Continuing my theme of winter reading (see below Anne Applebaum's Gulag), I am now half way through Vasily Grossman’s fictional work Life and Fate. Written in Soviet Russia, it is an epic 860+ pages about the battle of Stalingrad. In order to read this book, I have found it to be extremely helpful to have previously read about the History of Twentieth Century Europe and of the Soviet Union in particular. Having said that, this book would be useful for anyone that wanted to learn about this period, so take note any students out there, this book will help you get op marks if you quote from it.
It also reminds me that for each book we read, context is everything. Clearly Grossman has understood the political and societal circumstances in which he is writing such an anti-Stalinist work, and he yet writes it anyway. This is brave stuff indeed. Moreover, what has equally impressed me is the level of that understanding. Grossman clearly knows about the purges of 1937, the famine surrounding collectivisation, the dehumanization of the Kulaks, the conditions of the Gulags as well as the nature of the Nazi regime the Soviets are fighting against. In fact he hammers home his understanding of both regimes and their capacity to inflict cruel and harsh punishments on the citizens underneath them.
On a personal note; this book has every chance of getting into my all time Top 5 books list, it is that good. A list, which has not had a new entry for quite some time, the impact the books have made on me has proved them to be so immovable.
It also reminds me that for each book we read, context is everything. Clearly Grossman has understood the political and societal circumstances in which he is writing such an anti-Stalinist work, and he yet writes it anyway. This is brave stuff indeed. Moreover, what has equally impressed me is the level of that understanding. Grossman clearly knows about the purges of 1937, the famine surrounding collectivisation, the dehumanization of the Kulaks, the conditions of the Gulags as well as the nature of the Nazi regime the Soviets are fighting against. In fact he hammers home his understanding of both regimes and their capacity to inflict cruel and harsh punishments on the citizens underneath them.
On a personal note; this book has every chance of getting into my all time Top 5 books list, it is that good. A list, which has not had a new entry for quite some time, the impact the books have made on me has proved them to be so immovable.
For more see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Life_and_Fate
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