First lap (up and down)

Author: (Russian) Solzhenitsyn, translated by Jing Liming
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2000-11-01
Features: The novel uses concise prose and a technique of compressing time and space, depicting the fate of a group of characters in just four days. It portrays the inhuman life of guiltless scientists in Marfino, a place where there is no human rights, no freedom, not even the right to "sex." "The Circle" originates from Dante's immortal poem The Divine Comedy, where the Inferno is divided into nine circles. The Circle is the least evil layer. Solzhenitsyn borrows the metaphor of The Circle to describe the life in a special prison in the suburbs of Moscow—Marfino. The prisoners there are scientists accused of "treason," "espionage," and other trumped-up charges. They receive better treatment than ordinary prisoners and conduct secret scientific research in Marfino. A mid-thirties second secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Valentin, makes a phone call from a phone booth, warning Tobolomov that he might be persecuted. Unexpectedly, the call is intercepted. Marfino is a special prison that is currently researching a voice recognition device. To catch the person making the call, the central authorities issue a direct order, forcing the scientists in Marfino to develop the voice recognition device immediately, using high-pressure and terroristic means. In the end, the diplomat Valentin is secretly arrested.