Solzhenitsyn groundbreaking work. The book Gulag Archipelago was published fifty years ago Cover Image

Solženicynovo přelomové dílo. Před padesáti lety vyšla kniha Souostroví Gulag
Solzhenitsyn groundbreaking work. The book Gulag Archipelago was published fifty years ago

Author(s): Jaroslav Formánek
Subject(s): History, Studies of Literature, Special Historiographies:, History of Communism
Published by: Ústav pro studium totalitních režimů
Keywords: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn; Souostroví Gulag; Archipelagio Gulag; Soviet repressive system; labor camps; samizdat form; moral and political awakening;

Summary/Abstract: The article explores the profound impact of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's book, Souostroví Gulag (The Gulag Archipelago), first published in Paris in 1973, which laid bare the atrocities of the Soviet repressive system and labor camps. It delves into the origins and evolution of Solzhenitsyn's monumental work, a product of his personal experiences, historical sources, and accounts from hundreds of former prisoners. The piece also scrutinizes the reception and repercussions of the book in both the democratic West and the communist East, where it was prohibited and only disseminated in samizdat form. The article posits that Souostroví Gulag was a literary and historical watershed that dispelled illusions about communism and the Soviet Union, playing a pivotal role in the moral and political awakening of numerous individuals globally.

  • Issue Year: XVII/2023
  • Issue No: 03
  • Page Range: 3-14
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: Czech