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April 1917 by Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

April 1917

The Red Wheel, Node IV, Book 1

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Clare Kitson

University of Notre Dame Press · Print & ebook · November 1, 2025

20th-Century Historical FictionPolitical Fictionhistoryhistorical
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literature
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Who it’s for
Russia's provisional rulers face division as Lenin returns with his April Theses.
Genres
20th-Century Historical Fiction, Political Fiction
Published
University of Notre Dame Press, November 1, 2025

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About this book

April 1917, Book 1, captures the division and helplessness of Russia?s first Revolutionary rulers, paving the way for the victory of the ruthless Bolsheviks later that year. One of the masterpieces of world literature, The Red Wheel is Nobel prize?winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn?s multivolume epic work about the Russian Revolution told in the form of a historical novel. April 1917?the fourth node?

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shows the intractable divisions that would lead Russia to catastrophic Communist dictatorship and civil war. Whereas the first three nodes of The Red Wheel form its first act, ?The Revolution,? April 1917 opens its second act, ?The Rule of the People.? The action of Book 1 (of two) is set during April 11?May 5, 1917. Book 1 presents an early showdown, just seven weeks into the revolution, between its various wings. The Provisional Government comes under fire for its ?bourgeois? capitalism and continuing commitment to World War I. Bolshevik leader Vladimir Lenin returns from exile and delivers his April Theses in Petrograd, actively sowing seeds of division. He declares that the revolution is not complete and openly calls for civil war, outlining a radical plan to overthrow the Provisional Government and seize power for the Soviets. Amid the chaos and rising tide of Bolshevism, the elements of resistance, and decency, slowly begin to awaken.

April's Revolutionary Divide

Russia's provisional rulers face division as Lenin returns with his April Theses.

Come here for

  • The Provisional Government's early showdown with competing revolutionary wings
  • Lenin's return from exile and his April Theses

Expect

  • A historical novel set April 11–May 5, 1917
  • The fourth node in The Red Wheel, opening its second act

Where it sits

Political Fiction74%
20th-Century Historical Fiction68%

Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.

Publisher categories

  • The Classics
  • 20th-Century Historical Fiction
  • Political Fiction
  • Soviet-Era Russia
Show all 5 publisher categories
  • Russian Lit Crit
Authors
Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, Clare Kitson
Publisher
University of Notre Dame Press
Published
November 1, 2025
Format
Print & ebook
Reading lane
The Classics