An Island Hell

by S.A. Malsagoff

Account of S.A. Malsagoff (also spelled as Malsagov) who escaped from the Solovetsky Island prison camp in the Soviet Arctic in the 1920s.

Genres: Nonfiction, Russia, History

226 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1926

Reviews

[Elliot Wagstaff · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional book though unfortunately out of print and very hard to find even internationally.
link below let's you read it online and I highly recommend it.
https://archive.org/stream/1926AnIsla...

[WhiteChocolateWiggle · Rating 5 out of 5]

An Island Hell: A Soviet Prison in the Far North is a devastating indictment of the Soviet system, told with a calm precision that makes its conclusions impossible to evade. S. A. Malsagov exposes Soviet power not as a flawed ideal corrupted in practice, but as a regime whose brutality, deception, and contempt for human life were baked in from the start.

What makes this book so damning is its restraint. Malsagov does not shout; he documents. Through his matter-of-fact descriptions of forced labor, starvation, cold, arbitrary punishment, and total bureaucratic indifference, the Soviet state reveals itself as a machine designed to grind down the individual. There is no justice, no reformative purpose—only control, fear, and expendability. The cruelty is systematic, not accidental.

Written early, before the Gulag was widely known or acknowledged in the West, the book stands as a prophetic warning. Everything later confirmed about Soviet camps—the lies, the quotas, the disposable labor, the moral emptiness of the ideology—is already here. Any lingering notion that Soviet repression was exaggerated by critics is demolished by this firsthand testimony.

The prose is disciplined and credible, which makes its implications even more damning. Malsagov does not need rhetoric; the Soviet system condemns itself through its own routine operations.

A short, brutal, and essential book. An Island Hell leaves no room for illusions about Soviet rule and should be required reading for anyone tempted to separate communist theory from communist reality.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been reading a lot of gulag/prisom memoirs lately but this one is unique as it caused so much reaction both internationally and in the Soviet Republic itself in the 1920s. It was popular enough to really change how prison tours and media were conducted in the Soviet context, which to me is really interesting and undermines the idea it was a very insular, detached society.

Very hard to like 'rate' it as a work of literature given its historic significance. Its not the best written book by a long stretch but it is very compelling, especially given it included one of the few large escapes of the time. Don't turn to this for particular historical veracity but definitely as a useful window into the international dimension of early soviet history!

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the story of a prisoner who was unjustly imprisoned along with thousands and eventually millions of other innocents in hell holes Solzhenitsyn would later reveal to the world as the Soviet Gulag. For S.A. Malsagoff, his journey into the madness was at a former monastery on Solvestsky Island in the White Sea. It was there, the monster Lenin unleashed his absolute power against his own citizens by placing thousands under the absolute authority of his demons. Malsagoff chronicled his experience there, revealed the inhumane conditions of his fellow prisoners and then his perilous escape to Finland and freedom. A gripping and wrenching story which lays bare the evil of tyranny.

[Kyle Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's important people dont forget the horrors of communism. They are always brushed over casually in the West right now. There was a mention of this book in The Gulag Archipelago. It's horrible what happened to these people. The author casually mentions so many people getting shot and executed you become desensitized to it towards the end.

[Tammy Schilling · Rating 5 out of 5]

Important historical, first hand account of a Soviet prison. Should be required reading, especially for the pro-Communist, pro-Socialist (same thing, just one group isn't in denial) lot. The unique thing about Communism is how horrible they are to their very own people, the ones they claim to be changing the world for.

[anirudh reddy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review will come shortly

[Cristin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting firsthand account of life in the 'original' Gulag prison at Solovetski Island. He shares details of life there: what they ate, where they lived, the type of work they did. He also gives profiles of the individuals in charge of the prison and many of the more interesting inmates. It was very difficult to read about the sadistic practices of the Bolshevik regime, but for someone needing details of life on Solovetsky, this book was extremely helpful.