Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn
Dissident author who exposed Soviet repression, notably the Gulag system.
Chronology: 1918-12-11 – 2008-08-03
Origins & Early Life
Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Soviet and Russian author and dissident who helped to raise global awareness of political repression in the Soviet Union, especially the Gulag prison system. He was awarded the 1970 Nobel Prize in Literature "for the ethical force with which he has pursued the indispensable traditions of Russian literature". His nonfiction work The Gulag Archipelago "amounted to a head-on challenge to the Soviet state" and sold tens of millions of copies. Solzhenitsyn was born into a family that defied the Soviet anti-religious campaign in the 1920s and remained devout members of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Pivotal Works & Achievements
At a young age he became an atheist and embraced Marxism–Leninism. While serving as a captain in the Red Army during World War II, Solzhenitsyn was arrested by SMERSH and sentenced to eight years in the Gulag and then internal exile for criticizing Joseph Stalin in private correspondence with another field officer. As a result of his experience in prison and the camps, he gradually became a philosophically minded Eastern Orthodox Christian. During the Khrushchev Thaw, Solzhenitsyn was released and exonerated. He started writing...
Enduring Legacy & Impact
The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.
Source: Wikipedia