Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Darkness at Noon
Book Review: Brilliantly demonstrates the errors of communist ideology
Summary: 5 Stars
Only a former communist like this brilliant author could get under the skin of a true dyed in the wool communist like Rubashov, the protagonist in this novel, to expose just how bankrupt is communism.
The novel portrays the imprisonment, torture, confession, show-trial, and execution of the fictional Rubashov who just happens to be one of the founders of the communist state that does all this to him. What I found striking about the novel is that rather than take the easy route of portraying Rubashov as a sympathetic victim of totalitarian oppression who either is totally unblameworthy and persecuted by the state or who -- although deserving blame for his predicament because he helped cause the state to come into existence -- comes to a realization of his errors and realizes the evil he has helped to create, Koestler instead portrays Rubashov as so blinded by the communist ideology that he has chosen to follow that even as he is being led to his execution after a long imprisonment during which he spends the entire time going over his life dedicated to the spreading communist ideology he still cannot grasp the fatal flaws of his chosen ideology. In fact, it seems that every time something happens to Rubashov that plainly shows that his chosen ideology is bankrupt he just becomes more firmly embedded in his mistaken beliefs. This is symbolized by his reflexive polishing of his prince-nez -- the symbol of his communist ideology -- throughout the novel whenever something bad happens as a result of his beliefs; said prince-nez falling to the ground and shattering seconds before his execution.
The true genius of this novel, however, is that Koestler shows us these flaws without beating us over the head in an Ayn Rand-like manner. Koestler subtly shows the reader these flaws by just letting the reader hear Rubashov speak in his "own words" so to speak. The really funny thing is that Rubashov, who is obviously a fiercely intelligent person, is so blinded by his ideological maxims and historical laws that he simply is incapable of seeing the errors in his thinking that have led to his predicament. Koestler does a fantastic job in portraying Rubashov's intellectual confusion so that the reader can see what Rubashov cannot see without Koestler even having to specifically give voice to any counterarguments to communism whatsoever. Thanks to this novel I have a better understanding of how the so-called intelligentsia has always been so susceptible to such a moronic ideology as communism.
Book Review: Contradictory, yet consistent. Whole. Beautiful.
Summary: 5 Stars
What is this book? It is so many different things: it is both savage indictment of the Soviet socialist state and a partial defense of its leaders. It is a tale of life in death and death in life, of imprisonment and of being set free. It is an incredibly intellectual defense of certain breeds of anti-intellectualism. It is both fiction and philosophy. It is a repository of incredibly black, yet unfailingly humanistic humor. It is an exploration of differing strains of morality. It is about collectivism and individuality. It is, in many ways, a Dostoevsky redux. It is an account of the psychology of imprisonment (which Koestler, who had been jailed for political reasons, knows well). It is a debate about the worth of communism as an idea and as a practice. Koestler comes to no easy conclusions. He gives a shocking amount of credit to the ideas that he attacks. He attacks, to a shocking extent, the concepts which he most treasures. There are no cookie-cutter villains in this book; Koestler condemns horrifying ideas and practices at the same time as he humanizes their perpetrators. In this manner, Koestler depicts the Stalinist regime; he shows the reader how that regime was possible. Some of Koestler's reasoning is probably flawed. He fails to take into account the individual desire for power. But that does not matter; that desire is known and emphasized, perhaps overemphasized, in official histories anyway. Koestler tackles desires that are not part of the official record because those who held those desires lost.
Darkness at Noon was first published in 1940, nine years before 1984. It tackles many of the same themes as 1984. It is better than 1984.
Please--read it.
Book Review: Darkness At Noon
Summary: 3 Stars
Darkness At Noon was, for me, hard to understand at times, but was still a good and worthwhile read.Koestler was able to portray Rubashov with stark reality. Rubashov's talking to himself gives you a good picture of how he is torn between loyalty and dislike for the communist party. However, his shifts from present to past and back again could be confusing at times.
The book also shows the difference in beliefs between people in the Soviet Union. The best example of this is when the prisoner in cell 402, a monarchist, taps to Rubashov, "Bravo, the wolves devour each other".
Book Review: Deep Book
Summary: 4 Stars
Koestler examines the final weeks of a condemned man in Darkness at Noon. The tables have turned for the character in this book as he realizes that the party he helped create has changed and now wishes to destroy him. During his incarceration, the character examines his past actions and realizes that there are patterns to the political process. The complexity of the process corresponds to the amount of technology available to the society. I found this book interesting, although complicated at times. As a story, it was a bit dull, but as a book expressing ideas on political Darwinism, it was interesting. Well worth reading, however it is not a quick read. Careful reading is a mandatory.Book Review: Epic!
Summary: 5 Stars
Darkness at Noon is a towering moral comment on humanity. The theme and style of the recently released, The Triumph and the Glory, reminded me of this great book, which I'd read years ago, so I read it again and it STILL leaves a pwerful impact. Must reading for anyone with a conscience and concern for humankind.