Classics

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s semiautobiographical novel, “Cancer Ward,” set in a Soviet hospital shortly after Stalin’s death in 1955, is a profound allegory of life under the oppressive Soviet regime. The narrative follows Oleg Kostoglotov, whose experiences mirror Solzhenitsyn’s own time as a cancer patient post-labor camp. The diverse patients in the ward reflect a wide spectrum of Russian society, exploring their struggles with terminal illness and the broader implications of living in a repressive state. Celebrated as a masterwork of twentieth-century literature, “Cancer Ward” delves into the human condition against the backdrop of Soviet reality.