An outstanding piece of political journalism as well as a literary work of art. --Harrison E. Salisbury, New York Times
A sharp eye, affection and a sense of magesty characterize Solzhenitsyn's style. He is as morally ernest and as linguistically skillful as Tolstoy, carrying on vigorously the finest literary craftsmanship...One of the classic writers of contemporary European literature. --Book World
The first circle of Dante's Hell -- where the souls of pre-Christian philosophers are doomed to exist throughout eternity -- stands in this novel as a metaphor for certain penal institutions of Stalin's Russia. These were scientific research centers, operating within special prisons and staffed by political prisoners---physicists, mathematicians, electrical engineers, technicians. Much of the action of The First Circle takes place in one such research center on the outskirts of Moscow, during the four days from December 24 through 27, 1949. The hero is the prisoner Nerzhin, a brilliant mathematician. His story is interwoven with the stories of a dozen prisoners and the women, wretched or privileged, bound to these men.
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a Nobel Prize winner, is described by many a mind as a literary genius whose extraordinary talent matches that of Dostoyevsky, Turgenev, Tolstoy, Pushkin and Gorky. Biography, quotes, photos, news articles, books and reviews.
Philosophy --The Realm of Existentialism at DividingLine.com, created by Katharena Eiermann, houses an eclectic aggregation of Philosophers, Poets, Psychologists, Playwrights and Theologians -- all major league players -- indepth biographies, books and reviews, quotations, and a state-of-the-art bookstore for a more in-depth exploration.
Poetry --Aspirennies.com, created by Katharena Eiermann, houses an exquisite selection of some of the most celebrated poets from around the World! At Aspirennies.com, one can leisurely enjoy extensive biographies, unforgettable quotations, meticulously selected essentials for understanding each poet -- and his/her contributions to the World, impressive poetry samples, book collections and original reviews.
