Dvacet šest věznic a útěk ze Solovek – Bezsonov Jurij Dmitrijevič (2022)

The book by Yuriy Bezsonov, a tsarist officer and active participant in World War I, describes the vicissitudes associated with life in post-revolutionary Russia, as well as the experience of repeated imprisonment. We witness the author's adventurous and nearly futile search for a dignified existence, his determined struggle, and the disillusionment he experiences. Bezsonov is first imprisoned in 1918. This marks the beginning of his journey through prisons and camps, interspersed with moments of truly adventurous freedom... After passing through an impressive series of Soviet prisons in just a few years, he was sent north to the Kemskoe sorting center, where he awaited further travel across the sea to the nearby and renowned Solovetsky Special Purpose Camp. From there, he managed to escape in 1925 with four other fellow prisoners. While fleeing towards the Finnish border, he kept brief diary entries, based on which he recounts thirty-five days of wandering through northern forests and swamps, encounters with military patrols, and the difficulties associated with obtaining food. This is an extraordinary story of a man whose own worldview, moral values, and principles do not allow for compromise with the new, emerging monstrous regime. Moreover, the book serves as an excellent contemporary testimony,…