Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

This is a story about the power of the written word. in 1945, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was sentenced to eight years in the labor camps for criticizing Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin in letters to a friend; 17 years later, he turned his experience into One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich , the first literary work to describe the brutalities of prison under Stalin. It catapulted Solzhenitsyn to fame, but after the praise came persecution.

Solzhenitsyn's books were banned and kgb surveillance intensified . Yet still he kept writing, secretly sending novels abroad....

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!