One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn is a Russian book written in 1962 about one average day in a Stalinist gulag. The author spent a great deal of time in one, and probably incorporated many things about his experience into the story--although it is not autobiographical.#

The book mainly focuses on a few topics: the corruption within the camp; how to find the good in the situation and get through; and, the differences between prisoners as a result of their application of the previous two.#

One particularly striking sound bite: "How can you expect a man who's warm to understand a man who's cold?" (pg. 32) Another observation that caused me great concern was when Ivan was thinking about how he has taught himself to no longer plan "for the next, the next year, or taking care of his family. The authorities did his thinking for him about everything." (pg. 50)#

Constantly throughout the book there are little phrases and descriptions that make the pain and hunger so vivid and horrible. Ivan is blessed by extra rations and it reads, "He ate his supper without bread. A double helping and bread--that was going too far. The bread would do for tomorrow. The belly is a demon. It doesn't remember how well you treated it yesterday; it'll cry out for more tomorrow." (pg. 137)#

And there is this final section about what a good day in the gulag looks like:#

Shukhov [ed--Ivan's nickname] went to sleep fully content. He'd had many strokes of luck that day: they hadn't put him in the cells; they hadn't sent his squad to the settlement; he'd swiped a bowl of kasha at dinner; the squad leader had fixed the rates well; he'd built a wall and enjoyed doing it; he'd smuggled that bit of hacksaw blade through; he'd earned a favor from Tsezar that evening; he'd bought that tobacco. And he hadn't fallen ill. He'd got over it.

A day without a dark cloud. Almost a happy day.

There were three thousand six hundred and fifty three days like that in his stretch. From the first clang of the rail to the last clang of the rail.

Three thousand six hundred and fifty-three days.

The three extra days were for leap years. [pg. 158]

Reading this sort of book makes any sort of defense of Communism inexcusable.#

Update, 2004/05/17: Julie Leung pointed to a speech by Alexander about related topics.#