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This was a brutal, fascinating, horrific nightmare of a masterpiece. I felt darkly honored to be able to read it, for the barest echo of understanding of the extremes of human experience. Highly recommended, for both content and style, with the significant caveat that it is a very long, very emotionally bruising ride. If you're not up for that, at least read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich.
Having just finished it (not to mention the Hannah Arendt books I read earlier in the year) sure did put this weekend's events in sharp contrast. I'm not sure there is any greater civic obligation than standing up to these fascist fucks in any way possible.
One semi-tangential thought: The Soviet Union did literally everything possible to ruin their economy, to make any creative or productive act not only impossible, but actively punished. Yet while they did manage to starve several million people to death in the process, shit still got done. They fought off the Nazis and were in space just 20 years later. That's an extreme contrast that deserves explanation! It makes me wonder if the modern obsession with productivity and incentives might be completely unfounded.
Having just finished it (not to mention the Hannah Arendt books I read earlier in the year) sure did put this weekend's events in sharp contrast. I'm not sure there is any greater civic obligation than standing up to these fascist fucks in any way possible.
One semi-tangential thought: The Soviet Union did literally everything possible to ruin their economy, to make any creative or productive act not only impossible, but actively punished. Yet while they did manage to starve several million people to death in the process, shit still got done. They fought off the Nazis and were in space just 20 years later. That's an extreme contrast that deserves explanation! It makes me wonder if the modern obsession with productivity and incentives might be completely unfounded.