Solzhenitsyn

In this examination of Solzhenitsyn and his work, Lee Congdon explores the consequences of the atheistic socialism that drove the Russian revolutionary movement. Beginning with a description of the post-revolutionary Russia into which Solzhenitsyn was born, Congdon addresses the Bolshevik victory in the civil war, the origins of the concentration camp system, the Bolsheviks' war on Christianity and the Russian Orthodox Church, Solzhenitsyn's arrest near the war's end, his time in the labor camps, his struggle with cancer, his exile and increasing alienation from the Western way of life, and his return home. He concludes with a reminder of Solzhenitsyn's warning to the West—that it was on a path parallel to that which Russia had followed into the abyss.

Lee Congdon is professor emeritus of history at James Madison University and the author of six previous books, including George Kennan and Seeing Red.

One must applaud Lee Congdon, emeritus professor of history, James Madison University, for this timely volume.

Lee Congdon's book comprises a short introduction to the historical and cultural context important for understanding the Nobel laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's life and writings.[T]he book's lucid style and choice of illustrative examples make for easy and pleasant reading.

Congdon's sociohistorical and political focus is formidable, and he brilliantly supports his premise that Solzhenitsyn's writings expose the nature of totalitarian power and its corruptive effects on human lives in Russia. Highly recommended.

Lee Congdon's [book] offers the best guide in print to Solzhenitsyn's views, including their evolution, largely because Congdon accepts the writer for what he was: a Russian and Eastern Orthodox conservative – one and the same in Solzhenitsyn's mind.

Daniel J. Mahoney, author of The Other Solzhenitsyn:

This book is lucidly written and at times quite eloquent. Congdon's decision to analyze Solzhenitsyn's writing and thought in the context of a Russian revolutionary tradition that culminated in nihilism and revolutionary despotism provides an illuminating context for understanding the breadth and depth of his reflection.

Joseph Pearce, author of Solzhenitsyn:

Lee Congdon has succeeded in encapsulating Solzhenitsyn's intellectual engagement with the twentieth century through an integration of Solzhenitsyn's corpus into its historical, political, philosophical, and religious context. This is a masterful accomplishment and a major contribution to the field of Solzhenitsyn studies.