I really liked the title, I have to say. And the format, over a hundred pages without a chapter break, was a bit tedious, but very suited to the task at hand. I'm slightly desensitized to prison camp material after years of The Diary of Anne Frank, Night, and similar stuff, but I could still find appreciation for Solzhenitsyn's account from the bottom of my complacent, naive, suburban heart.
The book did feel rehashed to me, but I have to commend Solzhenitsyn for such an innovative style. It is not easy to make a novel one day long both engaging and plausible. The story follows the main character from sunrise to sundown, chronicling his meagre meals, his never-ending workload, and the desperate maneuvers he went through every day to just survive.
The Communist Russians bore a striking resemblance to the Nazis. Their basic tactics were the same: starve and deprive the prisoners so that they are too weak to escape or revolt, but still able to work. Ruthless and sadistic, but efficient.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment