Episode #2: Surviving the Gulag: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

Subversive Orthodoxy

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This episode explores Alexander Solzhenitsyn's transformative journey from a loyal communist and soldier to a profound voice against tyranny through his experiences in the Gulag. We discuss the themes of resilience, faith, and truth as vital tools for resisting oppression and the importance of living authentically in today's fragmented world.
• Overview of Solzhenitsyn's early life and education
• Arrest and imprisonment leading to personal transformation
• Reflection on faith emerging from suffering
• Impact of "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich" on Soviet society
• Significance of "The Gulag Archipelago" and its global influence
• Examination of faith as a means to resist tyranny and foster compassion
• Closing thoughts on Solzhenitsyn's relevance in contemporary discussions on faith and meaning
Photograph: Sipa Press/Rex Features

Contact: [email protected]

Instagram: @subversiveorthodoxy

Host: Travis Mullen Instagram: @manartnation
Co-Host: Robert L. Inchausti, PhD, is Professor Emeritus of English at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and is the author of numerous books, including Subversive Orthodoxy, Thomas Merton's American Prophecy, The Spitwad Sutras, and Breaking the Cultural Trance. He is, among other things, a Thomas Merton authority, and editor of the Merton books Echoing Silence, Seeds, and The Pocket Thomas Merton. He's a lover of the literature of those who challenge the status quo in various ways, thus, he has had a lifelong fascination with the Beats.
Book by Robert L. Inchausti "Subversive Orthodoxy: Outlaws, Revolutionaries, and Other Christians in Disguise" Published 2005, authorization by the author.
Intro & Outro Music by Noah Johnson & Chavez the Fisherman, all rights reserved.

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1. Power of Faith (00:00:00)

2. Bio on Alexandr Solzhenitsyn (00:01:28)

3. Professor Inchausti (00:04:42)

4. Personal Accounts of Soviet Gulags (00:15:23)

5. Story of Solzhenitsyn & the Guards (00:15:29)

6. Reading of Solzhenitsyn "How do you bring it home to them?" (00:19:06)

7. How do you wake people up? (00:19:17)

8. Literature's Power in Exposing Authoritarianism (00:25:14)

9. Merton's FBI File for Letters to Pasternak (00:31:00)

10. Plebian (00:33:32)

11. Influential Religious Figures and Literature (00:34:43)

12. Virtues as Spiritual Tools and Weapons to fight Tyranny (00:35:27)

13. Christian inspired activists and dissidents (00:39:13)

14. Bonhoeffer & Solzhenitsyn - Bonhoeffer Writing from Prison (00:41:24)

15. Northrop Frye (00:43:50)

16. Talks at Cornerstone Festival (00:45:26)

17. Conclusion (00:46:40)