Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Brave Soul & Intrepid Traveler

I had just mentioned to our exchange student that I've been disconnected from all news the past seven days. When Mechanical Hamster brought to our attention via blog that Alexander Solzhenitsyn had passed away on Sunday, August 3rd, 2008, I was stunned. I wasn't ready for him to die. I had yet to stand in his presence or shake his hand. But, then, it's not about me, is it?

Several months ago, in her keynote address at Wenatchee's Write on the River, Elizabeth George had mentioned that she was reading The Gulag Archipelago. I was suitably impressed and immediately went out and purchased her latest book. After all, anyone reading Solzhenitsyn couldn't be all bad, right?