On the death of Alexander Solzhenitsyn

This morning I was saddened to note that the writing community lost an important, if controversial voice. Alexander Solzhenitsyn died on Sunday at the age of 89. Last month, while unpacking a box of books, I came across my copy of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich . After I finished organizing the bookshelf, I spent a few hours re-reading Solzhenitsyn’s most famous novel.

One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich details 24-hours in the life of a political prisoner in a Russian gulag, or prison camp. The story highlights the camp’s harsh conditions, and concentrates mainly on the importance of survival. Though Ivan Denisovich’s story is fiction, it was based on Solzhenitsyn’s own seven-year imprisonment in the 1950’s.

Reading One Day reminded me again of the cruelty humans can unleash upon other humans. Even now how many people are held as political prisoners, caught up in the intrigues of nations? How many of the accused are as innocent as Ivan Denisovich? How many are guilty of treason or crimes of terrorism? How many are incarcerated only because they spoke against oppression? How many prisoners will perish at the hands of government officials, their objections forever silenced?

Though I don’t necessarily believe that the Western ideal of democracy is the right form of government for every nation, I do feel blessed to live in a country where I can express my beliefs without prejudice. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was exiled from his motherland for writing about his experiences in the gulag. He exercised his literary voice at the expense of his Russian citizenship and his home.

I often take my right to write for granted. I can type a blog post on any subject and remain free of persecution. I can write a novel about anything, create a website about anything, as long as I don’t infringe on the rights of others. But even today, there are many who are not as fortunate as I.

As writers we would all do well to remember that we have a unique opportunity to speak out against the issues we oppose. Alexander Solzhenitsyn was one voice, one pen. His novels revealed the inhumane conditions to which Russian political prisoners were exposed. His legacy forever changed the world’s view of the USSR.

What can your pen do?