This is a story of a boy born in a Siberian Gulag in
1937. If someone were quick to judge, the story paints a picture of a life
doomed. However, Kolia somehow manages to receive advantage over advantage to
not only survive the miseries of some the harshest tragedies of the Soviet
prison system, but also is able to rise to the ranks of an acclaimed circus clown in Moscow.
In the labour camp in eastern Siberia, Iosif, a prisoner from Western Europe, teaches Kolia the basic knowledge for survival in the harsh environment of the Gulag, in addition to other practical lessons in Calculus, Russian and French.
One of my favourite exerts from the book: “Kolia regularly repeated what Iosif had told him to buoy up his spirits in the camp. Appear to be weaker than your aggressor. Breathe slower than your enemy. Eat only two meals a day to train your body to withstand hunger. Sleep less. Think more. Read everything you can and anything you want to. But above all, constantly question what others tel…
In the labour camp in eastern Siberia, Iosif, a prisoner from Western Europe, teaches Kolia the basic knowledge for survival in the harsh environment of the Gulag, in addition to other practical lessons in Calculus, Russian and French.
One of my favourite exerts from the book: “Kolia regularly repeated what Iosif had told him to buoy up his spirits in the camp. Appear to be weaker than your aggressor. Breathe slower than your enemy. Eat only two meals a day to train your body to withstand hunger. Sleep less. Think more. Read everything you can and anything you want to. But above all, constantly question what others tel…