One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

Veldrin · Post by **Veldrin** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:36 pm

I just wanted to recommend this book to anyone in need of reading material. Its a great book so far (I have a few pages until I am finished). A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich is about a man, Ivan Denisovich, who is doing time in a russian camp for a 'crime' against the russian goverment. He was accused of spying on the russians and giveing information to the germans. What actually happed was he was captured by the germans around the end of world war 2 and he escaped back to russian, where they accused him. In the book the day is in the winter of his 8th year of his 10 year sentence. The book is classified by many as simplistic, and it is, but the way it is presented has made many people praise it. Anyway just thought you might like to read it. Your local library probably has a copy. Also if anyone has a copy of the 1963 version of the book (Green cover) and it is in fair condition I would love to own it. I could easily buy the 1998 version, but I would pefer the 1963 version.

Veldrin · Post by **Veldrin** » Thu Oct 30, 2003 9:37 pm

Veldrin wrote:A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich

*One day in the life of Ivan Denisovich

Jnzk · Post by **Jnzk** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 3:44 am

That's a book by Solzhenitsyn, right? I remember reading it years ago, but I don't think I considered it to be very special back then. Perhaps I should have a look at it again now that I'm all grown up and stuff.

Btw, the greatest product of Russian literature is definitely "The Master And Margarita" by Mikhail Bulgakov. My favourite book. 8)

Org Profile · Post by **Otohiko** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 9:52 am

Really Janzki?

What coincidence, mine too (favorite book)! Heh, nothing comes even close... to cats drinking gasolene

Great blend of slapstick humor, love story and religous/philosophical subcontexts.

For those of you with some intellegence and patience, I do suggest Dostoyevski's books. I recently read Crime and Punishment and liked it quite a bit.

Moonlight Soldier · Post by **Moonlight Soldier** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 12:30 pm

Otohiko wrote:For those of you with some intellegence and patience, I do suggest Dostoyevski's books. I recently read Crime and Punishment and liked it quite a bit.

There's one I know! Though I can't remember if I ever actually finished reading that one...hmm...I've been on a John Grisham kick lately...haven't had time to read anything else ^^

Jnzk · Post by **Jnzk** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 1:27 pm

Otohiko wrote:What coincidence, mine too (favorite book)! Heh, nothing comes even close... to cats drinking gasolene Great blend of slapstick humor, love story and religous/philosophical subcontexts.

Oo, a kindred spirit!

BTW, I think that the title under which it is sold here, "Satan arrives in Moscow", is a lot catchier than the original. That name alone made me curious about the content.

Otohiko wrote:For those of you with some intellegence and patience, I do suggest Dostoyevski's books. I recently read Crime and Punishment and liked it quite a bit.

I'm not a big fan of Mr. D but I have to agree that Crime and Punishment is an excellent book. I loved the way he depicted what was going on in poor Raskolnikov's mind.

Org Profile · Post by **Otohiko** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 2:33 pm

Devil Arrives in Moscow?

Yea, not a bad title. Frankly though, it is a bit misleading - Woland isn't exactly the classical evil kind of devil figure. But, does seem a bit more attractive...

Bulgakov in general is a very good, subtle social critic of the early Soviet regime. 'Heart of a Dog', a similarly half-serious half-comedic book, is also very good and ridiculously short compared to M&M.

I haven't read Dostoyevski's other books yet, though I've started on 'Idiot' (and then got swamped with assignments). As far as I know, Crime and Punishment is the one they suggest to read first, since the other ones get progressively more philosophical.

Russian classical literature - suggested to anyone who thinks Russia was an intellectually backward country... you'll find it was quite otherwise.

Kusoyaro · Post by **Kusoyaro** » Fri Oct 31, 2003 2:57 pm

Otohiko wrote: For those of you with some intellegence and patience, I do suggest Dostoyevski's books. I recently read Crime and Punishment and liked it quite a bit.

The Brothers Karamazov is my favorite book. I read it in high school, then took a Tolstoy & Dostoevsky class in college specifically so I'd have a reason to read it again. Haven't read Crime and Punishment, surprisingly.

I read Ivan Denisovitch about 7 years ago, but I don't remember much about it

azulmagia · Post by **azulmagia** » Sat Nov 01, 2003 4:08 am

I recommend The Anti-Soviet Soviet Union and Moscow 2042 by Vladimir Voinovich. Those are both fantastic books, especially the first. In the second there is a character that is based on Solzhenitsyn. Soviet Civilization by Alexei Sinyavsky is another good non-fiction book; as are the works of Viktor Suvorov (pseudonym of ex-GRU officer Vladimir Rezun), who wrote about Spetsnaz, the Soviet Army and its intelligence agency. Ex-KGB man Pavel Sudoplatov's memoirs (Special Tasks) is also great as he took part in many famous operations, including procuring nuclear secrets and the assassination of Trotsky. I know basically no Russian but what I do know comes from Dermo! by Edward Topol. It tells you how to curse in Russian.

As for classics, I've always wanted to read The Possessed by Doestoyevsky. I have What Is To Be Done (Lenin, not Chernyshevsky) in .pdf format (haven't read it yet, except the well known bits that quoted).
I'm not so sure about Tolstoy, since I read Orwell's Lear, Tolstoy and the Fool. I have Zamyatin's We, but have not read it through.

Chaos Angel · Post by **Chaos Angel** » Sat Nov 01, 2003 12:57 pm

What I found really interesting in the book is how nothing of significance happens in the whole thing. I read it in high school, like 5 years ago, and afterward we had a big discussion about why nothing interesting happened, and how that in and of itself was interesting.

Hrrmmm... I should maybe read that book again. As soon as my procrastinating ass gets done with Crossroads of Twilight, Order of the Pheonix, the Complete Amber Chronicles, and the like 10 Discworld novels I have backlogged.

Too much time on the computer.

But, yeah, if no one has read it, read it. Now.

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One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich

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