Joy answers “For a first read, is the abridged version...”

Marianne asked this question about The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956 (Abridged):

For a first read, is the abridged version all right? Or should I go with the full version? Thanks!

Joy Derenthal In the author's own words, "I gratefully accepted Professor Ericson's suggestion to create a one-volume abridgement of my three-volume work, The Gulag…moreIn the author's own words, "I gratefully accepted Professor Ericson's suggestion to create a one-volume abridgement of my three-volume work, The Gulag Archipelago, in order to facilitate its reading for those who do not have much time in this hectic century of ours."

The abridged version is still a monumental work, and well worth reading in its own right. I don't think it is any kind of insult to the author to read this edition. The only insult would be to hold what Solzhenitsyn called "this fallacious belief: 'It would not be the same here; here such things are impossible.'" It is better to learn the lessons than not, whither they come from.(less)

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The Gulag Archipelago 1918–1956

by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

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