains.......an un-uprooted small corner of evil."
The Gulag Archipelago
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn



Open this small, well written work and this quote greets you .

Many have heard the name Solzhenitsyn -- some have read various amounts of his works, but many feel as a well known major newspaper reviewer said to me:

"I meant to read Ivan Denisovich shortly after it came out, didn't, and then decided that the later books were either too grim or sounded tendentious. "

"The Soul and Barbed Wire" fits and illuminates all comers.

The 239 smallish pages are divided into seven sections: Life, Works, Beliefs, Reception, Notes, Selected bibliography, Index. "Life" alone is well worth the price of admission.

"Works" gives brief, insightful, and very interesting information about each of AS's many ,and varied efforts. It alone, also merits the entrance ticket.

Ericson and Klimoff know their stuff.

Solzhenitsyn's rather sudden death -- although at an advanced age-- shocked his devoted readers (my son called me long distance). One Russian scholar thought of Nabokov's mother saying -- while out of Russia on vacation and learning of Tolstoy's death -- "Pora domoy" (we are going home).

You may have only heard the name, perhaps, when this Nobel winner died. You may know some of his actual writing -- or even know a lot about him and his works.

It does not matter, this new book gives a very fine picture of someone who understood, in an amazing fashion, the depths of " we mere mortals".

Please read this book; it is the real thing.

This book is an outstanding introduction to Solzhenitsyn - the man, his writings, and his impact on the world. The authors organized and presented the material with care, yielding an engrossing look into the man and his works.