Scan barcode
kelseak96's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bailey_bea's review against another edition
5.0
"Ingrained in them was the lesson inherited from their forefathers, the inexorable lesson of centuries: suffering must be borne; there is no way out."
I'll just say this, I couldn't be convinced by any other author to read a 714-page novel about one battle in East Prussia during WWI. No admirer of Solzhenitsyn will be surprised to find that August 1914 is engaging, well told, and magnificent.
I'll just say this, I couldn't be convinced by any other author to read a 714-page novel about one battle in East Prussia during WWI. No admirer of Solzhenitsyn will be surprised to find that August 1914 is engaging, well told, and magnificent.
cruziegirl's review against another edition
1.0
Quite frankly, I simply could not finish this book. Anyone who has read any WW 1 history knows the tragedy of Samsonv and his army encircled by German forces and effectively wiped out. I have the sense that Solzhenitsyn couldn't decide if he was writing a history or a human story so he wrote something in between and I found it neither interesting or touching. After reading 35% of the book I simply gave up.
wwatts1734's review against another edition
5.0
In this novel, Soviet Russian writer Alexander Solzhenitzyn takes on the theme of the Russian Army in the opening months of the First World War. This novel was exceptionally well written, and it is surprising to me that more enthusiasts of the First World War are not talking about it. Perhaps it's because the novel was written in the late 1960s, long after the heyday of Great War literature in the 1930s. Perhaps it's because the novel is about the Russian army and not one of the Western armies as the other great WWI novels are. Whatever the reason, this novel deserves more attention.
This novel centers around the great battle of Tannenburg in which the German army stopped and reversed the Russian advance into East Prussia. The novel is enthusiastically narrated and, in grand Russian tradition, takes on the viewpoints of a host of characters, including the great Russian and German commanders of the period as well as fictional soldiers and civilians of various backgrounds. Solzhenitzyn's goal was to express the incredible incompetence of the Russian generals. It was interesting to read about how the Russian armies in the first two weeks entered Germany practically unopposed and, if they had simply had military competence, they may have been able to do in 1914 what the Russian Armies did in 1812 and what the Soviet Armies did in 1943, which was to turn aside a great military machine and win a seemingly unwinnable war. Solzhenitsyn details the horrible leadership of the Russian aristocracy and points out how that, rather than the spirit of the Russian people, lost the war.
For fans of Russian literature, this novel is a gem. Certainly Solzhenitzyn had some ideological drums to beat in this novel, his novel is very realistic and quite appropriate given the horrible nature of the war. I would highly recommend this for fans of WWI military novels, Russian literature in general and Solzhenitsyn in specific.
This novel centers around the great battle of Tannenburg in which the German army stopped and reversed the Russian advance into East Prussia. The novel is enthusiastically narrated and, in grand Russian tradition, takes on the viewpoints of a host of characters, including the great Russian and German commanders of the period as well as fictional soldiers and civilians of various backgrounds. Solzhenitzyn's goal was to express the incredible incompetence of the Russian generals. It was interesting to read about how the Russian armies in the first two weeks entered Germany practically unopposed and, if they had simply had military competence, they may have been able to do in 1914 what the Russian Armies did in 1812 and what the Soviet Armies did in 1943, which was to turn aside a great military machine and win a seemingly unwinnable war. Solzhenitsyn details the horrible leadership of the Russian aristocracy and points out how that, rather than the spirit of the Russian people, lost the war.
For fans of Russian literature, this novel is a gem. Certainly Solzhenitzyn had some ideological drums to beat in this novel, his novel is very realistic and quite appropriate given the horrible nature of the war. I would highly recommend this for fans of WWI military novels, Russian literature in general and Solzhenitsyn in specific.
kenchingfox's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
fangirlashley1's review against another edition
challenging
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Animal death, and Classism
wshier's review against another edition
3.0
I read the "original" (i.e. censored) version from the '70s. Should have been more careful and chosen the revised version from the '90's. But, it was still good. I doubt there are many differences as it relates to the Battle of Tannenberg itself.
abehab's review against another edition
4.0
‘’The individual must not allow friendship to degenerate into self-abasement. He will never be thanked for it and this is even more true of the state. How long would France remember Russia’s sacrifice, her blood tribute? Knowing all this, you must still show yourself worthy of your calling.’’
[b:August 1914|18490537|August 1914 (The Red Wheel #1)|Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1396817730l/18490537._SX50_.jpg|900293] is the first volume in The Russian Nobel Laureate Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s The Red Wheel Series. It is a historical fiction epic set during the first world war. Centered predominantly around The Battle of Tannenberg (August 26 - August 30, 1914), it however covers some of the most pivotal moments (‘’Knots’’) that led up to the 1917 Russian Revolution.
At the turn of the century the absolute monarchy of The Russian Empire was headed by Tsar Nicholas II. Nicholas was a mild tempered, indecisive and apprehensive man who was deeply passionate about spending time with his family, playing tennis and photography. He reigned over his 170 million subjects, the overwhelming majority of whom were peasants. Russia was a great power, if only due to its vast territory and population. Its political system was archaic and decrepit. Its economy was still heavily agrarian. It lacked the industrial muscles of its European counterparts. This is despite its rapid industrialization in the 1890s, attributed to the reforms enacted by prime minister Sergei Witte. In the summer of 1914, the nation would hurl itself into the first world war as part of its Triple Entente obligations and its desire to protect Serbia from Austria's wrath. The mobilization of the army, which was the largest army in the world at that time, was unpopular amongst many Russians; the government however was severely out of touch with public opinion.
The early years of the 20th century were trying times for the Russian Empire. The defeat of its army and navy at the Russo-Japanese War (Feb 8, 1904 – Sep 5, 1905) was a great catastrophe. Within the Empire, the air was thick with political assassinations, labor strikes, mutinies, calls for revolution and general public discontent. The first world war was an opening for the Tsar to rally patriotic fervor around the throne. The events that transpired soon after would instead expedite his abdication. The facts on the ground revealed that Russia simply did not recover sufficiently enough from its exploits in the Far East and from its domestic tribulations to engage The Germans and The Austro-Hungarians.
‘’To this place the united forces of Slavdom had come in 1410 and shattered the Teutonic Knights near the little village of Tannenberg, between Hohenstein and Usdau. Half a millennium later fate had so arranged things that Germany could exact retribution (das Strafgericht).’’
The Battle of Tannenberg (or at times referred to as The Second Battle of Tannenberg) was one of the most prominent battles on the eastern front during The Great War. It is remembered for enduring the names of the German commanders Paul Von Hindenburg and Erich Ludendorff. Even though it mostly took place around Allenstein, East Prussia, the Germans actually named it after Tannenberg, 31 km to the west. This was to avenge the Teutonic Knights’ defeat at the hands of the Polish-Lithuanian alliance at the First Battle of Tannenberg in July, 1410.
The outcome of the battle was calamitous for Russia. The Russian 2nd Army under the command of Alexander Samsonov was thoroughly obliterated. The 1st Army under Paul von Rennenkampf didn’t fare much better either. The two Generals, who were veterans of the Russo-Japanese war, despised each other and coordinated their army’s movement poorly throughout the battle. Tannenberg laid bare the weaknesses at the heart of the Tsar’s army.
With a mix of mostly historical and some fictional figures, Solzhenitsyn breaks down this battle with precise descriptions of the armies and the geography of East Prussia. Most of all, he gives us an excellent soldier's point of view through the characters. Tolstoy wrote majestically about The Napoleonic Wars in [b:War and Peace|28010569|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503310897l/28010569._SY75_.jpg|4912783] despite being born a good decade after the wars. Solzhenitsyn too was born a month after the end of the first world war and four years after the Battle of Tannenberg. But the world both of them were born into was profoundly shaped by the wars that they wrote about.
‘’I realize that death is often the penalty to be paid for one’s beliefs. And I feel strongly at times that the day will come when some murderer's plan will succeed. Still, you only die once’’
Pyotr Stolypin
‘’Stolypin helped the Russian people to learn a useful lesson: either march to freedom by overthrowing the tsarist monarchy, under the leadership of the proletariat; or sink deeper into slavery’’
Vladmir Lenin
Another important historical event that Solzhenitsyn focuses on, is the assassination of Russia’s third Prmie Minister, Pyotr Stolypin. In a series of chapters dedicated to this key event, he first explores the political life and motives of the assassin and double agent, Dmitry Bogrov. Subsequently, Solzhenitsyn goes on to carefully examine Stolypin and why his assassination was a watershed moment in early 20th century Russia. He describes it as ‘’The opening shots of the fusillade at Yekaterinburg’’ in reference to the execusion of the Romanovs at the hands of Bolshevik revolutionaries in Yekaterinburg, seven years after Stolypin’s assassination.
At points, there are extended essay type discussions on Stolypin’s reforms. Eventually though, the aim of this section of the book is to provide a lively narrative to the assassination, which became one of the precipitating factors for the decline of The Russian Empire. Stolypin was both a rural reformer and a monarchist who executed offenders ruthlessly. That latter trait made him a target of multiple assassination attempts by revolutionaries while the former made him The Tsar’s best hope of sustaining the increasingly frail monarchy. On September 14, 1911 (September 1, 1911 old style), inside the Kiev Opera House, Bogrov would succeed in fatally wounding Stolypin in the presence of the Tsar.
‘’The men of the Vyborg Regiment had been pounded for over an hour by the Germans, but they showed no urge to run. No, just as stones carried along by the ice cap survive its melting, survive centuries and civilizations, survive storms and scorching heat, so did these soldiers sit and refuse to be dislodged. They had inherited it from their forefathers, this age-old, unbreakable, inescapable habit; men must suffer patiently, there is no escape.’’
[b:August 1914|18490537|August 1914 (The Red Wheel #1)|Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1396817730l/18490537._SX50_.jpg|900293] is indeed chiefly about the battle of Tannenberg. But it’s also about Russia’s transition into modernity at the outset of the 20th century. The first world war was a pivotal time in history in which empires were collapsing around the world. It was the time Tsar Nicholas II and the 304-year old reign of The Romanovs over The Russian Empire came to an end. Russia’s performance during the war was an ominous sign that times were changing for the Tsar and the nation. The modernity that needed to be injected into the Russian soul and its compatibility with its essential ‘’Russianness’’ is Solzhenitsyn’s main concern. In other words, it is the clash between the need for revolution and the necessity for maintaining tradition and identity (the latter symbolised by The Tsar). Yet another juxtaposition of these two worlds is, the highly effective and mechanised German army against the gritty yet militarily outdated Russian army at Tannenberg.
As a small aside, I took pleasure in the scene where Sanya goes to Leo Tolstoy’s residence at Yasnaya Polyana just to get a glimpse of his hero. They end up having a small chat along lime tree lined paths in Tolstoy's backyard. Solzhenitsyn never met Tolstoy, on account of being born eight years after Tolstoy’s death. It was clear to see Solzhenitsyn was speaking through Sanya to Tolstoy. Solzhenitsyn read [b:War and Peace|28010569|War and Peace|Leo Tolstoy|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1503310897l/28010569._SY75_.jpg|4912783] when he was only ten and has credited Tolstoy as one of the authors that inspired him to write (alongside [a:Fyodor Dostoevsky|3137322|Fyodor Dostoevsky|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1629693671p2/3137322.jpg] and [a:Alexander Pushkin|16070|Alexander Pushkin|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1207346296p2/16070.jpg]). Solzhenitsyn didn’t necessarily agree with Tolstoy’s view of history but he can’t deny his influence on his works either.
Some factors, besides its page count, might make this book a difficult read. Events in the book are told in a non-linear timeline. There are abrupt jumps from one location to another. At times, a character mentioned hundreds of pages prior might suddenly reappear. Then there is the issue of keeping up with the Russian naming system. All this might make the reading experience somewhat grueling. On top of that, one has to be keenly interested in Russian history and The First World War to read this book of about 900 pages.
Speaking of my own reading experience, it was simply spectacular. All the difficulty that the book presents is worth enduring if only just to understand and appreciate what Solzhenitsyn accomplished with this tremendous work.
vanjr's review against another edition
5.0
This is a fantastic book with so many aspects it amazes me that one man could write this. For someone interested in Russia, the Great War ( our WW1), the nature of revolution, the USSR, and probably a few other topics there is much to ponder and learn from this book.
The discussion of revolution remains pertinent even today. To those who think the overthrow of you tyrannical government is desirable the lessons of Tsarist Russia and the USSR should not be so quickly forgotten. The discussion of the ineptitude of Russian generals should give all in leadership a cold reminder of where we could be in a small way in our jobs.
I have read a lot of Solzhenitsyn and used to say he was not top Russian literature. I was wrong. Maybe he is not the upper echelon to professional literary cast, but to me his works are as masterful as Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky.
I highly recommend to students of the above topics.
Warning - this starts off disjointed and indeed not all the parts fit together but if you finish this book you will be grateful you persevered the early chapters.
The discussion of revolution remains pertinent even today. To those who think the overthrow of you tyrannical government is desirable the lessons of Tsarist Russia and the USSR should not be so quickly forgotten. The discussion of the ineptitude of Russian generals should give all in leadership a cold reminder of where we could be in a small way in our jobs.
I have read a lot of Solzhenitsyn and used to say he was not top Russian literature. I was wrong. Maybe he is not the upper echelon to professional literary cast, but to me his works are as masterful as Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky.
I highly recommend to students of the above topics.
Warning - this starts off disjointed and indeed not all the parts fit together but if you finish this book you will be grateful you persevered the early chapters.