Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn Reading Order
8 series · 40 books
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn was a prominent Soviet and Russian novelist and dissident known for his courageous exploration of themes surrounding political oppression. Over his prolific career, which spanned from 1960 to 2025, he published approximately 40 works across eight series, including notable titles like The Red Wheel and The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956. His powerful storytelling and commitment to the enduring traditions of Russian literature earned him the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1970.
Anthologies Series
Complete2 books (1974–2018)
Start with Kontinent: The Alternative Voice of Russia & Eastern Europe, 1 and read in order.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 | Kontinent: The Alternative Voice of Russia & Eastern Europe, 1 1974Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | Writers: Their Lives and Works 2018Buy 🇺🇸 |
Collections Series
Complete8 books (1960–2009)
Start with Candle in the Wind, the first of 8 books in the Collections series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Candle in the Wind 1960Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Matryona's House and Other Stories 1963Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  Stories and Prose Poems 1963Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  Victory Celebrations, Prisoners & The Love-Girl & The Innocent 1969Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Prussian Nights: A Poem 1974Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | We Never Make Mistakes 2004Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  Apricot Jam: And Other Stories 2008Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 |  Voices from the Gulag 2009Buy 🇺🇸 |
Non-Fiction Series
Likely Complete13 books (1971–2021)
Start with Nobel Lecture, the first of 13 books in the Non-Fiction series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  Nobel Lecture 1971Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Letter to the Soviet Leaders 1974Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  From Under the Rubble(With: Mikhail Agursky,Evgeny Barabanov,Vadim Borisov,F. Korsakov,Igor R. Shafarevich) 1975Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  The Oak And The Calf: Sketches Of Literary Life In The Soviet Union 1975Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  Détente, Democracy and Dictatorship 1976Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 |  Warning to the West 1976Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 |  A World Split Apart: Commencement Address Delivered At Harvard University, June 8, 1978 1978Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 8 | Rebuilding Russia: Reflections and Tentative Proposals 1990Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 9 |  The Russian Question at the End of the Twentieth Century 1994Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 10 |  Invisible Allies 1995Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 11 |  Between Two Millstones, Book 1: Sketches of Exile, 1974-1978 2006Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 12 |  Between Two Millstones, Book 2: Exile in America, 1978-1994 2020Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 13 | The Gulag Archipelago: Complete Edition 2021Buy 🇺🇸 |
Plays Series
Complete2 books (1969–1983)
Start with The Love-Girl and The Innocent: A Play and read in order.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  The Love-Girl and The Innocent: A Play 1969Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Victory Celebrations: A Comedy in Four Acts 1983Buy 🇺🇸 |
Short Stories/Novellas Series
Complete1 book (1962–1962)
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich 1962Buy 🇺🇸 |
Standalone Novels Series
Complete4 books (1964–1975)
Start with For The Good Of The Cause, the first of 4 books in the Standalone Novels series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  For The Good Of The Cause 1964Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  Cancer Ward 1967Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 |  In the First Circle 1968Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  Lenin in Zürich 1975Buy 🇺🇸 |
The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956 Series
Complete3 books (1973–1974)
Start with An Experiment in Literary Investigation, Volume 1 and read in order.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  An Experiment in Literary Investigation, Volume 1 1973Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 | An Experiment in Literary Investigation, Volume 2 1973Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | An Experiment in Literary Investigation, Volume 3 1974Buy 🇺🇸 |
The Red Wheel Series
Ongoing7 books (1971–2025)
Start with August 1914, the first of 7 books in the The Red Wheel series.
| # | Title |
|---|---|
| 1 |  August 1914 1971Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 2 |  November 1916 1985Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 3 | March 1917: The Red Wheel, Node III, Book 1 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 4 |  March 1917: The Red Wheel, Node III, Book 2 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 5 |  March 1917: The Red Wheel, Node III, Book 3 2017Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 6 | March 1917: The Red Wheel, Node III, Book 4 2024Buy 🇺🇸 |
| 7 | April 1917: The Red Wheel, Node IV, Book 1 2025Buy 🇺🇸 |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How many books has Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn written?
- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has written 40 books across 8 series. Their published works span from 1960 to 2025.
- What is the first book in each Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn series?
- Here are the first books in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's series: Anthologies: Kontinent: The Alternative Voice of Russia & Eastern Europe, 1; Collections: Candle in the Wind; Non-Fiction: Nobel Lecture; Plays: The Love-Girl and The Innocent: A Play; The Gulag Archipelago 1918-1956: An Experiment in Literary Investigation, Volume 1.
- What order should I read Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's books?
- We recommend reading Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's series in publication order. Each series can be read independently.
- Is Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn still writing new books?
- Yes, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn has 1 ongoing series: The Red Wheel.