These two letters by the Russian novelist Alexander Solzhenitsyn reveal vividly the condition of the writer in his struggle against the Communist bureaucracy of Russia. The first letter was written to a group of students who had visited him; the second was sent to the Writers’ Union in protest against his expulsion. We reprint the translations from Survey, with thanks. While preparing to go to press, we learn that Solzhenitsyn has won the Nobel Prize.—EDS.

I feel that I have not told you everything, that I have not fully clarified my thoughts. Here then are a few more words.

Justice has been the common patrimony of humanity throughout the ages. It does not cease to exist for the majority even when it is twisted in some (“exclusive”) circles. Obviously it is a concept which is inherent in man, since it cannot be traced to any other source. Justice exists even if there are only a few individuals who recognize it as such. The love of justice seems to me to be a different sentiment from the love of people (or at least the two coincide only partially). And in periods of mass decadence, when the question is posed, “Why bother? What are the sacrifices for?” it is possible to answer with certainty: “For justice.” There is nothing relative about justice, as there is nothing relative about conscience. Indeed, justice is conscience, not ...