ABSTRACT
The interview with Demichev seemed an excellent sign, and Solzhenitsyn was reasonably confident that he had made a good impression. In truth the “cottage” was nothing more than a primitive wooden shack, consisting of a single, large room downstairs and an attic above, with a small, rustic balcony and a corrugated iron roof. There was no running water, no gas or electricity, and no toilet, and in winter it was uninhabitable because of the cold. In outline, the plan of the work had not changed much at all. Solzhenitsyn still regarded the 1914 Battle of Tannenberg and Samsonov’s defeat as the key to the events that followed, including Russia’s collapse and the Revolution. Solzhenitsyn drove to Tvardovsky’s by a circuitous route, so as to avoid entering Moscow. After very little sleep that night, Solzhenitsyn drove into Moscow, where he was greeted by news of fresh calamities.
