The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956

An Experiment in Literary Investigation

By: Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn

Narrated by: Ignat Solzhenitsyn

"Best Nonfiction Book of the 20th Century" (Time)

“It is impossible to name a book that had a greater effect on the political and moral consciousness of the late 20th century.” (David Remnick, The New Yorker)

The Nobel Prize winner’s towering masterpiece of world literature, the searing record of four decades of terror and oppression, in one abridged volume (authorized by the author). Features a new foreword by Anne Applebaum.

Drawing on his own experiences before, during, and after his 11 years of incarceration and exile, on evidence provided by more than 200 fellow prisoners, and on Soviet archives, Solzhenitsyn reveals with torrential narrative and dramatic power the entire apparatus of Soviet repression, the state within the state that once ruled all-powerfully with its creation by Lenin in 1918. Through truly Shakespearean portraits of its victims - this man, that woman, that child - we encounter the secret police operations, the labor camps and prisons, the uprooting or extermination of whole populations, the “welcome” that awaited Russian soldiers who had been German prisoners of war. Yet we also witness astounding moral courage, the incorruptibility with which the occasional individual or a few scattered groups, all defenseless, endured brutality and degradation. And Solzhenitsyn’s genius has transmuted this grisly indictment into a literary miracle.

“The greatest and most powerful single indictment of a political regime ever leveled in modern times.” (George F. Kennan)

“Solzhenitsyn’s masterpiece.... The Gulag Archipelago helped create the world we live in today.” (Anne Applebaum, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Gulag: A History, from the foreword)

©2007 Aleksandr I. Solzhenitsyn (P)2020 HarperCollins Publishers

Outstanding

A must listen, required reading in our modern world, important and heartbreaking, scary and unimaginable

Everybody should read this book!

In our 21th century society a lot of us know nothing about real struggles. Alot if us talk about rights and not responsibility. Reading this book with the mindset that if we forget history it might repeat itself, hopefully you will become something that can change the world for the better. I don't know if I have, but I will surely try.

My heart has been moved by the deep pains suffered

Going through this work is to realize that profound nature of man, the soul and the connection it bears with its creator.

the most important book to read.

This book opened my eyes to things in 40 years I have not thought of problems I had never been able to solve.

Should be required reading.

What a great book about how bad humans can be to one another. Recommend to everyone.

Well worth the investment of your time

Having consumed so many books in my life, this one stands out. The author and performer both have a firm grass with language and pay compelling images. This is truly an important book , if you're on the fence by all means take the plunge

Must read for all

An absolutely powerful book. It is furthermore a testament to the human spirit under oppression and horrific atrocities.

It changed me.

"Meaning of life can't be found in prospering but in the development of the soul" these words have changed my whole perspective on life.

This book will change your life.

After listening to many of Jordan Peterson’s lectures, I desired to listen to this book. I now understand why this book effected Dr. Peterson so deeply. Read it, This book will change your life.

A must read!!!

One of the most powerful books I have ever read. If you believe in communism, you must read this book to get a glimpse into the evil’s of this philosophy.