The author, Arthur Koestler, a Hungarian writer of Jewish origins, was a laureate of the Sonning Prize, and a former communist.

This reveals an extremely meaningful historical context. The novel is, in some respects, a critique of the way the communist machinery used to be during the period just before the Second World War. The powerful influence it had in the world, was indeed remarkable. It raises crucial questions for all of us. Can we trust our political leaders? Are we protected from government? Do we believe the information provided to us by the media? Perhaps, we do not notice the bigger picture and simply follow mainstream opinions? Are we easily manipulated? The answers can be found in 'Darkness at noon', as well as the reason why literature like this must never be forgotten.ĭarkness at noon is a book, which was included in the 100 best novels of XX century list by the Modern Library. The novel I am about to recommend shows what happens when society meets totalitarianism, when leadership becomes paranoid and when trust in public institutions slowly disappears. However, as we all know, history repeats itself. Therefore, we are responsible for making sure we’ve learned our historical lessons - and by saying that, I mean literature as well, in which the events of the past are very vividly depicted through real life examples.

You might say: ' What can happen to me in the 21st century, when the political situation is stable, medicines are developed and are widely available, and people have the freedom to spend half of their lives on the internet?” Well, you are partly right. In 1998, the Modern Library ranked Darkness at Noon number eight on its list of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century, even though Koestler wrote it in German.We live in a cruel, dangerous, and unpredictable world. The novel expresses the author's disillusionment with the Bolshevik ideology of the Soviet Union at the outset of World War II. Joseph Stalin is represented by 'Number One', a menacing dictator.

Despite being based on real events, the novel does not name either Russia or the Soviets, and tends to use generic terms to describe people and organizations: for example the Soviet government is referred to as 'the Party' and Nazi Germany is referred to as 'the Dictatorship'. The novel is set in 1939 during the Stalinist Great Purge and Moscow show trials. His best known work, it is the tale of Rubashov, an Old Bolshevik who is arrested, imprisoned, and tried for treason against the government that he helped to create.

Darkness at Noon (German: Sonnenfinsternis) is a novel by Hungarian-born British novelist Arthur Koestler, first published in 1940.

Darkness at Noon by Arthur Koestler