Aleksandr SolzhenitsynAugust 1914: A Novel: The Red Wheel I (FSG Classics)

I have been a Solzhenitsyn fan since the 1970s. I read his Gulag trilogy and it struck me to my core ("There is no law" -- how prophetic is that?) I idolized his acerbic treatment of the hypocrisy of the inherited Soviet establishment, the Soviet "workers' paradise", and the "new Soviet man", which proved to be total fabrications once the USSR collapsed. I read the original trade release of August 1914, which is a much-stripped down narrative from the larger, more intimidating version I just finished reading. The larger tome expands the original narrative, delves more deeply into aspects of the coming revolution which were not covered in the earlier version, and serves as another crushing indictment of the personalities, institutions and forces which little understood (or cared to understand) what was happening to or around them. Like a foreboding tragedy, this first installment in the Red Wheel cycle sets the "wheel turning" (so to speak), and not in a positive sense. His masterful descriptions and character sketches make for compelling reading and broaden the understanding of the building cataclysm, which unleashed political dynamics we are still dealing with in Putin's attempted Soviet-style revival. Truly worth the time and effort invested.

"August 1914" kicks off the epic "Red Wheel" as Solzhenitsyn tries to capture the coming of the Russian Revolution in a series of novels. Another man's book is on Solzhenitsyn's mind; how can a Russian novelist write an epic on war and not confront Tolstoy and "War and Peace"? Tolstoy even makes a brief appearance at the start of the book. Solzhenitsyn guides the reader through the disastrous Russian invasion of East Prussia in August 1914 and unveils a number of characters-some real and some imaginary. There are haunting portraits of General Samsanov and Tsar Nicholas II. There are also descriptions of the battle and Solzhenitsyn's background from World War Two help him a great deal; these are some of the greatest battle scenes I have ever read. He guides the reader through the staff headquarters and to the front lines. He also offers unforgettable characters drawn from all of Russian society: a well off family at home, young officers connecting with the men, radical students, gentle peasants serving as troops. While his narrative is excellent, Solzhenitsyn is not as strong when he attempts to mimic the "camera eye" used by John Dos Passos in the USA trilogy. Nor does he quite succeed when he lists a number of headlines from the newspapers or offers detailed history in small print. But these are minor flaws that do not take away from the grand epic.If you are reading the work in English, make sure you use the version translated by H.T. Willetts that was released in 1989 and FSG published the paperback in 2000. This is the translation included in the Kindle. This version, unlike the original, contains a scathing look at Lenin as well as a detailed description of the rise and death of Stolypin, the one Russian statesman who may have been able to lead Tsarist Russia through the chaos it would succumb to during the Great War.Be warned. This is an epic undertaking. The book is almost a 1,000 pages and I advise you keep notes on characters, events and places. This is not a book for everyone. But it is a great epic and, if not up to the level of "War and Peace", "August 1914" is still in the same ballpark. How many other recent novels can we make that claim about?

Ye Gods, where to start... Solzhenitsyn is a very able storyteller, in the classic Russian style, which is good and bad. I wanted to read about the Russian experience during WWI, and I had heard that the book was about the Battle of Tannenberg in 1914, which I was interested in. The first half is an excellent historical novel, capturing the experiences and flavor of the Imperial Russian Army invading East Prussia in the sweltering summer during the first month of the war. Solzhenitsyn expertly weaves together the different experiences of Generals, Colonels and Enlisted soldiers as the battle goes horribly wrong for the Russian Second Army. But then the narrative suddenly turns into a completely different book, about the life and views of the assassin of the Imperial Minister of the Interior in 1910. Although interesting from a historical perspective, is has literally nothing to do with the Battle of Tannenberg. It is also long and richly written in the Russian style, causing this part to drag on forever. I found myself skipping long passages where Solzhenitsyn was waxing poetic about the social problems in Kiev and on how the minister Stolpyn had fought hard for many years to try to modernize Russia while protecting the crown. The book then jumps again into a third part that has little to do with the others. For 1/4 of the book Solzhenitsyn goes on and on about all of the difficulties Emperor Nicholas II had wearing the crown. He writes of the never ending fight to appease the nobles and about the fear and confusion in the days leading up to declaring war in 1914. Once again Solzhenitsyn has long passages where he describes the political situation and the hand-wringing Emperor Nick did in the final hours before issuing the declaration. Forgot to mention-- in the center of the book there is a passage about Lenin going into self-exile in France from Russia. This has nothing to do with anything else in the book.Neither the second nor third parts have anything to do with the first part. Completely separate books that were thrown together. I have read Solzhenitsyn at length and loved the Gulag Archipelago and Day In The Life of Ivan Denisovich. After reading August 1914, however, I fear paying money to read November 1916. I will just have to borrow that one from the library.

Again I love Russian history. The author writes about the times before the Bolshevik revolution including many historical facts and persons. So much depth of details just amazing. Reads a little like propaganda in some spots but does not lean either way, just sort of puts it all out there. Would recommend to all history buff’s.

After closing this long and dazzling book, it is difficult to find yourself again in 2022. You have the impression of having lived in 1914, of having intensely participated to the beginnings of Word War I( on the Russian side), having been lost among the woods and lakes of Mazuria (then part of Oriental Prussia), of having been in the secrets of this disastrous campaign. Then suddenly you find yourself immersed in the personal life, thoughts, cares, journeys, of the tsar Nicolas II and the probles of Russia during the far from peaceful years before the 1917 Revolution. You are also introduced in the students circles, met some revolutionary youths, and follow the breathtaking story (a real thriller) of a young rich intellectual who decides to shoot the Prime Minister and who follows his plan to the end through the involvment of officials from the police to whom he acts as a fake indicator.. All this is written in a masterly way, giving you a feeling of reality, authenticity and with also (a Russian speciality), a psychological insight in the minds of the (many) characters all looking for a future and a meaning to their lives. This stunning book, based on an enormous documentation is undoubtedly a masterpiece and an extraordinary historical testimony.

Solzhenitsyn puts you right amidst a major battle as no other writer has done. I never read a book twice, except for this one. It's just that good.