Gulag Archipelago is a collection of all the evidence that Solzhenitsyn could collate to show what was happening in the gulags of Russia. And that actually is an understatement because Solzhenitsyn himself explains in the book how it would not be possible to collect all the stories.
So the first thing to comment on is that this book is massive. It is a huge testament to the lives that were stolen away to the gulags and at the same time it isn’t big enough. Because that’s the second thing to comment on. The material in this book is of the kind to change or at least open minds. It’s challenging, particularly when it comes to its critique of communism as a political ideology. But the biggest challenge is facing up to how man can treat man so abominably. Because the things done to the people in this book make the humans sub human. The treatment that they endured is unimaginable and the wonder is that any survived.
Which is what makes this book so important. Not only does it shine a spotlight on a dark period of time but it also draws out the stories of human survival. Solzhenitsyn tells of the mental states that a person had to go to in order to keep going.
The impact on me was to make me grateful. Grateful that I have never experienced any of those horrors or had anyone close to me experience them. It made me re evaluate what is important.
I would say this is a must read. There are abridged versions out there if the size is off putting. And the material is sobering to say the least - hence why I needed my Pride and Prejudice fix. But it is possibly one of the most important books I’ve read and I don’t regret a minute of the time and effort that I put into reading it.
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