Literary giant Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn died at almost 90 years of age today. His son Yermolai said the cause was a heart ailment. Solzehitsyn was a Russian writer who defied the Communist regime and wrote of its horrors. He first gained acclaim in 1962 for his acclaimed book novel about a prison camp inmate, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. He later wrote The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956 a monumental account of the Soviet labor camp system where, according to Mr. Solzhenitsyn’s estimation, some 60 million people entered during the 20th century. American diplomat George F. Kennan called the book “the greatest and most powerful single indictment of a political regime ever to be leveled in modern times.”
The New York Times posts a seven-page article commemorating Solzhenitsyn’s life and work. Rick Brookhiser adds a tribute. John Piper shares his thanksgiving for Mr. Solzhenitsyn.