Daily Archives: November 20, 2013

page 171 of 784 of In the First Circle

In the First Circle, Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr

Stalin is more of a prisoner than the zeks he sent off to Siberia, he’s a self-imposed lifer. Not that I feel sorry for him (the real man or the character here), but it does complicate things because it can be hard to see Stalin as a human. But the sense of paranoia and fear and mistrust builds an atmosphere that fills every page

Chapter 25 is stunningly beautiful, as good as anything by Turgenev. Great contrast

43% done with Kim

Kim, Kipling, Rudyard

I’m assuming that since the novel begins with Kim sitting under a giant cannon that his fate is somehow going to be tied to war. Of course being looked after by military people and sending messages that lead to battles is no subtle clue, but Kim’s role will be more subtle regardless, if not any less dangerous than a mere soldier. Spy, perhaps?