A harrowing 'must-read' - Rated 
Set in a post-war Stalinist labour camp, this novel, as the title suggests, centres on a single day in the life of `political prisoner' Ivan Denisovich, from (before) sunrise to (well after) sunset. As one might imagine, Ivan has little to look forward to on this `typical' day in the camp; ultra sub-zero temperatures, horrendous food, forced labour, and incessantly picky guards all await him, and his fellow inmates. As harrowing as the day is though, this day actually turns out to be one of the `better' ones, which although bringing a little cheer to Ivan, leaves the reader puzzling (and more than a little shocked), over what must constitute a `bad' day in one of these places.
Comprising of a mere 143 pages, I finished reading this classic rather speedily, although perhaps not as `speedily' as I would have, if I were reading a novel that originated in English. As a qualified historian I'm wholly familiar with clumsy translations, and sadly this translated novel is no different. So if you're planning on reading this yourself, then be prepared to re-read a number of the sentences, in order to fully decipher their full meaning. Don't let that put you off though (or from reading any translated Russian literature for that matter), as the minor hindrance caused by having to pause and re-read, is completed negated by the quality of this work.
Along with other works that he penned during the 1960's, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn got himself into a lot of bother from the Soviet authorities for writing this novel, and after reading it, it's clear to see why. Aided by more than a liberal dose of anti-Stalinist sentimentality, Mr. Solzhenitsyn pulls no punches in describing the conditions in Soviet labour camps. Given that he himself spent eight years in these camps, after the war, this is no surprise, but because Mr. Solzhenitsyn was able to infuse his own experiences into this novel, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is an absolute `must read' - just don't expect to leave your chair in anything like a cheery mood.
mandatory reading - Rated 
If you only read 20 books in your whole life this should be one of them,
Vaguely interesting - Rated 
Amazed that someone could write so much about one day and make it vaguely interesting, but he does it and writes from harsh experience. Never thought the building of a brick wall could be such an adventure. It makes one realise how lucky one is. This is not anything special though, you are relieved when you get to the end. He did get the Nobel Prize for Literature, but I would rather read Bridget Jones to be honest.
Penguin 1963, 143 pp, translated by Ralph Parker - Rated
How to endure the unendurable if you want to survive. How, even at the very lowest level of society in one of the most repressive and totalitarian states we have known, the prisoner's labour and cooperation have value for the system and therefore they can be used to bargain for small privileges, enough to tip the balance in favour of survival. How it's impossible for the state to regulate and control every circumstance of human existence because (a) the circumstances are simply far too varied and complicated, and (b) regulation and control are mediated through human beings who have all the usual human imperfections.
For a Nobel Prize winning book, I was surprised that the prose writing was not what I would call brilliant. The dialogue often seemed stilted, as if written for a play, and the descriptions of scenes often seemed vague. Perhaps there are better translations. It's written as one long chapter, but that worked ok because it did only cover 24 hours.
Not just a novel - a survival manual - Rated
You find yourself in a freezing Siberian work camp on limited, disgusting food and conditions and a regime that gives you barely any relaxation but pain day in day out - how would you survive? So gripping did I find this book (versions differ, the earlier versions were less explicit than the unexpurgated text that forms the basis of post 60s editions) that I did not ge off my train on time and ended up in a freezing station having to get back home. It's enough to make anyone give up, but Denisovich (Sukhov or Shukov) does not. Shukov is his surname is a survivor who measures and calculates his survival strategy to a T and has almost become instutionalised into his gulag camp. Would he be happy to win his freedom? By the end of the book this question remains moot as Shukov knows freedom is not a reality, merely survival.
Counting bowls of food and getting himself extra rations through the back door. Knowing how to deal tactfully with his superiors. There is a tragi comic aspect to this short, undivided script that rings out in a matter of fact highly descriptive scenario from an author who apparently did time in a gulag.
Stalin was a cold monster and the victims try to cope. Interestingly I sometimes feel my life almost as restrictive as one negotiates ones limited student stipend to make it stretch in colourful ways ... or our lives could so easily get so tough. All the more reason to work hard and be kind to neighbours in the rat race - and perhaps this book will guide you about trancending your ratty nature if you feel that rat race it is.
A classic book, worth reading to get into educated circles.
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