The protagonist's surname in Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich is Shukhov.
Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is a prisoner in a Soviet labor camp during the early 1950s. The novella follows one day of his sentence, showing how he survives through discipline, practical skill, careful trading, and constant attention to food and work assignments. Although the title uses his given name and patronymic, the narrative usually identifies him by his surname, Shukhov.
Shukhov was imprisoned after being captured by German forces during World War II and later accused of spying. The camp's harsh conditions are shown through freezing weather, exhausting construction work, hunger, inspections, and arbitrary punishment. Small successes—such as securing an extra ration or preserving a tool—become meaningful victories.
A common mistake is treating “Denisovich” as the surname. In Russian naming conventions, Denisovich is a patronymic meaning “son of Denis.” “Ivan” is his given name, while “Shukhov” is his family name. Solzhenitsyn first published the novella in the Soviet journal Novy Mir in November 1962.