Invisible Allies

Washington, D.C.: Counterpoint, 1995. First Edition, First Printing. Hardcover with Dust Jacket. Fine/Fine.

A Fine Hardcover in a Fine Dust Jacket. A New Giftable Book.  9.25 inches tall; with Translator Notes and Index.. The number of Solzhenitsyn's clandestine allies exceeded 100, known by code names like the Queen, Dandelion, and the Badger. They operated covertly within the U.S.S.R., aiding Solzhenitsyn by copying, microfilming, and hiding his manuscripts, as well as distributing them through samizdat. Among them, Elizaveta Denisovna bravely preserved a manuscript despite KGB scrutiny, facing either death or suicide as a consequence.

In his 1980 memoir, "The Oak and the Calf," Solzhenitsyn identified Elizaveta as Q, but now, without endangering lives, he reveals more about these allies. Notable among them is Elena Chukovskaya, granddaughter of renowned children's writer Kornie Chukovsky. Initially unnamed, she is revealed as part of the duo referred to as "we" in Solzhenitsyn's narrative.

Later, the inner circle expanded to include Natalya Svetlova, Alya, who would become Solzhenitsyn's wife. The memoir, written concurrently with "The Oak and the Calf," focuses on this subplot, offering a less bombastic portrayal of Solzhenitsyn.

Despite his self-description as a "wilful old bear," his sentimentality humanizes him as he recounts the strains of his covert life.