By now, I’m going to assume you’ve got your copy of The First Circle: A Novel (The Restored Text: The First Uncensored Edition)
I’m also going to assume that there are not only folks out there who have the Unexpurgated Version with 96 chapters but also folks who got the copy from their local library, their personal collection, or from a beloved local used bookstore and may then have the version with 87 chapters. As such, I’m going to confirm that the chapter we finish our readings on will be a chapter that is in both groups’ books. Now, of course, the chapter titles in my two versions were translated by two different people and so have slightly different wording/meaning… which tells me that that may be an issue when we discuss the book with each other.
Which is good because I *LOVE* that stuff.
In any case, I’m going to say that the “red version” is the original and the “black version” is the new and uncensored one (because my copies of the book have those respective colors… no political subtext at all). I’m thinking that six sessions would be best for everybody… that’s about 15 chapters per session for red readers and 16 for black readers.
In my red version, the first chapter is called “And Who Are You?”. In my black version, the first chapter is called “Torpedo”. I figure we should start there and read up through chapter Red 15 and Black 16, both chapter titles in my version have been translated to “A Troika Of Liars”. (The chapter that is in the Black version that isn’t in the Red version is chapter 2 “A Miscue”.)
So read those chapters! Meet back here this time next week?
Red, black … Are we playing Russian roulette?Report
I’m vaguely irritated because a red network is a network with sensitive information and a black network is a network without. So the red book is the black book and the black book is the red book.
BUT NOBODY ASKED ME.Report
Sometimes you can’t see the forest for the red-black trees.Report
For some reason when I ordered the book Amazon didn’t realize I wanted it on my Kindle. This may not be a problem for anyone but me.
But I’ll be back next week.Report
I’ve got the 96 chapter Kindle version, which is the black version. I’ll be back next week as well. You think that, being married to a ex-citizen of the former Soviet Union, I’d have read someReport
I’ve got the 96 chapter Kindle version, which is the black version. I’ll be back next week as well. You think that, being married to a ex-citizen of the former Soviet Union, I’d have read some Solzhenitsyn by now, but no.
Sorry for the repeat post.Report
I have the old fashioned paper, black book. Perfect timing just finished a book and needed something else to start on. See everyone next weekReport
I have mine, the black cover.Report
A discussion question to think about for those with the black book: why do you think Chapter 2 was originally removed?Report
(And I am sorry to not have “discussion questions” for people reading either book but I think that discussions are better when they’re organic. So maybe you folks have suggested discussion questions?)Report
It’s a bit too confrontational with the ’50’s USSR, and I’m betting editorially not really necessary.Report
So it turns out that the reason you couldn’t find your copy is because it’s over here sitting on my bookshelf. It’s the “red” version, and of course since I despise abridgments, I see myself going out to my favorite used bookstore sometime this week to try to track down the full version.Report
(I should amend that to say, “it WAS sitting on my bookshelf, but now I’m reading it.”)Report
The only abridgments I like are the ones William Goldman does, because S. Morgenstern does ramble on.Report