In the First Circle

The novel, set during December 1949, takes place in a sharashka near Moscow, a research facility where prisoners, including scientists and engineers, work on secret projects for the Soviet government.

The story follows characters like Lev Rubin, Dimitri Sologdin, and Gleb Nerzhin as they navigate the complexities of their privileged yet oppressive environment.

The title alludes to Dante's 'Inferno,' where the first circle of Hell is limbo, reflecting the relatively better conditions but moral limbo of the prisoners.

The novel delves into themes of conscience, moral imperative, and the struggle to retain human dignity within a totalitarian system.

Solzhenitsyn's work is semi-autobiographical, drawing from his own experiences in the gulag system.