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The First Circle: A Novel (The Restored Text: The First Uncensored Edition) [Paperback]

Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn , Harry Willets
4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)

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Book Description

October 13, 2009
A major literary event 50 years in the making:In the First Circle is the first complete English translation of Nobel Prize–winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s “best novel” (Washington Post). With an introduction by Edward Erickson, this work by the author of The Gulag Archipelago is the story of a brilliant mathematician who finds himself locked in a Moscow prison filled with the country’s brightest minds and must decide whether to aid Stalin’s repressive state.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This first uncensored translation of what many consider Solzhenitsyn's masterpiece shows the Nobel laureate treading deeply into the logic of Soviet Russia's gulag, if not deeply enough into the minds of his characters. A quest to discover the identity of a rogue Russian diplomat serves as Solzhenitsyn's springboard for a tour of Russia's immense gulag system, slipping from prisoner to jailer to anguished wife (and even detouring through a weary Stalin) to briefly examine the lives of more than 60 significant characters. Each short chapter contributes to a vast mosaic of philosophies and moral dilemmas that, taken together, form a panorama of a Russia gripped by Stalinist terror. Unfortunately, none of the characters steps out from the shadow of the political to become a full-fledged individual; the result is an oddly skewed work, a highly journalistic novel that hits the political and material realities of post-WWII Russia, but that subsumes humanity beneath its ideas. It's more valuable as testimony than as literature, thanks largely to Solzhenitsyn's insight into one of the great abominations of the 20th century. (Oct.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Even the title was truncated when The First Circle, an expurgated English translation of Solzhenitsyn’s Soviet-censored masterpiece In the First Circle, was published to acclaim in the West in 1968. Written in the mid-1950s just after Solzhenitsyn’s eight years in the gulag, his nearly fatal bout with cancer, and his sentence to “perpetual” exile in Kazakhstan, this novel of tyranny and transcendence, set in a secret Soviet prison research facility, appears for the first time in full and in sterling English, following the Nobel laureate’s death at age 89 in 2008. In this many-voiced, flashback-rich, philosophical, suspenseful, ironic, and wrenching tale, Solzhenitsyn interleaves the stories of a grand matrix of compelling characters (women are accorded particular compassion) trapped in a maze of toxic lies, torturous absurdities, and stark brutality. It all begins with diplomat Innokenty Volodin’s anonymous phone call to the American embassy. Imprisoned scientists, most notably linguist Lev Rubin and mathematician (and stoic) Gleb Nerzhin, are put to work identifying his recorded voice, the catalyst for a scorching inquiry into free speech, which is but one strand in Solzhenitsyn’s metaphysical interpretation of incarceration. As the resilient and talented prisoners draw strength from books and conversation, Nerzhin decries humankind’s “astounding capacity to forget” both crimes and punishments. Solzhenitsyn has an antidote: this indelible novel of towering artistry, caustic wit, moral clarity, and spiritual fire. --Donna Seaman

Product Details

  • Paperback: 784 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; Original edition (October 13, 2009)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061479012
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061479014
  • Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.5 x 1.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (40 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #73,263 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

A definite must read! MrSherlockHolmes  |  12 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
84 of 87 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The perfect novel. November 3, 2001
Format:Paperback
The theme of this book is not prison camps: it is nothing more narrow than life itself. And it is almost as rich in characters and stories within stories (here Solzhenitsyn is very like Tolstoy) as life: constancy in love, artistic integrity, the whimspy of fate, literacy in Medieval Novgorod, the prison in the Count of Monte Cristo, snow, how to sew, the law of unintended consequences.

A few major abiding themes run like threads throughout the book, providing unity: First, the life of the "zek," the prisoner in Stalin's camps. Second, loneliness: not just of prisoners longing for a woman or lost loved ones, or of persecuted wives trying to make lives for themselves, but ultimately of each person. Every conversation carries a different meaning for the people involved. The author "gets inside of peoples heads" in an amazing way -- from the janitor Spiridon to the "Best Friend of Counter-Intelligence Operatives," Joseph Stalin himself. Third, and on a deeper level, integrity, both artistic and moral.

Fourth, and I don't know if this was the conscious intent of the author or not, the book reminds us of the unity of Western civilization. Aside from mentions of Tolstoy, Dostoevski, Pushkin, and Lermontov, (which, I might add, also describes the company Solzhenitsyn belongs in, with honor), the book is honeycombed with references to the great thinkers and artists of European civilization -- from the ancient Greeks and the Gospels, to Dante, the Holy Grail, Bach and Beethoven. The Marxist Rubin even quotes Luther. Primarily, no doubt this is a reflection of the fact that the prisoners in the "sharashkas," the top-secret scientific work camps, were educated men, unlike, say, the hero of his shorter novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich....

The final and greatest thread that unifies this work is the idea of achieving humanity, of becoming what a person ought to be, of heroism. The prisoners are poets, eccentric, and philosophers (though there are also scoundrels, and everyone is tempted that way), beaten down by life and the forces of disolution within, trying to preserve their souls, or civilization, from the barbarians who are their masters. In describing the simple heroism of some of his characters, Solzhenitsyn achieves brilliance. In my opinion, First Circle is the greatest of his works, and one of the most powerful pieces of writing of the 20th Century, at least. And it is not about the Gulag, primarily: it is about what it means to be human, and the choices we all face.

Aside from the characters and stories, many of the scenes are wonderful (again like Tolstoy): of Rubin standing in the courtyard at night in the snow when he hears the train whistle, of the party at the prosecutor's house, of the arrest of the diplomat. If life is sometimes too strange for fiction, (and it is) there are also pieces of fiction that seem truer than life. First Circle is a marriage of style and substance made in heaven, or at least, the highest circle of hell.

author, Jesus and the Religions of Man Read more ›

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61 of 67 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars If you like to read...read this April 22, 2001
Format:Paperback
I was first introdced to Solzhenitsyn's works when I was a freshman in high school, far too many years ago in a little town. The book was the Volume 1 of The Gulag Archipelago. It was really an eye-opener for me in so many ways, given that it was the first "really serious" book that I'd read.

I believe that Solzhenitsyn is the best writer of the 20th century, or at least he's the top writer I've read so far (and I've read a lot of books). Maybe that's influenced by my early exposure, but I don't think so; I find his works just as compelling now as I did then.

The First Circle is one of his most "accessible" works (that is, you can just jump in and start reading) and probably one of his best. A very compelling story; his portraits of the various vile creatures of the Soviet government have been shown to be quite accurate, and the way the various plots intertwine and are resolved is wonderful.

The First Circle gives great insight into a culture totally foreign to most US citizens, as the book's a mixture of spy novel, guide to life in a Gulag camp, and brief introduction to Soviet society of the 1950s. A depressing place to be sure, but fascinating. Well worth reading.

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26 of 27 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
No other book will summarize so brilliantly the absurdity of a system in which the quest for the common good was just a trap for the independence and free will of each person. All the events during the novel take place in just one week. Nevertheless during that brief period the author manages to convey the dark existence for millions of citizens of the USSR during the whole Stalinst period, so the overall impression is that the novel drags on for years and years.

The narration of the story takes place in several different fronts which seem to connect at the end, but that never happens. Each character goes on with his life, and the reader is left to wonder what happened. Oddly enough this is part of the beauty of this novel and makes a lot of sense because Solzhenitzyn will stress until the end the lack of right for any person or system to deny a person of its individuality and abrogate for itself the power to guide other's destiny. Threfore, how could he do the same to the members of its novel? So he refuses to place a final point to their development.

To put it more briefly, just read it is a great book.

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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Modern Russian Classic August 18, 2005
Format:Paperback
Solzhenitsyn has written for the benefit of the rest of us, a work that recreates the madness that was life under Stalin. The First Circle is a story about what happens when the talents of a nation are wasted because those in power happen to be incompetent men (that tends to be generally the case, except New Zealand). At the heart of it, it is a testament to the power of a free market to value resources and direct them to where they are most valued.

Well, no, not really. Solzhenitsyn is not a capitalist at heart and his work does not disparage communism. It is a non-partisan look at a cross section of society that had to suffer the loss of lives, loved ones and youth. It is about their hope in spite of the circumstances surrounding them.

Solzhenitsyn's earlier work _One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich_ made Soviet society realize the genius that was in their midst. The First Circle cements Solzhenitsyn reputation as one of the greats of modern Russian literature. This book deserves to be in your collection.

Trust me, you will not regret reading this. A definite must read!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
3.0 out of 5 stars Fiction has truthful counterparts
I worked in the competitive "sharashka", Bell Labs, mentioned in the story, where the food was even better. Read more
Published 3 days ago by Howard R. Popper
5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely interesting novel
This book is about prisoners in a Soviet gulag. It's very engaging, and I could not put it down. Somehow, Russian novelists seem to be my favorite.
Published 3 months ago by Veidt
4.0 out of 5 stars the first circle
I'm a sucker for all of Solahenitsyn's books, have read this one and the First Circle at least twice, and will read them again.
Published 4 months ago by Rex
5.0 out of 5 stars Russian Masterpiece
This is the last of the Solzhenitsyn tomes I am reading (read all the rest), and like all the other ones, he had the knack of infusing soul, pathos and some lightheartedness in his... Read more
Published 7 months ago by WGHTS Reader
1.0 out of 5 stars It must be me......
I am one fourth through this book and although I am a fan of Solzhenitsyn and his genius....I find this book most tedious. I probably will not finish it.
Published 15 months ago by Darby O'Gill
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect Exploration of the tragedy of the triumph of evil.
The best so far of Solzhenitsyn's study of good and evil. The characters represent different world views from Christian to Marxist. Read more
Published 19 months ago by Blondie
5.0 out of 5 stars Good and evil oscillate within the human heart
I am an avid reader of Dostoyevsky; I have read Dostoyevsky's novels more than twice each. Literature in modern culture is almost non-existent. Read more
Published on June 17, 2011 by Paul Kimes
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful to get the entire story!
After "The First Circle" being incomplete yet still one of my favorite books I am completely statisfied to now get the whole uncut "In The First Circle". Read more
Published on January 1, 2011 by matermuse
5.0 out of 5 stars A Fantastic Book!
In this incredible book, Solzhenitsyn displays his artistry as a wordsmith, a story teller, a philosopher, a psychologist and so on. Read more
Published on October 15, 2010 by zorba
5.0 out of 5 stars A Magnificent Achievement, a masterpiece
This new translation of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's In The First Circle which appeared in English last year, presents a "restored text" of the Russian novelist's masterwork. Read more
Published on June 23, 2010 by Alan A. Elsner
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Is it substantially different
I just got my copy and have only skimmed through it, but it's fully 200 pages longer than the old version and contains about 8 more chapters. There don't seem to be substantive alterations to the plot, but the descriptions at the end from the arrest of Innokenty on are much more detailed, and I... Read more
Oct 15, 2009 by Eleanor |  See all 3 posts
What version is this?
This new, restored text, translated by Harry Willetts, replaces the "lightened" text, translated by Thomas Whitney. The New Yorker's "The Phone Call" was a pre-publication excerpt from the restored text.
Aug 8, 2009 by Edward Ericson |  See all 3 posts
Tribute to Solzhenitsyn
I am a tremendous fan of Solzhentisyn. At the time of both my high school and college educations, his writings had a tremendous influence on my life. Perhaps more than any other author of our time he intelligently, and without the usual cliches, answers some of the most difficult questions of... Read more
Jun 28, 2009 by Jorge Vazquez |  See all 2 posts
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