Man is Wolf to Man: Surviving Stalin's Gulag

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Janusz Bardach

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Pages: 416 (Paperback)

ISBN: 0743239814

Pub: Scribner

Pub date: 2003-09-01

Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 45506

Editorial Review:

In 1941, accidentally rolling a Soviet tank while fording a river was considered a capital offence by the Red Army. Unfortunately for young Janusz Bardach, he committed just such an error; luckily for him an old acquaintance from his hometown in Poland had enough rank and influence to commute the court-martial penalty from death to 10 years hard labour in Siberia. For the next four years, Bardach endured hellish conditions in various labour camps--first a logging camp, then a gold mine in the frozen north. Frigid temperatures, inadequate food and clothing combined with physical and spiritual malaise to bring prisoners first to the edge of despair and then to the brink of suicide. Bardach survived by turning his mind off, by refusing to remember happier times or to anticipate the future. He became, simply, a beast of burden, shuffling through the hours of his slavery until he could fall into the brief oblivion of sleep.

Ironically, it was a near brush with death that proved to be Bardach's salvation. After surviving an explosion, he was sent to a prison hospital where he managed to talk his way into a job as a medical assistant. There he gained both a new lease on life and a future profession. Released from his sentence early, in 1945, Bardach went on to become a surgeon. His memoir, Man Is Wolf to Man, is more than just an account of his sufferings in a Russian labour camp; it is also a meditation on the will to survive in the face of hopelessness, the occasional kindnesses of strangers in unexpected places, and above all, the struggle to remain human under the most inhumane conditions.

Reader Reviews:

A harrowing story told with unflinching honesty (1/1 people found this helpful)

Having read several accounts of the experiences of victims sucked into the monstrous machine that was the Soviet GULag, Janusz Bardach's account stands out for its unflinching personal honesty. It is not for the faint-hearted, as Bardach never glosses over the atrocities committed. But he never appears simply as a witness, or victim, since his account is a true autobiography - he also describes the effects his experiences had on his own character.

To the reviewer who felt the narrative 'petered out', I would recommend that they read Bardach's second volume "Surviving Freedom", which brings his personal history up to his emigration to the US. It also gives more detail about Bardach's youth, prior to his Soviet experiences. If you are interested in this remarkable man, rather than just his description of the GULag, then you should really read both books (he summarises the period covered by the first book in just a few pages of the latter).

Outstanding ! inspiring ! (4/4 people found this helpful)

This is an outstanding book taking us through a most remarkable life, of a man I'd never heard of, but who survived the inhumanities of Stalin's Russia and brought hope and comfort to many after he came through his ordeal. We see the young Janusz Bardach of the Red Army facing first execution and then a totally unjust sentence to labour in the gulag ; his long and horrendous train journey to the camp ; the brutality of camp existence and his will to survive intact ; and (briefly)his eventual release and the start of a new and distinguished career (just put his name in a search engine) transforming many people's lives. The brutalities of the Stalinist regime, and the human will to survive it, have rarely been detailed so well, and I can recommend this book without reservation.

Profoundly Moving (0/1 people found this helpful)

Profoundly moving, an amazing escape story, and an utter indictment of the real world effects of communism put into practice.

Extraordinary tale of survival (4/5 people found this helpful)

The fact that a close friend's parents were Polish Jews who survived the war gave this account added resonance. The book exposes the cruelty and inhumanity of the Soviet system, particularly when the authors home town is violently cleared by the Communists of all Polish men, women and children not demonstrably of the working class, who are then dispatched to the harsh conditions of the Siberian Gulag. The author's own often terrifying experience of the sheer awfulness of the brutal camps and vicious guards is vividly described, and yet his survival sends a message of hope and optimism, in light both of the friends he makes in Kolyma and of the tremendous contribution he makes with the rest of his life as a life changing surgeon.

Excellent (0/0 people found this helpful)

As I'm dyslexic I'm a slow reader so hopefully this review will be of use to anyone in a similar position.

I found this book to be an utterly compelling read. The title really does not prepare you for Janusz adventures in both Poland and Russia.

The harrowing description of the Gulags really is only half of the story. Details of the author's life before and during the Nazi occupation of Poland, and his incredible journey including time spent in the Russian army makes fascinating reading.

This book is an excellent insight into how some people can adapt to deal with the most intolerable circumstances. Janusz paces the action very well, although this may be more down to the fact, his story really is so incredibly interesting and he has so much fascinating material.

If I absolutely had to find a negative I was a little disappointed with how the book fizzles out. It's a true story, so the authors can't be blamed. This only very (and I mean very) slightly diminish my reading experience.

An excellent story. You will NOT be disappointed!!!

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