First published 1980
George Will explores how Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's exile to America challenged both conservative and liberal assumptions about democracy. Will traces the Nobel laureate's journey from Soviet prisoner to Harvard commencement speaker, examining how his warnings about Western decadence sparked fierce debate. The conservative columnist analyzes Solzhenitsyn's critique of American materialism and moral relativism, showing how the author of "The Gulag Archipelago" viewed Western freedom as incomplete without spiritual purpose. Will grapples with Solzhenitsyn's argument that American democracy, while superior to Soviet tyranny, suffered from its own weaknesses. The book reveals how one man's experience of totalitarianism forced Americans to confront uncomfortable questions about their own society's direction and values.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, american, political-science, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water
Setting: America, Harvard, Soviet Union
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
15 pages · Paperback · Ethics and Policy Center