Alexander Solzhenitsyn dies at age 89
08-03-08, 07:38 PM
#1
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Alexander Solzhenitsyn dies at age 89
Honestly, I thought he was dead when I read "The Gulag Archipelago" and "August 1914" years ago . I have always meant to check out some of his other work. Any fans here?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe...ead/index.html
http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe...ead/index.html
08-03-08, 08:25 PM
#2
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This news makes me incredibly sad.
"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" is the only book of his that I've read - but it alone is enough to place him among my favorite authors. It was one of the most overwhelmingly powerful works of literature I've ever read. I've been meaning to read "The Gulag Archipelago" and "Cancer Ward", but haven't gotten around to them yet - perhaps this is a good time to do so.
Edit: As creekdipper mentions below, he was a lot more than a great author. We had a chance to study his life for several days (not nearly enough) in a Russian Lit. class I took in college - and I was shocked by how much he had been through, and by the immense amounts of courage and intelligence he clearly had. He truly was a great man - and for much more than just his literature.
"One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" is the only book of his that I've read - but it alone is enough to place him among my favorite authors. It was one of the most overwhelmingly powerful works of literature I've ever read. I've been meaning to read "The Gulag Archipelago" and "Cancer Ward", but haven't gotten around to them yet - perhaps this is a good time to do so.
Edit: As creekdipper mentions below, he was a lot more than a great author. We had a chance to study his life for several days (not nearly enough) in a Russian Lit. class I took in college - and I was shocked by how much he had been through, and by the immense amounts of courage and intelligence he clearly had. He truly was a great man - and for much more than just his literature.
Last edited by Sondheim; 08-04-08 at 09:25 PM.
08-03-08, 10:40 PM
#3
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The passing of a great human hero, not just a great literary figure. Truly a man who transcended his chosen field to became an example of the triumph of the human spirit over oppression.
You owe it to yourself to read "Ivan Denisovich" (perhaps his most accessible work).
Solzhenitsyn spat in the face of the tyrant when to do so was a death sentence (which it almost became for him). He was the literary equivalent of the Chinese student standing in front of the tank in the Square.
Solzhenitsyn provided hope & inspiration to millions in the some of the darkest days of his beloved Mother Russia.
He has left us a great legacy & I celebrate his life.
You owe it to yourself to read "Ivan Denisovich" (perhaps his most accessible work).
Solzhenitsyn spat in the face of the tyrant when to do so was a death sentence (which it almost became for him). He was the literary equivalent of the Chinese student standing in front of the tank in the Square.
Solzhenitsyn provided hope & inspiration to millions in the some of the darkest days of his beloved Mother Russia.
He has left us a great legacy & I celebrate his life.
08-03-08, 10:42 PM
#4
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Originally Posted by creekdipper
The passing of a great human hero, not just a great literary figure.
It's amazing he lived to 89, considering what he went through.
RIP
