In Memoriam: Solzhenitsyn passes away at 89

[miditek]

Author Alexander Solzhenitsyn dies at 89
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080803/ap_ ... lzhenistyn

The internationally renowned author of The Gulag Archipelago, and winner of the Nobel Prize has passed away at the age of 89. His works were truly a testimony to the human spirit and my thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends.

[black death]

Yeah, I've already heard it.
It's strange, but for some reason I remembered him and The Gulag Archipelago about 2 days ago...

[MetalAngel]

I don't know why, but I don't give a f*cking shit about this guy...

There are so many people all over the world who die every day in complete anonymity, and nobody talk about them, about their suffer and pain, about their lives...Then, why to be sad for an author who had money and lived more than 85 years old, when others (poor in people in Africa, for example) die when they are children?

[browneyedgirl]

Well, I think its good to see ANYONE live to be that old. I'd like to know peoples secret to living that long. Maybe its just genes.

MetalAngel, thats just part of life. It sucks&its sad, but what can be done? One day the injustices of this world will be set straight, but until then we have to just have faith, and do our best to help in our own way, the best we can.

[browneyedgirl]

http://news.mobile.msn.com/en-us/articl ... d=26012746

This man exposed Stalin's prison camps. He did a good thing, so he deserves praise.

[miditek]

I don't know why, but I don't give a f*cking shit about this guy...

There are so many people all over the world who die every day in complete anonymity, and nobody talk about them, about their suffer and pain, about their lives...Then, why to be sad for an author who had money and lived more than 85 years old, when others (poor in people in Africa, for example) die when they are children?

A tragic, if cynical sentiment, @MetalAngel. Are children that are starving in. let's say, North Korea, any less tragic than those the are dying in the Sudan?

I am quite sure that the author did not have money $$ in mind when he wrote his books. He was also very critical of the West, in addition the Kremlin.

Besides, merely talking about starving children in Africa actually does very little, if anything, to help them. If you really want to help, there are some positive avenues in which you can certainly put your passion into practice.

Not every child in Africa (or for that matter, America, as there are many poor children here as well), is starving for food, but many that are fed still starve- for things as simple as love and attention. This I can say from firsthand experience from working with inner-city children- black, as well as white.

What is more tragic- an orphan, or a child that has both parents that are still alive, yet either cannot (are in prison) or will not (by choice) have a hand in raising and nurturing them?

http://news.mobile.msn.com/en-us/articl ... d=26012746

This man exposed Stalin's prison camps. He did a good thing, so he deserves praise.

Quite true, although he also survived Stalin's gulags as well. There are so many that simply did not.

[stratohawk]

Miditek, thank you for this topic. Apparently most cannot dignify (or even don't know) this man and his lifework. 2 or 3 months ago he gave a very long and interesting interview in German news magazin "spiegel". In that interview he stated to be tired of this life. He knew that soon he would close the circle. A fascinating person!

[Morgana]

It's a big tragedy for Russia and for all-the-world-culture to loose such a genius as Solzhenitsyn was...

[nepi]

even Switzerland's newspapers wrote about it... Guess he used to live in Switzerland once...

[miditek]

Miditek, thank you for this topic. Apparently most cannot dignify (or even don't know) this man and his lifework. 2 or 3 months ago he gave a very long and interesting interview in German news magazin "spiegel". In that interview he stated to be tired of this life. He knew that soon he would close the circle. A fascinating person!

You're welcome, and yes, he was definitely a fascinating person. As a writer and social critic, he was one of the very few people that I can think of the could truly see "the big picture" in a society, East or West, and still be able to articulate his views in a way that most people with average intelligence could understand and relate to. His communication skills, in my opinion, showed his true genius.

Even though he was undeniably brilliant, he never came across as some arrogant or long winded academic type- or an elitist. I believe that he loved his native country dearly, and I also believe that the same applied to his adopted country (America), although I do not feel that he endorsed the governments of either! While he may have infuriated the Kremlin, snooty university professors at Harvard, and crooked bureaucrats in Washington, I believe that he did do a great public service by exposing the abuse of both types of political systems- in, as I said, in the East as well as the West. I feel that he was equally critical (and rightfully so!) of both.

In the end, I feel that he did a great service to the West by providing some prophetic warnings- that not necessarily every country wished to emulate America, and that America's materialism and hedonism was making it too soft, and that its formerly great morals and values were being thrown out the window. It was a stinging indictment, but were some things that we needed to hear and to heed- particularly the part about the dangers of materialism and hedonism at the expense of honesty and morality.

My last girlfriend and her daughters epitomized Solzhenitsyn's warnings. While she may have swindled and/or hustled her ex-husband, father, and boyfriends out of significant amounts of money and material possessions, in the end, while there is plenty of "stuff" there , this is one household with not one moment's peace, very little happiness, and a persistent sense of paranoia and constantly "looking over one's shoulder". Solzhenitsyn's Law sadly rings true not only in her household, but also countless others like it across the nation.

Here is a sample of his words to illustrate:

"The constant desire to have still more things and a still better life and the struggle to obtain them imprints many Western faces with worry and even depression...The majority of people have been granted well being to an extent their fathers and grandfathers could not even dream about."

[R.F.]

It`s a pity, but Solzhenitsyn was buried in presence only of his family and closest friends. It`s pitful because it was not a wish of his family. Simply nobody else came. This is how we say farewell to the lords of our minds.

I don't know why, but I don't give a f*cking shit about this guy...

There are so many people all over the world who die every day in complete anonymity, and nobody talk about them, about their suffer and pain, about their lives...Then, why to be sad for an author who had money and lived more than 85 years old, when others (poor in people in Africa, for example) die when they are children?

Aplause, a great and succesful attempt to show your lack of education.

[MetalAngel]

to loose such a genius as Solzhenitsyn was...

"genius" is a too big word for the inspiration that this guy had...

It`s a pity, but Solzhenitsyn was buried in presence only of his family and closest friends. It`s pitful because it was not a wish of his family. Simply nobody else came. This is how we say farewell to the lords of our minds.

I don't know why, but I don't give a f*cking shit about this guy...

There are so many people all over the world who die every day in complete anonymity, and nobody talk about them, about their suffer and pain, about their lives...Then, why to be sad for an author who had money and lived more than 85 years old, when others (poor in people in Africa, for example) die when they are children?

Aplause, a great and succesful attempt to show your lack of education.

And I aplause your great and succesful attempt to show your lack of compassion.

This is not because I can't bear some "artists" that I'm not educated. I've maybe much more experience about communism that you will ever have, as I lived in Czech Republic when I was young. Moreover, I have many classics in my library. And I love reading books.

But I want to say that Soljenitsyne told that Russia could have avoided the war with Germany (1939 - 1945) if only Russia has found a compromise with Hitler...it shows that Soljenitsyne was nothing but a traitor, who didn't want to avoid thousands of deads but to become friend with the monsters. Even if it could avoid deads, it's never intelligent, nor good to sell its soul to the Devil...Then, Soljenitsyne is nothing but a kind of Faust...Nevertheless, I can understand his view...

[R.F.]

to loose such a genius as Solzhenitsyn was...

"genius" is a too big word for the inspiration that this guy had...

No need to hurry to name new geniuses. But I suppose Morgana names him a genius because he is the last writer who inspired the minds of masses. After him - only high-intellectual hardly known authors or mass litter literature.

It`s a pity, but Solzhenitsyn was buried in presence only of his family and closest friends. It`s pitful because it was not a wish of his family. Simply nobody else came. This is how we say farewell to the lords of our minds.



And I aplause your great and succesful attempt to show your lack of compassion.

I`ve already came to thought that compassion is not something necessary on western forums. Here, no matter what you tell, everyone may read in your posts everything he wants. It makes me to act more straight. And, after all, Internet is full of bydlo (since you`ve lived in neighbouring Czech Republic, you may know what`s that - chyba ten wyraz pochodzi z jezyka polskiego) that I do not tolerate, so I start being not afraid to be too harsh to people.

This is not because I can't bear some "artists" that I'm not educated. I've maybe much more experience about communism that you will ever have, as I lived in Czech Republic when I was young. Moreover, I have many classics in my library. And I love reading books.

But I want to say that Soljenitsyne told that Russia could have avoided the war with Germany (1939 - 1945) if only Russia has found a compromise with Hitler...it shows that Soljenitsyne was nothing but a traitor, who didn't want to avoid thousands of deads but to become friend with the monsters. Even if it could avoid deads, it's never intelligent, nor good to sell its soul to the Devil...Then, Soljenitsyne is nothing but a kind of Faust...Nevertheless, I can understand his view...

The concept you speak about is the basis for most critics of Solzhenitsyn. It`s called here "Solzhenitsyn`s Smerdyakovshina" - after the name of Smerdyakov from Dostoyevski`s "Brothers Karamazovy". That charachter mentioned that it would have been better for Napoleon to conquer Russia in 1812 - kinda similar..) Those Solzhenitsyn`s words are just a one point in what he left after him, and this point is feeding his critics. Anyway he took part in the whole War, so it`s difficult to say.

[MetalAngel]

I`ve already came to thought that compassion is not something necessary on western forums. Here, no matter what you tell, everyone may read in your posts everything he wants. It makes me to act more straight. And, after all, Internet is full of bydlo (since you`ve lived in neighbouring Czech Republic, you may know what`s that - chyba ten wyraz pochodzi z jezyka polskiego) that I do not tolerate, so I start being not afraid to be too harsh to people.

Yeah, I know what "bydlo" means. It litteraly means "livelihood". But, it's also a kind of insult, when you take, for example, the character of Jaroslav Foglar's "Rapid Arrows" called Dlouhy Bydlo...

The concept you speak about is the basis for most critics of Solzhenitsyn. It`s called here "Solzhenitsyn`s Smerdyakovshina" - after the name of Smerdyakov from Dostoyevski`s "Brothers Karamazovy". That charachter mentioned that it would have been better for Napoleon to conquer Russia in 1812 - kinda similar..) Those Solzhenitsyn`s words are just a one point in what he left after him, and this point is feeding his critics. Anyway he took part in the whole War, so it`s difficult to say.

I know that one point in people's words is not making all people's character, but, he said so...it's like Jean-Marie Le Pen, in France, who sadly said once that it was pity that all the Jews have not been gased during the WW2...There are words that people remains more than another ones, especially when those words are giving sympathy for the Nazis...And Soljenitsyne did so...then, it's not surprising that his opposants are taking this argument to critic him...