Russia and its World
Russia in all its aspects has always exerted a pull on me. Its history, art, music, food, landscapes, dress in all varied ethnic glory, and, above all, its literature have a special access to my attention. A major challenge is Russia’s colossal size and diversity of geography. Another continual surprise is the number of its distinctive peoples, each with unique folkways and histories. Russia has had some epic totalitarian regimes over its long history — but it also has been the home of some of the world’s greatest, most creative, and most influential anarchist philosophers. Russia is big enough and complex enough to handle all sorts of contradictions and paradoxes — and to claim them all proudly (and fatalistically, a classic Russian trait).
Over the years I have noticed that my store has become home to a great range of literature, fiction and nonfiction, of the Russian soul and mind and heart. I share it here and may update it as often as possible.
The People Immortal
The People Immortal
An NYRB Classics Original
Vasily Grossman wrote three novels about the Second World War, each offering a distinct take on what a war novel can be, and each extraordinary. A common set of characters links Stalingrad and Life and Fate, but Stalingrad is not only a moving and exciting story of desperate defense and the turning tide of war, but also a monumental memorial for the countless war dead.Life and Fate, by contrast, is a work of moral and political philosophy as well as a novel, and the deep question it explores is whether or not it is possible to behave ethically in the face of overwhelming violence. The People Immortalis something else entirely. Set during the catastrophic first months of the German invasion of the Soviet Union, this is the tale of an army battalion dispatched to slow the advancing enemy at any cost, with encirclement and annihilation its promised end. A rousing story of resistance, The People Immortal is the novel as weapon in hand.
PRAISE
This is Grossman’s genius. In a few lines he can evoke a whole life. . .The book is barely 200 pages but this new edition is full of fascinating footnotes and biographical and historical information. . . .it reminds us of the horrors of war and why Grossman was one of the greatest chroniclers of the Second World War in all its inhumanity.
—David Herman, The Jewish Chronicle
Superbly translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler. . . . Its greatest strength lies in its authenticity, with several characters modelled on real-life figures and much of the description drawn from personal testimony. Grossman combines a journalist’s eye with a novelist’s empathy, his portrayal of men under fire matching that of Erich Remarque and Stephen Crane.
—Michael Arditti, The Spectator (UK)
For the second world war, or Great Patriotic War as it is known in Russia, the most renowned writer is Vasily Grossman. . . . a superb translation by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler. . . admirers of Grossman will enjoy The People Immortal and benefit greatly from the introduction, afterword, appendices and notes provided by Robert Chandler and [Julia] Volohova.
—Tony Barber, Financial Times
The People Immortal is a remarkable novel that illuminates the terrible realities of Barbarossa and the banal horror of warfare with incomparable understanding and insight. As you would expect from Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, the translation is superb.
—Jonathan Dimbleby
Grossman’s great and enduring asset as a novelist is that - paradoxically - he didn’t have to rely on his imagination. He was there . . . It gives his writing unrivalled authority . . . [A] significant, valuable addition to Grossman’s small but powerful body of work.
—William Boyd, Sunday Times
Grossman’s future greatness is written in its pages . . . at the heart of his writing lies a tireless humanity and empathy.
—Julian Evans, Telegraph
[An] insightful novel. . . The text, which Grossman wrote shortly after his own visit to the front as a war correspondent, hums with fine details. . . a worthy look into Russian wartime psychology.
—Publishers Weekly