The Russian Revolution and the purges of Leninist and Stalinist Russia gave rise to a literary production as diverse as it was voluminous. Darkness at Noon, a novel detailing the infamous Moscow show trials, conducted during the reign of Joseph Stalin, is Arthur Koestler's commentary on the event that was yet another attempt by Stalin to silence his critics. In the novel, Koestler explains Marxism and why a movement that had as its aim the “regeneration of humanity, should end in slavery” and how, despite its drawbacks, it still held a fascination for intellectuals. It is for this reason that Koestler may have attempted to “not solve but expose” the shortcomings of this political system and in doing so reiterated once again the sacredness of individual freedom over the collective good that this ideology professes to promote. Aside from political theory, the novel also indulges in philosophical discussions, usually within the feverish mind of its protagonist. Darkness at Noon is a sparsely populated novel and, apart from Rubashov, the man on trial, features his two interrogations and the Leader issue. 1, an obvious euphemism for Joseph Stalin. The novel has an almost allegorical character as no places, people or incidents are labeled, although it is clear that the author is referring to the Moscow show trials; this is generally considered one of the greatest parodies of justice ever. The novel is written as a series of three trials conducted to implicate Rubashov for his counter-revolutionary activities, while other incidents in the novel are described through flashbacks and the dreams of the victimized former People's Commissar, Rubashov's name during his wartime period. ....middle of paper ......a communist, who had seen life on both sides of the Iron Curtain. References Bolton, Dr. KR “The Moscow Trials in Historical Context” Foreign Policy Journal. (2011) Retrieved from: http://www.foreignpolicyjournal.com/2011/04/22/the-moscow-trials-in-historical-context/8/Conquest, Robert. The Great Terror: a reassessment. Oxford University Press (2007) Gregory, Paul R. “Martyred For Communism” Hoover Digest No.3 (2010) Retrieved from: http://www.hoover.org/publications/hoover-digest/article/36036 Hitchens, Christopher. “Darkness at Noon: Arthur Koestler's Cornerstone Anti-Stalinist Novel” Slate. (2005) Retrieved from: http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/book_blitz/2005/09/darkness_at_noon.single.htmlSchaefer, David Lewis. “The Limits of Ideology: Koestler's Darkness at Noon,” Modern Age, vol. 29, no. 4, Autumn (1985)