Two essays by Solzhenitsyn, with a counterpoint of contributions from six other underground writers who still live in the Soviet Union. Solzhenitsyn is utterly eloquent and utterly bound up in his religious commitment. The Soviets must adopt inwardness and self-restriction: "It requires from each individual a moral step within his power—no more than that. . . . The nation is mystically welded together in a community of guilt, and its inescapable destiny is common repentance. . . . unless we recover the gift of repentance, our country will perish and will drag down the whole world with it." Solzhenitsyn warns the Russians against abetting a Vietnamese revolution and claims that Willy Brandt's "spiritual" opening toward the East bloc was met by "grasping political greed" on the other side. He stresses that the "Russians" must adopt "nil growth" in production and recommends the "Club of Rome arithmetic" sponsored by Gianni Agnelli The other pieces, edited by Solzhenitsyn, are relatively one-dimensional: Mikhail Agursky attacks Communism for "stimulating consumption," a writer called "A. B." adds a commendation of "the abstinent spirit," F. Korsakov cites "the intelligentsia's nonsensical moralism." "Godless humanism which is destroying mankind" receives attack by Evgeny Sarabanov, while a glorification of spiritual revival and national personality by Vadim Borisov recalls nothing so much as volkisch German tracts. Igor Shaferivich winds up with a blast against the notion of progress and a plea for sacrifice. The writers' concept of religion as an ascetic, anti-liberal force—the opposite of expansive concern for all human beings—is, as they themselves stress, a very Russian one. Solzhenitsyn's name and expository power will reach, but not necessarily convert, a broad readership.
Pub Date: June 23, 1975
ISBN: 0895268906
Page Count: -
Publisher: Little, Brown
Review Posted Online: Oct. 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 1, 1975
BOOK REVIEW
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis...
Privately published by Strunk of Cornell in 1918 and revised by his student E. B. White in 1959, that "little book" is back again with more White updatings.
Stricter than, say, Bergen Evans or W3 ("disinterested" means impartial — period), Strunk is in the last analysis (whoops — "A bankrupt expression") a unique guide (which means "without like or equal").Pub Date: May 15, 1972
ISBN: 0205632645
Page Count: 105
Publisher: Macmillan
Review Posted Online: Oct. 28, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 1972
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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