Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a towering figure in the world of literature and a formidable critic of the Soviet regime, was born on December 11, 1918, in Kislovodsk, Russia.
His early life, marked by the upheaval of the Russian Revolution and the subsequent establishment of the Soviet Union, would play a pivotal role in shaping his views and literary output.
Solzhenitsyn's experiences during World War II, where he served as a captain in the Red Army, further deepened his critical perspective on the Soviet government.
His arrest in 1945 for derogatory remarks about Stalin in private correspondence led to an eight-year sentence in labor camps, followed by permanent internal exile, which became the crucible for his future works.
