Writer and Prophet

The Solzhenitsyn Reader: New and Essential Writings 1947–2005, edited by Edward E. Ericson Jr. and Daniel J. Mahoney (ISI, 650 pp., $30)

THIS thoughtfully edited volume succeeds in reflecting the richness of Solzhenitsyn’s writings; it offers an excellent sampling of both his fiction and his non-fiction, as well as an informative introductory essay and short introductions for each selection. It goes a long way to make the prolific author accessible to readers unable or unwilling to read his entire output, and helps us assess his place in 20th-century literature and social-political debates.