In this special episode of EconTalk, host Russ Roberts welcomed first-time guest and professor of Russian language and literature Kevin McKenna, of the University of Vermont. In what will be the first of a series on Solzhenitsyn’s novel, In the First Circle, the two discuss Solzhenitsyn’s life and times, and particularly what it was like to have been a novelist in the Soviet Union. (There are as yet no spoilers to the novel’s story, so keep reading if you’ve not yet finished!)
1- Who/what finally allows Solzhenitsyn to publish his first novella, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich? What does McKenna suggest is ironic about its publication? How does it affect Solzhenitsyn’s future publications in and relationship with his mother country?
2- Why would the Soviets have encouraged their people to read classic Russian novels, as McKenna reports? What end would it have achieved for the party? (And why would Solzhenitsyn come to self-censor his own work, as in the original edition of this novel, The First Circle?
3- McKenna asserts that Solzhenitsyn’s Nobel prize made him a martyr of sorts in the West. Why was this the case, and how did this compare with Solzhenitsyn’s reception in his native Russia?
4- Both Roberts and McKenna agree that young people today find novels such as In the First Circle to be”too ethical, too moral, and too deep.” McKenna offers an explanation for why young Russians’ reading habits have changed, but what about Westerners? To what extent are Roberts and Mckenna correct about young readers today?
5- This episode is the first in what will be a book club “series” on In the First Circle, and as part of the conversation, Roberts talks about why he chose to do this. Have you read (or started reading) the novel yet? What are your impressions? What about other Russian classics, such as the ones mentioned by Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, and Pasternak? How does Russian literature compare to the Western tradition to you? What do you most appreciate? What do you find most objectionable?
READER COMMENTS
Mark
Sep 17 2018 at 2:49pm
I bought my book and already 10% of the way through. I took Russ’ advice and started a noteook to write down any character name and how/where they were introduced in the book.
I would also like to mention that this kindle book does come with the “X-Ray” mode which allows you to highlight the character name and see information about that character.
Amy Willis
Sep 18 2018 at 11:06am
Now I want the kindle version, too! 😉
Tom Davis
Sep 24 2018 at 3:51pm
I am a little over 10% of the way through In the First Circle. Until today, about 25 – 30% of my time has been spent trying to lief through a copy of the 4 page cast of characters to see who is who and to mark the page number of where each character first appears.
About the time I put the book down this morning it occurred to me to type out those 4 pages in a word processor and when I come upon a name, do a word search of that name. It should be a lot faster than flipping through those 4 pages and trying to find a random nick-name.
Typing those pages is tedious work, but it is a lot less tedious than flipping through 4 pages of difficult names and nick-names, particularly since I have almost worn out those pages.
If there is a way to post my efforts here I will be happy to put it on line here and save some folks a lot of keystrokes and eyestrain.
Logan
Sep 18 2018 at 11:48am
I’ll put this on my reading list but it’s pretty packed right now. I’ve read Crime and Punishment, Brothers Karamazov, and Anna Karenina and what I really appreciate about the Russian authors is the depth of emotion and human experience they delve into. Some really important questions and behavior, both individually and socially. I have The Idiot and War and Peace to finish before the year’s end, then I have a couple of other Russian novels (Lolita and Life and Faith) on the list but look forward to this one, which I’d never heard of and sounds amazing.
That said, Victor Hugo would be comparable and even George Elliott’s Middlemarch had a lot of depth and similarities. I don’t know that the Russian writers are all that unique.
I wonder if “young readers” have really changed. Has there ever been a period in Western history when people widely read serious works or was it primarily the ones who left records, i.e., the more well-educated?
Amy Willis
Sep 19 2018 at 8:26am
Ah, “Middlemarch” has been on my shelf for a loooong time. Perhaps you’ve just given me the nudge(!) I need…
As to young readers, while I agree with you that I think little has changed in the most recent years, you make a good point. Of course much earlier in history, books were very much a luxury item… Now they’re a mass market commodity. So if demand curves slope downward…..
JaimeRoberto
Sep 21 2018 at 5:45pm
I was going to read In the First Circle, but 700 pages? Jeez, that’s almost as long as a Russian novel.
Just kidding. I’m about 1/4 of the way through and am looking forward to the book club.
Bill
Oct 11 2018 at 1:40am
Finished the book a couple of weeks ago and would love to discuss it! To me the book is about freedom, how to recognize freedom and its absence. I also found myself comparing the Stalinist society depicted in the book with the US today and what I imagine present day Russia to be.
Amy Willis
Oct 11 2018 at 10:08am
Look for a “special” (midweek) edition of EconTalk with Professor McKenna in the next week or two…
Comments are closed.