In Monastery Prisons Daniel H. Shubin directs the attention of fans of Russian history to the unbearable conditions of prisoners in Russian monasteries. The book describes two monasteries and details life of inmates from the time of the Middle Ages through the nineteenth century. The subject is depressing, and that, not the author’s style, makes the book difficult to read. Actually, it is the author’s technique of presenting story after story which leads one to continue reading. Normally, prisoners were beaten and tortured before being transported to the monasteries. There, religious, criminal, and political prisoners alike suffered deprivations of food, clothing, writing materials, and human contact. Invariably, these caused physical and mental illness in cold, dark cellars. Built into the monastery walls or dug out under the monastery, they had dirt floors with little or no space for walking or standing. Few reference materials exist. Shubin uses what is available in Russian: Monastirski Turmi, Exiles and Prisoners of the Prison of Solovetski Monastery, Inmates of Solovetski Monastery, and History of the Tsar’s Prisons. End notes refer readers to some secondary sources. Despite the limitations, Shubin manages to present the full scope of pain which inmates endured to non-Russian speakers. Author Shubin initially states an intention to present no moral or ethical judgements concerning the prisoners, judges, jailors, or the system. He doesn’t need to. Through the details of prisoners’ names, offenses, punishment, and consequences of punishment, the reader’s abhorrence to the enormity of man’s inhumanity to man grows. Inexplicably, however, an opposite emotion emerges - admiration for people who were able to endure and continue living six, fifteen, twenty years and more. Why did they still retain a will to survive and continue to pray to God as they understood Him, rather than accept dictates of the Orthodox Church? Why did some hope to escape? Why not despair and die? In the end, readers are grateful to Tsar Nicholas II who decreed religious toleration in 1905. For those with and without a background in Russian history, Shubin turns a presentation of facts into an emotional experience. The book includes a few photos taken by the author who visited the Solovetski Island Monastery and the Suzdal Spasso-Evfimiev Monastery in 1997. Now museums, their photos help the reader envision prison conditions. The sketchy framework of historical background found at the beginning and end of the book may spark curiosity and lead some to learn more. The book broadens the knowledge of those who are already immersed in Russian history. 228 pages.

Publisher: Xlibris Corp., 2006
ISBN: 073885073X
Genre: Non-Fiction
Price: $21.99 paperback