Description
Book SynopsisThis study of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn (1918–2008) and his writings focuses on his reflections on the religiopolitical trajectories of Russia and the West, understood as distinct civilizations. What perhaps most sets Russia apart from the West is the Orthodox Christian faith. The mature Solzhenitsyn returned to the Orthodox faith of his childhood...
Trade ReviewLee 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.
* Times Literary Supplement *
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.
* Choice *
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.
* The Russian Review *
One must applaud Lee Congdon, emeritus professor of history, James Madison University, for this timely volume.
* The Wanderer *
