Red Kayak/Zhanry Podrostkovaia Literatura is a novel by Russian author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn. It was first published in 1978 in Moscow by Novaya Gazeta and has been translated into more than 20 languages. The book tells the story of a young kayaker from a privileged family who becomes involved with leftist activists. When his involvement leads to his being arrested, he is forced to consider what kind of life he wants to lead after his release. Solzhenitsyn used his own experiences as the basis for the character of Arkadi Ivanov. In 1974, when the author was president of the writing committee of Izvestia, he was asked to create a character who would become one of the icons of the Soviet era. Thus, Arkadi Ivanov was born. Ivanov is a young man living in Moscow who takes up kayaking as a means of escape from his stressful life. He quickly realizes that this activity provides him with an opportunity to meet like-minded people who can help him understand what is going on in the world around him. This inspiration leads him to join a leftist group that promotes anti-nuclear protests through acts of vandalism.