The First Circle

Summary

The novel "The First Circle" by Alexander Solzhenitsyn depicts the lives of prisoners in a Soviet research institute, known as a sharashka, in the late 1940s. The main character, engineer Gleb Nerzhin, along with other inmates, works on secret projects for the government. At the heart of the story are the moral and ethical dilemmas faced by the characters, their struggle for human dignity, and their yearning for freedom. The novel explores themes of betrayal, conscience, and personal responsibility under a totalitarian regime.