Rusija odaje poštu Solženjicinu

Alexander Solzhenitsyn not only wrote about some of 20th century Russia's hardest times, he experienced them. As his compatriots pay tribute, they are recognizing his role as a chronicler of his nation's history.

Mikhail Gorbachev, the last leader of the Soviet Union, has described Mr Solzhenitsyn as "one of the first people who spoke up about the inhumanity of Stalin's regime and about the people who lived through this but were not broken".

The Russian Orthodox Church has praised the former prison camp inmate as an example of human dignity.

The Russian Prime Minister, Vladimir Putin, has called Alexander Solzhenitsyn's death "a heavy loss for the whole of Russia". It is perhaps a sign of the rocky historical road which Russia has travelled that one of its highest profile dissidents should now receive such a tribute from a former officer of the KGB.

James Rodgers, BBC News, Moscow

compatriots pay tribute
sunarodnici iskazuju poštovanje, zahvalnost i divljenje

a chronicler
hroničar, neko ko beleži događaje hronološkim redosledom

spoke up about
javno je kritikovao

inhumanity
okrutnost, nehumanost, "kada se ljudi ponašaju kao da nisu ljudi"

were not broken
nije bio slomljen, nije prihvatio poraz, nije prestao da se suprotstavlja režimu

inmate
zatvorenik, zatočenik, neko ko služu kaznu u zatvoru ili je smešten u bolnici za mentalno obolele

dignity
ponos, dignitet, shvatanje sopstvene važnosti, demonstracija samopoštovanja

rocky historical road
istorija puna teških perioda, trnovit put kroz istoriju

travelled
u ovom slučaju - preživeo, proživeo, iskusio

highest profile dissidents
u ovom slučaju - javne ličnosti koje su izrazile neslaganje sa sovjetskim političkim sistemom