Here’s another one: another book that will definitely end up high on my list of favorite books of this year. I have read some very, very good books this year and this is one of them. A book that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page, a book that will make you think, a book that will leave you wondering about human cruelty and human resilience. Despite its subject, which made my stomach turn at times (I don’t particularly recommend eating while reading this book) and made me swallow hard, I couldn’t put the book down.
I had my eye on Gulag ever since it was published some years ago, so when I found a paperback copy some time last year, I had to buy it. Since then it had been eyeing me on my TBR-shelf, and I really wanted to pick it up, but somehow couldn’t. Do you have that as well, having books on your TBR-pile that you are very much looking forward to reading, but somehow can’t start yet, as if the time is not right? I very much felt like that with this book. Until two weeks ago. But then I couldn’t put it down and tried to sneak in a few pages whenever I could.
Gulag: A History is exactly that: a history of the Gulag, the system of forced labor camps in the Soviet Union, from 1917 till the early nineties when the last few remaining camps were closed. It is actually the first comprehensive history of the Gulag ever written. Anne Applebaum did lots of research in archives in Russia and elsewhere, interviews with survivors and former camp guards and camp administrators and uses lots of quotes from the many, many memoirs that have been published about life in the Gulag-camps. She focuses mostly on the camps in Siberia and northern Russia, which is indeed where most of the forced labor camps were, though there were large complexes in Kazakhstan as well.
The largest part of the book is dedicated to the Stalinist era, when the camps reached their top, both in amount of camps and inhabitants and in “perfecting” its organisation. Gulag is divided into three parts. The first chronologically narrates the development of the Gulag-system from its beginning in 1917 until 1939. The second part describes life in the camps: each chapter has a theme, for example arrest and arrival in the camps; work; guards; the division between political prisoners and criminal prisoners; women and children; escape and rebellion; dying in the camps etc. I found especially the second part about life in the camps haunting, despite knowing what to expect. This is not the first book I have read about the Gulag, most notably I read Varlam Shalamov’s Kolyma Tales a few years ago, which is another book that hits you straight in the face with its darkness, cruelty and rawness.
The third part is again told in chronological order from the start of the Second World War till the break-up of the Soviet Union. She points out how the post-war inhabitants of the camps were different from the pre-war ones and how this changed the rules in the camps, how the relationship between the political and the criminal prisoners changed because of this and how this eventually led to rebellion in the camps. Applebaum pays special attention to the many foreigners who inhabited the Gulag-camps from the Second World War on, the Baltic people, Poles, but also some of the Americans who ended up in the Gulag. Actually, I recently read a review of a newly published book especially about the Americans in the Gulag-camps, The Forsaken: From the Great Depression to the Gulags by Tim Tzouliadis.
Why do I keep reading these books about the Soviet Union, about Stalinism? Apart from having had a deep interest in Eastern-Europe for years (I ended up with an MA in Russian Studies) and in history and human rights, I don’t know. I think the closest I can get to an answer is that in my experience, so much of peoples’ mindset in the current independent countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union, so much of their way of thinking about themselves, society, the state, their role in it etc. has its roots in that era. Of course, things have changed since then, people don’t think the way they did back then, people don’t live in the fear of those times anymore, that is all gone. But the way some people long back to the Soviet era, because there was work, health care etc was free (note how they only remember the good things!); the way they think that protesting is useless because nothing will change anyway; the way they keep their own house spotlessly clean, but don’t give a sh** about what happens outside their doorstep; I think that somehow all these attitudes (and these are just a few examples) go back to “those days” and to the Soviet period in general.
One of my pet peeves about living in Armenia, is exactly that: that people don’t really care about what goes on beyond their own doorstep and that they are complaining about anything and everything, but don’t seem to understand that it is possible to change things starting with yourself. If one person starts putting the trash in the trashcan, for example, instead of throwing it on the street or leaving it behind at the picnic site, that is something. I am a firm believer that one person can make a change and that small changes are worth a lot, that that is where the big changes start. Am I an idealist? Yes, probably. But a pragmatic one who has her feet planted firmly on the earth and doesn’t keep her head in the clouds.
These two paragraphs are way too short to deal with this topic, and yes, I realize I am generalizing a lot, and that things aren’t nearly as simple as what I just wrote down. But I think these are topics for an entire different post or series of posts.
Back You can read the Introduction of Gulag: A History here.
A Haunted House: The Complete Shorter Fiction - Virginia Woolf
Interpreter of Maladies - Jhumpa Lahiri
In Europa - Geert Mak
Eine Hand voller Sterne (A Hand full of Stars) - Rafik Schami
This sounds like an absolutely fabulous book. I too have a fascination w/ Soviet history (it was my minor in college). Thanks for the review – I’ll be looking for this one for myself shortly.
Lovely blog: I’ll put this book on my list as one to get hold of sooner rather than later! I’m also very interested in Soviet history/literature! I am fascinated by your approach to the literature and by being so much closer to it, and the realisation that even though things have changed there is still a mindset – as there is in every country and region as part of their inevitable inheritance. As you say:
‘I don’t know. I think the closest I can get to an answer is that in my experience, so much of peoples’ mindset in the current independent countries that used to be part of the Soviet Union, so much of their way of thinking about themselves, society, the state, their role in it etc. has its roots in that era. Of course, things have changed since then, ‘
I totally agree with you about people not wanting to see past their own noses. Russia has a “master plan” right at the moment to try to take over some of its independent neighbors. Georgia was a trial run–Putin wants to get his hands on the Ukraine and Latvia and Estonia as well. I don’t think Russia will have the nerve, but that could change at any time.
The book sounds wonderful!
This sounds like a very absorbing read, and your comments upon reading it are fascinating. When my sister was living in Ukraine she mentioned also that the older generations were still very ‘Soviet’ in their mindset, although it was changing rapidly among younger people. This book is going onto the (endless) TBR.
Seachanges, I think in some way, every book I read about the former Soviet block I relate it to my experiences (although limited mostly to Armenia and to a lesser extent to central European countries and Russia) and to things I see around me. I somehow cannot not do that, because I recognize things or traces.
Melanie, you are right: things are changing with the younger generation. But even with the younger generation, especially outside the big cities, where opportunities are less and “progress” (for lack of a better word) comes extremely slowly if at all, even the younger generation still has traces of the old mindset, though definitely not like the older people.
I find this transition in people’s thinking quite fascinating, probably because I am living in the middle of it and I see things change around me (or not change, as often the case is). This is one of the reasons why I like living in Armenia: it is a changing society (though not in everything).
Sometimes I get annoyed at older people saying that back in those days things were better. But the fact is, thing _were_ better and life was easier then: there was work, corruption was not so rampant (though it did exist), healthcare was free, lots of jobs had prestige which are now among the worst paid (teacher, scientist, etc). I know families where there really is a generation gap in thinking: dad is stuck in the old ways whereas their eighteen year old son (who is way beyond his years in wisdom and life experience anyway) is internet and computer savvy, has foreign friends and in general has a completely different way of thinking.
Chartroose, don’t get me started about Russia invading Georgia! Although the Georgian president is a bit of a nationalist and impulsive idiot, Russia went way beyond what would ever have been an acceptable reaction. Armenia has traditionally very close relations with Russia and less so with Georgia, even though it’s a neighboring country. The Armenian government was more or less neutral during the conflict, but the people are very much pro-Russian, which is actually not surprising considering what news they were fed. During the conflict I had access to Russian, Armenian and Western media (CNN, Euronews). Amazingly, Armenian media only showed pictures from Russian media, which was of course extremely biased. According to Russian media, after two weeks, the Russian army was still mostly fighting in South-Ossetia, whereas the fact that the Russian army had by then occupied parts of Georgia proper and had bombed the port of Poti and the town of Gori, was almost entirely ignored. It was very interesting to was very interesting to watch the conflict depicted in the different media.
Ok, this comment is turning into a post of it’s own, so I’ll leave it here. Suffice to say, that I could obviously go on and on.
Excellent review. I just added it to my TBR. I have a feeling my grandparents would have been but in these camps if they wouldn’t have been able to sneak out of Russia. I am so thankful!