"The merits of this book are several and decisive. First of all it shows a solid and comprehensive grasp of Solzhenitsyn's work in its entirety and the huge body of criticism it has fostered, from books to articles and from political statements to reviews and debates in various media. Second, the ambition of making a reception study that redefines the ... Read morefield and, at the same time, exemplifies it through an investigation of a vast and complex material is innovative and represents a real scholarly achievement. Third, the comparative and interdisciplinary approach is organically embedded in the chapters in their detailed readings, and documents Elisa Kriza`s capacity to master a differentiated use of the vast material."
Svend-Erik Larsen, Professor of Comparative Literature, Aarhus University "Revising by nature, Elisa Kriza`s study re-examines selected principal tendencies of Solzhenitsyn`s reception in the Anglophone and German-speaking world since the 1960s, and contextualizes his oeuvre within the framework of witness literature and representations of confinement. The main (and timely) question she posits is: Political factors notwithstanding, should Solzhenitsyn still be read in the West todayand if yes, why and how?"
Andrei Rogatchevski, Professor of Russian Literature and Culture, University of Tromsø, Norway Show Less