Description
Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Publisher Bantam Classic
Format
condition
Summary
Alexander Solzhenitsyn’s One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is a searing, deeply human portrayal of life in a Soviet labor camp, told through the lens of one seemingly ordinary day. Centered on Ivan Denisovich Shukhov, a prisoner sentenced to ten years of hard labor for being captured by the Germans during WWII, the novel follows his struggle to maintain dignity and purpose in the face of dehumanizing conditions.
From dawn to dusk, Solzhenitsyn renders the chilling details of survival: the biting cold, the meager food, the quiet camaraderie among prisoners, and the subtle victories that mean everything in a world built to strip men of identity. It’s not the drama of escape or rebellion that compels, but the quiet defiance of endurance—finding meaning in work, loyalty in a brutal system, and a spark of hope in a hopeless place.
Published in 1962, this landmark work broke through Soviet censorship and introduced Solzhenitsyn to the world, launching a literary and moral reckoning. This Bantam Classics edition is an essential addition for readers of historical fiction, political literature, and those drawn to stories of human resilience.