A masterpiece in the great Russian tradition. There have been many literary sensations since Stalin died. Doctor Zhivago apart, few of them can stand up in their own right as works of art. Ivan Denisovich is different
Leonard Schapiro, New Statesman

'A masterpiece in the great Russian tradition. There have been many literary sensations since Stalin died. Doctor Zhivago apart, few of them can stand up in their own right as works of art. Ivan Denisovich is different'
Leonard Schapiro, New Statesman

'This is the first worthy translation into English and the one I have approved' Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Travis Kelly 06 July 2011

This novel of fiction based on the experiences of Solzhenitsyn in a Soviet gulag explores the life of a policital prisoner during the time of the Soviet Union. The novel details the brutal nature of life in a gulag from forced labour in the Russian winter to the madness and heartlessness of the prison bureaucracy. It is a brief story of hardship and struggle told with authority. 'One day' highlights the repressiveness of the Soviet government and the misguided and savage nature of Stalinism.