Alexander Dolgun's story: An American in the Gulag

by Alexander Dolgun

Alexander Dolgun, from embassy employee, to prisoner, then falsely convicted of being a terrorist against Russia and sentenced to hard labor. Released after eight long years he is finally able to recount the experience of being transported to and between prisons, interactions and friendships with other prisoners, the day to day drudgery of trying to stay alive under horrendous conditions which involved trying to meet ridiculously high work quotas for extremely strenuous jobs while in a constant state of starvation and often, sickness.

Genres: History, Russia, Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography Memoir, Historical

370 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1975

Reviews

[Matt Jasper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book long ago yet just ran into it again and thought to list it here. The story is told with a rich, expansive clarity. It shows people at the extremes of what they can endure and the various ways they succumb to their environment or devise strategies to survive. The way he uses his multiple languages and innovative negotiating skills to get by is instructive and at times funny (especially when he is trying to manipulate his guards into just inventing interrogation reports etc. Ah yes. Then there's the time he bursts into the song ROLL OUT THE BARREL after a particularly severe round of torture). The author also has a great ability to describe what happens when people go "psychologically deaf" amidst this perfectly described nightmare. He describes his monstrous guard Sidorov with almost loving detail.

[Eugene Boytsov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent writing, very good insight (hard way) into the grotesque nature and structure of the so-called Soviet/Russian "justice" apparatus; and if you think much has changed in the Soviet (now Russian) punishment system under Putin and/or Medvedev, you are in for a big surprise!!! Same system, same tortures, same sadism, they just shut down some camps in Siberia, but not too many. Gulag is Gulag, then or now, with a few little differences. And Alexandr should be admired for surviving the nightmarish: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukhanov...

[Douglas White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Picked this book up because it was mentioned in a newsletter I get. What a fantastic read. A truly troubling look at the horror of what was Stalinist Russia. The only thing that makes Mr. Dolgun's story unique, is that he is an American when he is kidnapped and falsely accused of spying. (One question that is never really answered is why the US Embassy and Government did not do more to save/rescue Mr. Dolgun.) What follows are almost unbelievable horrors of torture and eventually exile to the prison camps. If you have read The Black Book of Communism or Anne Applebaum's Gulag, you will be familiar with the horrors of Stalin's prison camps, but hearing it described firsthand really brings home the evil of Stalinism.

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Everyone should read this book. If you are ever having a bad day, read this book and your life won't seem so unfair. Russian government had such an interesting way of thinking, to say the least. It makes you very grateful to live in this wonderful country. I have read four or five books on the gulag and this is one of my favorites. Alexander's will to live was inspiring.

[Halie Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was recommended to me during an Air Force TDY and I’m so glad it was! If you are searching for an example of the spirit to endure the most inhumane treatment imaginable, Dolgun's true life experience is it.

[David Hill · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an individual-sized serving of Solzhenitsyn's Gulag Archeplago.

Dolgun was an American citizen working for the US Embassy in Moscow in 1948 when he was arrested and sentenced (administratively; that is, without trial) to 25 years in the gulag. This is his story, from the moment of arrest to his return to America (I don't think this is much of a spoiler: the fact that he wrote the book means he survived).

I probably read too many of these stories of man's inhumanity to man. But I find such stories, strangely, to be ... uplifting isn't exactly what I'm looking for, but I'll use it: uplifting. People survive such ordeals because they believe they can. This is not a sufficient condition, but a necessary one: not everybody who believes they can survive survives, but if one doesn't believe they'll survive, they won't.

A sort-of opposite of that also makes an appearance: the belief that political prisoners in the camps deserved to be there. The State certainly believed that. The MVD/MGB/KGB operate under the assumption that they are never wrong. And the "professional" prisoners - the criminal class - all believed that the politicals were guilty, too. If they weren't guilty, they wouldn't be prisoners.

So, the interesting parts, to me, were how Dolgun managed to employ his wits, tenacity, and optimism to manage to survive. How did he handle the tortures of interrogation? How did he obtain assignments in the camp that would facilitate his survival? How did he avoid the killing work of the mines and other hazardous jobs?

The book isn't totally bleak. One of the survival mechanisms is the search for humor. I have little doubt that Dolgun included as much of the humorous as he could recall, and at the same time left out many of the daily degradations he experienced.

[Gwynneth · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're American and if you ever wanted to know or truly understand just what it's like to be tossed into the Soviet gulag, this is it. Alexander Dolgun, an American citizen who was deliberately thrown into this system, brings clarity to the idea of so-called 'work camps' that still exist today (think of where the Pussy Riot members were recently sent).

I read this as part of a grad thesis I wrote regarding how political prisoners in the then-USSR coped with their arrest, sentencing, transport, internment, release, and eventual rehabilitation into society. Maybe it's the kind of words he uses that are unique in tone to American understanding, I'm not sure, but when I read the book, the light bulb went on over my head.

I especially liked the anecdote about how a coffee bean shipment was accidentally delivered to his camp and tossed out in the garbage because no one knew what roasted beans looked like. He and a couple of Baltic prisoners scavenged the beans and gleefully enjoyed that taste of heaven called fresh coffee.

Other anecdotes are more disheartening, like the Catch-22 he found himself in where finding a place to live after he was released was concerned. Even sadder, how he finally reunited with his elderly mother, only to discover the Soviet secret police had tortured her (they had pulled out all her finger nails) to keep her from continually searching for her son.

A sobering read that forces sobering thoughts on how in Russia these days, such things seem to be happening yet again.

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this book fascinating and educational. Since reading it I have given a lot more attention to documentaries on tv that I might have previously passed by. It's a clearly written account of his experiences and I was amazed by how much he could recall. I think many, myself included, might have "blanked out" a lot just for self-preservation. It's not a depressing book and some might hesitate to read it thinking it will be too dark or maybe a "dry" historical read. I found his resilience and creativity to be admirable, inspiring and encouraging. I highly recommend this book. It also gave me a perspective I had not considered before and that is what dealings take place (or not) on behalf of prisoners of war. I'm not a big history buff but I truly appreciate the insight into this part of history and the impressive story of an impressive individual.

[JC · Rating 4 out of 5]

A day in the life of Ivan Denisovich, but in real life. This is the true story of Alexander Dolgun and his experience in Soviet prison and then his 8 or so years in the Gulags. Alexander spent most of his life in the Soviet Union after his father began work there and was unable to leave. He worked for the US Embassy and was accused of espionage against the Soviet Union. This book takes a direct look at what it was really like to be taken in by the police for doing nothing and how terrible life was. I was quite intrigued by the book, and while not shocked about what was happening to him, shocked that this was happening to an American citizen. The only complaint of the book is the style of the author isn't typical, but I got used to it after a bit of it.

[Robby · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recall reading this book enroute to Ramstein AFB.,Germany. I purchased it at the terminal in June of 1976. I was totally engrossed in the story; enough so that I had finished the book by the time we landed. Keep in mind - that it was a long flight. At any rate, some details of this book I've never forgotten; especially those details pertaining to survival. I intend to read it again one of these days just to reference my point of view now as compared to then. For now, it still rates a (5) with me. The only reason I edited this review was so I could update/replace the cover I originally had on my favorites shelf. Now that I see it again I'm going to checkout my book haunts and the library just so I can re-read it.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was difficult at times to keep in mind that this fine book was non-fiction. I suppose this sort of thing could happen today. Although, the KGB might just kill the person who was thought to be spying for the west rather than taking the time and energy to brutally interrogate and imprison the suspect. Like the personal stories of holocaust survivors this book describes the extent of suffering and pain a person will withstand or adjust to in an effort to stay alive. The book is well written and I'm glad I read it.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I ever read about the Soviet gulag system. It's a great introduction to the subject, since it's well-written, informative, and not too long.

2024 Update
Re-read this and it's better than I remembered. Dolgun's account is detailed and heart-rending. I especially loved the stories of his fellow prisoners. What the Soviets did to his Mom was just revolting, perhaps the grimmest part of the book. So good and so damn sad.

[Joe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another book that I read years ago (and am reading again). It was one of those books that I couldn't put down. I had to read it from start to end; spent a full Sunday just reading it.

The author is a good story teller and in fact used that skill to survive 25 years + in the Russian prison system on false charges. It's an amazing story (and more so because it is true).

[Tomi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent story about life in the USSR under Stalin and the prisons and camps in the gulag system. Might not be the best choice to read while watching the Olympics in Sochi...this book will break your heart and make you furious.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

An amazing story of courage and survival in or itself. Also leads one to consider why for political reasons that the histories of gulags has received so little attention in U.S. history classes.

[Deborah · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first book I ever read about the Soviet gulag system. It's a great introduction to the subject, since it's well-written, informative, and not too long. I am amazed by this mans will to survive.

[Claudia · Rating 5 out of 5]

amazing, amazing, amazing read this over 20 years ago and it really changed my view of the world. One of the best books I have ever read. would highly recommend.

[Angela · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favourite all time book. Have read it about 30 times!

[Jonathan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an important book. And it’s one of the top three survival stories of the 20th century, along with Louis Zamperini in “Unbroken” and Alistair Urquhart in “The Forgotten Highlander.”

[Jerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book, the first time, in 1976. At the time I was serving in the Army in West Germany. The Soviets were very much on our minds and I looked for reading material to better acquaint myself with the 'enemy' I might face. Alexander Dolgun's account of his experiences in the Soviet Gulag had just been published and I tore through it...the second read was just as captivating. Since then, I've read several accounts of those who survived Stalin's gulag, mostly those of then Soviet citizens such as Solzhenitsyn, Varlam Shalamov, Eugenia Ginzburg, etc...fiction too such as Arthur Koestler's 'Darkness at Noon'. Father Walter Ciszek, another American who survived the horrors of the gulag is another who captured his experiences in a couple of deeply personal and revealing books about the horrors of life in the freezing, harsh climate of Kolyma, in NE Siberia... 'With God in Russia' and 'He Leadeth Me'. Dolgun's account is somewhat bifurcated. He details the suffering he endured - how he managed to emerge sane from his 'interrogations', especially those at Sukhanovka prison stagger the imagination. Solzhenitsyn interviewed Dolgun after both were in the US and stated Dolgun was the only man he'd encountered who'd survived the brutality of Sukhanovka. In contrast, Dolgun's experiences in the gulag camp at Dzhezkazgan, Kazakhstan was much different. There he learned to play the guitar and practiced medicine as a 'feldspar' - medical assistant; he performed in prison entertainment; he fell in love with a woman prisoner and had several trysts. Of the accounts I've read, Dolgun's account is unique regarding the freedom he had as a prisoner. Accounting for this could be the timing of his imprisonment - 13Dec48 - 13Jul56 because conditions in the gulag changed after 5Mar53 - Stalin's death.

[Bill Brewer · Rating 5 out of 5]

At a time when the mayoral candidate of Portland, OR, Sarah Iannarone, is seen wearing a dress with pictures of Joseph Stalin and other dictators we need to be reminded of the evils of communism. A timely book for those who think life in a communist country is something to be desired. Joseph Stalin was one of the most brutal leaders in world history. This book begins after WWII, 1948, when a young American is snatched off the streets of Moscow. He is sent to some of the worst prisons in Moscow and eventually the Gulag Archipelago. You would think that after joining America and Britain to defeat the Nazi's the Soviet Union would have seen the errors of a totalitarian government and renounced Bolshevism. But no, they doubled down on it and the reign of terror intensified. There are thousands of victims, and this is just one man's story. Fortunately, he had a sister, Stella, who fought the vile forces with the help of the Secretary of State after having been refused help by Eleonore Roosevelt and Averill Harriman who thought his case was too hot to handle. This is a book of true survival rivalling the tale of Louie Zamperini in Laura Hildenbrand's "Unbroken". Alexander Dulgan was interviewed while in Russia by Alexandr Solzhenitsyn for his book "The Gulag Archipelago". It is said that "those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it". Unfortunately, the education system in America, especially at the high school college level is failing even to teach the history. Let this book fill in the gap.

[Oliver Samuels · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander Dolgun’s Story is a chilling account, made all the more so because it is real. Michael and Annie Dolgun, Alexander’s parents, had traveled from New York to Moscow under a temporary work program, but were unable to leave.

Young Alexander eventually takes a job as a file clerk at the American embassy and it was at this point that the MGB developed an interest in him. Perhaps it was simply a cultural misunderstanding at first. Alexander had an American’s attitude towards automobiles and would commandeer embassy vehicles for his own use. The Soviets, who viewed the car as a symbol of one’s status within the Party concluded that he must be someone of importance.

Alexander was abducted while on a lunch break. Falsely imprisoned as a spy, he is beaten and starved nearly to death in an effort to extract a confession out of him. Unable to provide his captors with any meaningful information, Dolgun becomes a professional survivor, inventing ingenious ways to maintain he sanity and a semblance of health.

As one of the few survivors of the infamous Sukhanovka prison, Alexander Dolgun is an outstanding example of human courage and his story is one of the most powerful and moving accounts I have ever read.

[Maggie Eisenberger · Rating 4 out of 5]

We learn fairly young that there are bad things that happen that couldn't have been prevented and you just pick up the pieces and keep going. It's a lot harder to accept bad things that are actually perpetrated by one human being on another, and when it's institutionalized evil, your sense of injustice of so profound it could cost you your sanity. This memoir is horrifying for just those reasons. The only thing I found lacking that I usually look for in a memoir is the sense that the person has matured, grown, learned something, but Alexander seems to have been born with the tools that saw him through this experience and I did not detect any refinement along the way. I suspect others who started out with similar grit and determination eventually flagged, however, and he held up with no loss of his personal sense of self and integrity. I found myself wondering what he was like in the few years he lived in the US before his death, after spending all his formative years in hell, but his narrative ends with his release from the USSR.

[KennyO · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t have much to say about this book, having read it 45 years ago when IIRC it was an alternate selection of the Book of the Month Club. I do remember it being an interesting read at that time when the Soviet Union still existed and the Cold War held sway. I’ll refer you to the other reviews offered here and elsewhere.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful heartbreaking book. Alexander Dolgun was an American raised in Russia who worked at the American embassy when he was kidnapped off the streets in Moscow and interrogated, tortured, and imprisoned during the Stalin era. He was only 22.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an incredible book of a man's ability to survive unbelievable abuse and injustice. I found it to be very emotional at times when the author describes the other prisoners, describing their fears and how despondent they had become. Some literally dying from sadness.

[Beata Horała · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anglojęzyczna, a napisana tak, że wciąga mimo drobiazgowych opisów. Na pewno jedna z lepszych jaką czytałam o Guagu. Oczywiście jest naiwność ludzi z zachodu i może zbyt mało straszne opisy okrucieństwa. Czasem nawet na wątki komiczne.

[Shawn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good piece of work overall but you might have to read this in small chunks as most of it is not the most uplifting of reads.

[Eline · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truely gripping. This is a book everyone should read.

[Jack Dale · Rating 5 out of 5]

A monument to the power and tenacity of the human spirit, and yet another devastating indictment of the immorality of the totalitarian state, whatever its form or shape.