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6 avis
A classic!
A faded photograph on the wall depicts the bearded, solemn, serious men that were the delegates to the first Congress of the Party. It is decades later and only a few like Comrade Nicolas Salmanovitch Rubashov have survived. Late one night Rubashov is awakened, arrested, and taken to cell number 404. Like so many others, he now expects to be interrogated, tortured, and shot. Harsh steps echo down the prison corridor toward his cell, but this time it is only the guard bringing soup.
Darkness at Noon is an authentic and chilling look at Stalin's Russia in the late 1930s. Arthur Koestler, formerly a member of the Communist Party, completed this superb historical fiction in Paris as WWII was just beginning. In a short forward he says that the characters in this book are fictitious, but that the historical circumstances which determined their actions are real. The life of the man N. S. Rubashov is a synthesis of the lives of a number of men that were victims of the so-called Moscow Trials. Several of them were personally known to the author. He dedicates this book to their memory.
Suffering from a toothache, subjected to endless interrogation, deprived of sleep, Rubashov struggles to delay his inevitable, final confession. He questions his own past and motivations. Was he unconsciously disloyal? Is he guilty? Does it matter whether he is guilty? Should he remain silent, argue, or simply capitulate?
Rubashov finds meaning in politics, history, and philosophy. We see him wrestling with the meaning of suffering, senseless suffering versus meaningful suffering. We sympathize with him as he questions the morality of betraying his life-long beliefs, despite his recognition that he himself has been betrayed. He clearly knows that he is guilty of betraying others. In his exhausted and muddled state, his motivation for living seems driven by a desire to explore more fully a new idea, the law of the relative maturity of the masses. He only needs time to sort out his questions and to resolve his doubts.
Koestler reveals much about Rubashov through flashbacks. We recognize that Rubashov's own ethics and morality were undermined as he participated in the destruction of well-meaning, loyal party members that unintentionally became guilty of political divergencies. He allowed his lover to be imprisoned, and even joined the chorus that condemned her. Nonetheless, Koestler persuades us to have sympathy for Rubashov, now a victim of his own ideology.
I was unfamiliar with Arthur Koestler and I was unprepared when I opened this little book. I was captivated as Rubashov gradually awoke from a disturbing dream of betrayal, only to discover that he was being awakened by the secret police. I carried Darkness at Noon to work and shared it with a colleague. His teenage son was the next reader. Darkness at Noon is a classic that you will share with others.Lire l'avis complet...
Very Realistic Description of pre-Execution of a Loyal Party Member During the Terror of '37-'38
To really appreciate the conditions surrounding this situation one should read one or more of the recent biographies on
Stalin. The one I really like is Stalin by Oleg V Khlevniuk, 2015.
Koestler is a master in describing the psychiatric breakdown experienced by a prisoner in a very short time when deprived of sleep, made to answer to questions for hours at a time, and finally wish they were dead to just get it over with.
The Terror started in Aug 1937 and trailed off after Nov 1938 after over 700,000 Russians suspected of obstructionism had been shot. At the end of '38 there were more ex-Communists that there were active Communist Party members. Obstructionism was the charge made of the prisoner in this story. Stalin was paranoid about the possible "5th Column" plotting against him and executed 100's of thousands of innocents to eliminate this imagined "threat".Lire l'avis complet...
Achat vérifié : Oui | État : occasion | Vendu par : silver-arch-books
great book!!
Koestler is a very smart psychological author, who captivates the reader while telling a chilling tale of a world that exists even to this day. THe best part about it all..is that this book is for now...timeless. If you like this, check out his non-fiction work, THE GHOST IN THE MACHINE.Lire l'avis complet...
Great book
Very thought provoking in the days we live in. Only complaint is the back top corner of the book is missing but it's no big deal when you only spend a couple bucks on a used book.
Apt.
Interesting book written from an interesting point of view.
Achat vérifié : Oui | État : occasion | Vendu par : betterworldbooks
interestinng
All is well
Achat vérifié : Oui | État : occasion | Vendu par : the_magic_book_bus