Solzhenitsyn’s Tennis

Yes, Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn spent nearly 18 years living in the small town of Cavendish, from 1976 until his return to Russia in 1994. He chose the area because its forests, hills, and rural character reminded him of parts of Russia, and because the local community respected his privacy.

As for tennis: Solzhenitsyn was known to be physically active and enjoyed sports, including tennis, particularly during his years in the West. However, unlike Nabokov, tennis was not a major literary theme in his writing, and there is no famous Solzhenitsyn tennis quotation comparable to the “playing tennis in heaven” tradition. The Vermont sources focus much more on his writing routine, walks, woodlands, and intense work on The Red Wheel than on tennis.

A quote of his that many tennis players and athletes appreciate is:

“The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart.”

This comes from his reflections on the Gulag experience and is perhaps his most famous observation about human nature.

Another that seems fitting for someone who enjoys difficult pursuits—whether literature, paddling upstream, or tennis improvement—is:

“A man with two trades to his credit can easily learn another ten.”

And from his farewell to Vermont, there is a quieter sentiment:

“I could not imagine a better place to live … than Cavendish, Vermont.”

After years of prison camps and exile, he regarded Vermont as a refuge where he could work in peace.

It’s interesting that both Nabokov and Solzhenitsyn—very different Russian writers—ended up in the United States and were tennis players of a sort. Nabokov tended to see games as art and pattern; Solzhenitsyn approached life more as endurance, discipline, and moral struggle. A tennis court can accommodate both philosophies.