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Review
'Readers familiar with his novels will be surprised by his short fiction. They show a writer of infinite variety' Victor Sebestyen, The Sunday Times. 'No one knew better than Grossman what people are capable of. These stories and essays are one of the cultural monuments of the 20th century' David Herman, New Statesman.
'The unstinting championing of ordinary human emotion is what strikes hardest in Grossman's style ... Grossman manages to find human simplicity in his characters at the very apex of pain and disaster' Daily Telegraph. 'This collection of short fiction and essays from the remarkable and criminally under-read Soviet writer includes haunting short stories and his excoriating wartime exposé of the Treblinka death camp' Benjamin Evans, Sunday Telegraph.
'Grossman's stories are so affecting partly because they look so unflinchingly at human nature, combining a journalist's eye with a fascination for humanity enduring under near-intolerable circumstances.' Metro. 'The only subject and the only hope is humanity' Brian Morton, Scottish Sunday Herald.
'Grossman deserves a special, if not revered, place as a recorder of some of the worst excesses of the 20th century - indeed, of any century. A casual reader may be lured into thinking this to be a collection of fictional short stories depicting the hardships and privations of Soviet life. But on page 126 comes an abrupt and horrifying awakening … 'The Hell of Treblinka' ... nothing prepares us for the force of Grossman's description; his detailed, harrowing reconstruction of what happened' Scotsman.
'Grossman's trajectory is clear in his short fiction and essays: early essays explore the ardent patriotism that fired Russia; later ones such as the title story, 'The Road', an allegory of a beaten mule pulling a munitions train that offers a bitter reflection on life, hint at dangerous disillusionment ... The Road is an excellent introduction to Grossman's hauntingly powerful fiction and reportage' James Urquhart, Financial Times. 'a richness and clarity to a fascinating period and define Grossman as one of the great literary figures of the last century' Good Book Guide.
'This superbly edited compendium of his writing, containing short stories, journalism and letters to his dead mother, allows us to access the nature and success of his enterprise. Through its lucid notes and essays it also serves as a first-class companion to the terrible history of mid-20th-century central Europe.' Jewish Chronicle. '...his vivid dispatches, some newly translated for this superb collection, retain a freshness that only the finest journalism can. The 11 short stories also collected here show a writer of infinite variety, and the bulk of them will enhance his reputation ... his is a powerful voice of conscience' Sunday Times.
'The collection has humour, pathos, satire and tragedy. Grossman's superlative ability is to relay through sparse writing the fear, anxiety and compassion of those he writes of. This is an utterly absorbing, compassionate and necessary collection and once read will linger and cause true reflection, as the best writing ought.' Journal of the Law Society of Scotland. '... it has become accepted that Vasily Grossman was one of the giants of 20th Century literature. This anthology of his stories and journalism, brilliantly translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, charts his growing disillusionment with communism as well as his frontline role in the war against the Nazis' Mail on Sunday.
'For today's reader, Grossman's work excavates from the Soviet rubble vital artefacts of the bitter, the tragic, the self-sacrificing, the indomitable and, ultimately, the inspiring' Ken Kalfus, International Herald Tribune. 'The mystery of how to improve the human condition continued to fascinate him and is profoundly reflected in Grossman's superb writings - an enduring memorial to the man' Geoffrey Goodman, Tribune.
'From satire to comedy and tragedy this is a fantastic collection translated into English for the first time. Including Stalin's purges and the Holocaust, these short stories and articles are accompanied by introductions that put Grossman's life into context' Daily Express. '...his vivid dispatches, some newly translated for this superb collection, retain a freshness that only the finest journalism can. The 11 short stories also collected here show a writer of infinite variety, and the bulk of them will enhance his reputation ... his is a powerful voice of conscience' Sunday Times.
'The unstinting championing of ordinary human emotion is what strikes hardest in Grossman's style ... Grossman manages to find human simplicity in his characters at the very apex of pain and disaster' Daily Telegraph. 'This collection of short fiction and essays from the remarkable and criminally under-read Soviet writer includes haunting short stories and his excoriating wartime exposé of the Treblinka death camp' Benjamin Evans, Sunday Telegraph.
'Grossman's stories are so affecting partly because they look so unflinchingly at human nature, combining a journalist's eye with a fascination for humanity enduring under near-intolerable circumstances.' Metro. 'The only subject and the only hope is humanity' Brian Morton, Scottish Sunday Herald.
'Grossman deserves a special, if not revered, place as a recorder of some of the worst excesses of the 20th century - indeed, of any century. A casual reader may be lured into thinking this to be a collection of fictional short stories depicting the hardships and privations of Soviet life. But on page 126 comes an abrupt and horrifying awakening … 'The Hell of Treblinka' ... nothing prepares us for the force of Grossman's description; his detailed, harrowing reconstruction of what happened' Scotsman.
'Grossman's trajectory is clear in his short fiction and essays: early essays explore the ardent patriotism that fired Russia; later ones such as the title story, 'The Road', an allegory of a beaten mule pulling a munitions train that offers a bitter reflection on life, hint at dangerous disillusionment ... The Road is an excellent introduction to Grossman's hauntingly powerful fiction and reportage' James Urquhart, Financial Times. 'a richness and clarity to a fascinating period and define Grossman as one of the great literary figures of the last century' Good Book Guide.
'This superbly edited compendium of his writing, containing short stories, journalism and letters to his dead mother, allows us to access the nature and success of his enterprise. Through its lucid notes and essays it also serves as a first-class companion to the terrible history of mid-20th-century central Europe.' Jewish Chronicle. '...his vivid dispatches, some newly translated for this superb collection, retain a freshness that only the finest journalism can. The 11 short stories also collected here show a writer of infinite variety, and the bulk of them will enhance his reputation ... his is a powerful voice of conscience' Sunday Times.
'The collection has humour, pathos, satire and tragedy. Grossman's superlative ability is to relay through sparse writing the fear, anxiety and compassion of those he writes of. This is an utterly absorbing, compassionate and necessary collection and once read will linger and cause true reflection, as the best writing ought.' Journal of the Law Society of Scotland. '... it has become accepted that Vasily Grossman was one of the giants of 20th Century literature. This anthology of his stories and journalism, brilliantly translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, charts his growing disillusionment with communism as well as his frontline role in the war against the Nazis' Mail on Sunday.
'For today's reader, Grossman's work excavates from the Soviet rubble vital artefacts of the bitter, the tragic, the self-sacrificing, the indomitable and, ultimately, the inspiring' Ken Kalfus, International Herald Tribune. 'The mystery of how to improve the human condition continued to fascinate him and is profoundly reflected in Grossman's superb writings - an enduring memorial to the man' Geoffrey Goodman, Tribune.
'From satire to comedy and tragedy this is a fantastic collection translated into English for the first time. Including Stalin's purges and the Holocaust, these short stories and articles are accompanied by introductions that put Grossman's life into context' Daily Express. '...his vivid dispatches, some newly translated for this superb collection, retain a freshness that only the finest journalism can. The 11 short stories also collected here show a writer of infinite variety, and the bulk of them will enhance his reputation ... his is a powerful voice of conscience' Sunday Times.
Review
'Readers familiar with his novels will be surprised by his short fiction. They show a writer of infinite variety' Victor Sebestyen, The Sunday Times. 'No one knew better than Grossman what people are capable of. These stories and essays are one of the cultural monuments of the 20th century' David Herman, New Statesman. 'The unstinting championing of ordinary human emotion is what strikes hardest in Grossman's style ... Grossman manages to find human simplicity in his characters at the very apex of pain and disaster' Daily Telegraph. 'This collection of short fiction and essays from the remarkable and criminally under-read Soviet writer includes haunting short stories and his excoriating wartime expose of the Treblinka death camp' Benjamin Evans, Sunday Telegraph. 'Grossman's stories are so affecting partly because they look so unflinchingly at human nature, combining a journalist's eye with a fascination for humanity enduring under near-intolerable circumstances.' Metro. 'The only subject and the only hope is humanity' Brian Morton, Scottish Sunday Herald. 'Grossman deserves a special, if not revered, place as a recorder of some of the worst excesses of the 20th century - indeed, of any century. A casual reader may be lured into thinking this to be a collection of fictional short stories depicting the hardships and privations of Soviet life. But on page 126 comes an abrupt and horrifying awakening 'The Hell of Treblinka' ... nothing prepares us for the force of Grossman's description; his detailed, harrowing reconstruction of what happened' Scotsman. 'Grossman's trajectory is clear in his short fiction and essays: early essays explore the ardent patriotism that fired Russia; later ones such as the title story, 'The Road', an allegory of a beaten mule pulling a munitions train that offers a bitter reflection on life, hint at dangerous disillusionment ... The Road is an excellent introduction to Grossman's hauntingly powerful fiction and reportage' James Urquhart, Financial Times. 'a richness and clarity to a fascinating period and define Grossman as one of the great literary figures of the last century' Good Book Guide. 'This superbly edited compendium of his writing, containing short stories, journalism and letters to his dead mother, allows us to access the nature and success of his enterprise. Through its lucid notes and essays it also serves as a first-class companion to the terrible history of mid-20th-century central Europe.' Jewish Chronicle. '...his vivid dispatches, some newly translated for this superb collection, retain a freshness that only the finest journalism can. The 11 short stories also collected here show a writer of infinite variety, and the bulk of them will enhance his reputation ... his is a powerful voice of conscience' Sunday Times. 'The collection has humour, pathos, satire and tragedy. Grossman's superlative ability is to relay through sparse writing the fear, anxiety and compassion of those he writes of. This is an utterly absorbing, compassionate and necessary collection and once read will linger and cause true reflection, as the best writing ought.' Journal of the Law Society of Scotland. '... it has become accepted that Vasily Grossman was one of the giants of 20th Century literature. This anthology of his stories and journalism, brilliantly translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, charts his growing disillusionment with communism as well as his frontline role in the war against the Nazis' Mail on Sunday. 'For today's reader, Grossman's work excavates from the Soviet rubble vital artefacts of the bitter, the tragic, the self-sacrificing, the indomitable and, ultimately, the inspiring' Ken Kalfus, International Herald Tribune. 'The mystery of how to improve the human condition continued to fascinate him and is profoundly reflected in Grossman's superb writings - an enduring memorial to the man' Geoffrey Goodman, Tribune. 'From satire to comedy and tragedy this is a fantastic collection translated into English for the first time. Including Stalin's purges and the Holocaust, these short stories and articles are accompanied by introductions that put Grossman's life into context' Daily Express. '...his vivid dispatches, some newly translated for this superb collection, retain a freshness that only the finest journalism can. The 11 short stories also collected here show a writer of infinite variety, and the bulk of them will enhance his reputation ... his is a powerful voice of conscience' Sunday Times.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Grossman is, I think, most famous for his epic novel Life and Fate. This collection brings together fiction and journalism spanning the writer's whole career, from early stories like 'A Young Woman and an Old Woman' which seem to have touches of socialist realism, to much more sensitive and subtle later works like 'Mama', 'The Dog' and the story from which the collection takes its title. The full text of Grossman's 'The Hell of Treblinka' (famous as one of the first pieces of journalism about the Nazi death camps) is also translated here. I had only previously experienced the latter in Beevor's 'A Writer at War' and, to re-read it here in its unexpurgated version was incredibly affecting and upsetting.
It's a fantastic collection of writing by an insightful, brave and bold writer. Chandler and his colleauges (the translators and editors of this edition) have previously worked on other Grossman books (the aforementioned Life and Fate and, earlier this year, Grossman's harrowing explanation of the grand sweep of Soviet history Everything Flows), as well as novels and prose by Grossman's contemporary and friend Platonov. The accompanying notes and appendices are excellent and the care and understanding taken over the production of the volume are impressive.
It seems to me that Grossman should be read more widely - this volume would be a great place for new readers to start. Highly recommended.
It's a fantastic collection of writing by an insightful, brave and bold writer. Chandler and his colleauges (the translators and editors of this edition) have previously worked on other Grossman books (the aforementioned Life and Fate and, earlier this year, Grossman's harrowing explanation of the grand sweep of Soviet history Everything Flows), as well as novels and prose by Grossman's contemporary and friend Platonov. The accompanying notes and appendices are excellent and the care and understanding taken over the production of the volume are impressive.
It seems to me that Grossman should be read more widely - this volume would be a great place for new readers to start. Highly recommended.
27 of 27 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Christina Georgina Rossetti.
Every now and again I come across a passage in a book that I immediately perceive to be the `emotional core' of the book. In the case of "The Road", a collection of stories and other writings by Vasily Grossman, I came across a passage that I thought served not as the `core' of the book but, rather, one that, instead, placed a bookmark on the beginning of the road that Grossman travelled as a writer and as a man.
The passage is found in "The Hell of Treblinka". Grossman, who was likely the first reporter to view and write about the horrors of the Nazi death camps, wrote this piece shortly after the liberation of Treblinka. It is a stunning piece of writing. Toward the end of the article, Grossman tries to make sense of things. He asks: "A particular kind of State does not appear out of nowhere. What engenders a particular regime is the material and ideological relations existing among a country's citizens. It is to these material and ideological relations that we need to devote serious thought; the nature of these relations is what should appall us."
When Grossman wrote this article, in September 1944 it was clear that his focus was solely on the Nazi death machine and the active and passive acceptance of that regime by Germany's own citizens. But, by the end of his life Grossman's focus evolved. In "The Hell of Treblinka" he looked at the material and ideological relations existing amongst the citizens of other countries, specifically Germany. By the time he wrote Life And Fate and Everything Flows Grossman's focus had turned inward, toward his own country and people. Neither book was published during Grossman's lifetime because he had the audacity to suggest that Stalinism and Hitlerism were but two sides of the same coin. He turned his focus toward the idea of freedom and to the entirely subversive (in the context of the USSR) concept that any ruler, be it Stalin, Lenin, or Hitler, who deprived people of freedom and dignity bore more similarities to each other than differences. His statement in Everything Flows that: "[n]o matter how mighty the empire, all this is only mist and fog and, as such, will be blown away. Only one true force remains; only one true force continues to evolve and live; and this force is liberty. To a man, to live means to be free" stands as a testament to the place that Grossman's road led him.
For me, the brilliance of the short stories and articles set out in "The Road" lies in the fact that they allow the reader to follow Grossman as he set out on his literary and lifes journey. As edited and translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, Grossman's writings are set out in chronological order. We see his earliest writings from the 1930s. Grossman's writing style was still a work in progress and you can see him work on finding a style that was at once his own but still acceptable to the apparatchiks that controlled and approved all writings for publication. The second part, those stories and articles set during the War, see Grossman truly emerge. As set out on the excellent introductions to each section and the meticulous end notes written by the Chandlers, the war and the Shoah were searing experiences for Grossman. Apart from his coverage of the horrors of Stalingrad and Treblinka, Grossman learned that his mother had been murdered in the early months of the war in her home town of Berdichev. Finally, we see his post war stories in the 50s and early 60s before his death.
By the time we get to those later stories, particularly "The Road" and "The Dog", we begin to see the themes of life, fate, and freedom mature and ripen. The Russian poet Nadezhda Mandelstam once wrote that "a person with inner freedom, memory, and fear is that reed, that twig that changes the direction of a rushing river." It seems to me, after reading this book that Grossman became absorbed with that sense of inner freedom, the ability of individuals to live as free men and women even in a society that denies them their outer freedom.
In summary, Vasily Grossman's The Road is a book that serves as a testament to a man who put his life and fate into his writing and left a body of work behind that I hope will get as much exposure as possible. I would add that this compilation does stand alone, due in no small part to the editing and notes provided by the Chandlers, and can be enjoyed even if you have not read Life and Fate or Everything Flows. However, having read those books first really did enable me to more fully appreciate the writings in The Road. I can only recommend all of Grossman's work and suggest that they may be as absorbing for you as they have been for me.
Every now and again I come across a passage in a book that I immediately perceive to be the `emotional core' of the book. In the case of "The Road", a collection of stories and other writings by Vasily Grossman, I came across a passage that I thought served not as the `core' of the book but, rather, one that, instead, placed a bookmark on the beginning of the road that Grossman travelled as a writer and as a man.
The passage is found in "The Hell of Treblinka". Grossman, who was likely the first reporter to view and write about the horrors of the Nazi death camps, wrote this piece shortly after the liberation of Treblinka. It is a stunning piece of writing. Toward the end of the article, Grossman tries to make sense of things. He asks: "A particular kind of State does not appear out of nowhere. What engenders a particular regime is the material and ideological relations existing among a country's citizens. It is to these material and ideological relations that we need to devote serious thought; the nature of these relations is what should appall us."
When Grossman wrote this article, in September 1944 it was clear that his focus was solely on the Nazi death machine and the active and passive acceptance of that regime by Germany's own citizens. But, by the end of his life Grossman's focus evolved. In "The Hell of Treblinka" he looked at the material and ideological relations existing amongst the citizens of other countries, specifically Germany. By the time he wrote Life And Fate and Everything Flows Grossman's focus had turned inward, toward his own country and people. Neither book was published during Grossman's lifetime because he had the audacity to suggest that Stalinism and Hitlerism were but two sides of the same coin. He turned his focus toward the idea of freedom and to the entirely subversive (in the context of the USSR) concept that any ruler, be it Stalin, Lenin, or Hitler, who deprived people of freedom and dignity bore more similarities to each other than differences. His statement in Everything Flows that: "[n]o matter how mighty the empire, all this is only mist and fog and, as such, will be blown away. Only one true force remains; only one true force continues to evolve and live; and this force is liberty. To a man, to live means to be free" stands as a testament to the place that Grossman's road led him.
For me, the brilliance of the short stories and articles set out in "The Road" lies in the fact that they allow the reader to follow Grossman as he set out on his literary and lifes journey. As edited and translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, Grossman's writings are set out in chronological order. We see his earliest writings from the 1930s. Grossman's writing style was still a work in progress and you can see him work on finding a style that was at once his own but still acceptable to the apparatchiks that controlled and approved all writings for publication. The second part, those stories and articles set during the War, see Grossman truly emerge. As set out on the excellent introductions to each section and the meticulous end notes written by the Chandlers, the war and the Shoah were searing experiences for Grossman. Apart from his coverage of the horrors of Stalingrad and Treblinka, Grossman learned that his mother had been murdered in the early months of the war in her home town of Berdichev. Finally, we see his post war stories in the 50s and early 60s before his death.
By the time we get to those later stories, particularly "The Road" and "The Dog", we begin to see the themes of life, fate, and freedom mature and ripen. The Russian poet Nadezhda Mandelstam once wrote that "a person with inner freedom, memory, and fear is that reed, that twig that changes the direction of a rushing river." It seems to me, after reading this book that Grossman became absorbed with that sense of inner freedom, the ability of individuals to live as free men and women even in a society that denies them their outer freedom.
In summary, Vasily Grossman's The Road is a book that serves as a testament to a man who put his life and fate into his writing and left a body of work behind that I hope will get as much exposure as possible. I would add that this compilation does stand alone, due in no small part to the editing and notes provided by the Chandlers, and can be enjoyed even if you have not read Life and Fate or Everything Flows. However, having read those books first really did enable me to more fully appreciate the writings in The Road. I can only recommend all of Grossman's work and suggest that they may be as absorbing for you as they have been for me.
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Christina Georgina Rossetti.
Every now and again I come across a passage in a book that I immediately perceive to be the `emotional core' of the book. In the case of "The Road", a collection of stories and other writings by Vasily Grossman, I came across a passage that I thought served not as the `core' of the book but, rather, one that, instead, placed a bookmark on the beginning of the road that Grossman travelled as a writer and as a man.
The passage is found in "The Hell of Treblinka". Grossman, who was likely the first reporter to view and write about the horrors of the Nazi death camps, wrote this piece shortly after the liberation of Treblinka. It is a stunning piece of writing. Toward the end of the article, Grossman tries to make sense of things. He asks: "A particular kind of State does not appear out of nowhere. What engenders a particular regime is the material and ideological relations existing among a country's citizens. It is to these material and ideological relations that we need to devote serious thought; the nature of these relations is what should appall us."
When Grossman wrote this article, in September 1944 it was clear that his focus was solely on the Nazi death machine and the active and passive acceptance of that regime by Germany's own citizens. But, by the end of his life Grossman's focus evolved. In "The Hell of Treblinka" he looked at the material and ideological relations existing amongst the citizens of other countries, specifically Germany. By the time he wrote Life And Fate and Everything Flows Grossman's focus had turned inward, toward his own country and people. Neither book was published during Grossman's lifetime because he had the audacity to suggest that Stalinism and Hitlerism were but two sides of the same coin. He turned his focus toward the idea of freedom and to the entirely subversive (in the context of the USSR) concept that any ruler, be it Stalin, Lenin, or Hitler, who deprived people of freedom and dignity bore more similarities to each other than differences. His statement in Everything Flows that: "[n]o matter how mighty the empire, all this is only mist and fog and, as such, will be blown away. Only one true force remains; only one true force continues to evolve and live; and this force is liberty. To a man, to live means to be free" stands as a testament to the place that Grossman's road led him.
For me, the brilliance of the short stories and articles set out in "The Road" lies in the fact that they allow the reader to follow Grossman as he set out on his literary and lifes journey. As edited and translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, Grossman's writings are set out in chronological order. We see his earliest writings from the 1930s. Grossman's writing style was still a work in progress and you can see him work on finding a style that was at once his own but still acceptable to the apparatchiks that controlled and approved all writings for publication. The second part, those stories and articles set during the War, see Grossman truly emerge. As set out on the excellent introductions to each section and the meticulous end notes written by the Chandlers, the war and the Shoah were searing experiences for Grossman. Apart from his coverage of the horrors of Stalingrad and Treblinka, Grossman learned that his mother had been murdered in the early months of the war in her home town of Berdichev. Finally, we see his post war stories in the 50s and early 60s before his death.
By the time we get to those later stories, particularly "The Road" and "The Dog", we begin to see the themes of life, fate, and freedom mature and ripen. The Russian poet Nadezhda Mandelstam once wrote that "a person with inner freedom, memory, and fear is that reed, that twig that changes the direction of a rushing river." It seems to me, after reading this book that Grossman became absorbed with that sense of inner freedom, the ability of individuals to live as free men and women even in a society that denies them their outer freedom.
In summary, Vasily Grossman's The Road is a book that serves as a testament to a man who put his life and fate into his writing and left a body of work behind that I hope will get as much exposure as possible. I would add that this compilation does stand alone, due in no small part to the editing and notes provided by the Chandlers, and can be enjoyed even if you have not read Life and Fate or Everything Flows. However, having read those books first really did enable me to more fully appreciate the writings in The Road. I can only recommend all of Grossman's work and suggest that they may be as absorbing for you as they have been for me.
Every now and again I come across a passage in a book that I immediately perceive to be the `emotional core' of the book. In the case of "The Road", a collection of stories and other writings by Vasily Grossman, I came across a passage that I thought served not as the `core' of the book but, rather, one that, instead, placed a bookmark on the beginning of the road that Grossman travelled as a writer and as a man.
The passage is found in "The Hell of Treblinka". Grossman, who was likely the first reporter to view and write about the horrors of the Nazi death camps, wrote this piece shortly after the liberation of Treblinka. It is a stunning piece of writing. Toward the end of the article, Grossman tries to make sense of things. He asks: "A particular kind of State does not appear out of nowhere. What engenders a particular regime is the material and ideological relations existing among a country's citizens. It is to these material and ideological relations that we need to devote serious thought; the nature of these relations is what should appall us."
When Grossman wrote this article, in September 1944 it was clear that his focus was solely on the Nazi death machine and the active and passive acceptance of that regime by Germany's own citizens. But, by the end of his life Grossman's focus evolved. In "The Hell of Treblinka" he looked at the material and ideological relations existing amongst the citizens of other countries, specifically Germany. By the time he wrote Life And Fate and Everything Flows Grossman's focus had turned inward, toward his own country and people. Neither book was published during Grossman's lifetime because he had the audacity to suggest that Stalinism and Hitlerism were but two sides of the same coin. He turned his focus toward the idea of freedom and to the entirely subversive (in the context of the USSR) concept that any ruler, be it Stalin, Lenin, or Hitler, who deprived people of freedom and dignity bore more similarities to each other than differences. His statement in Everything Flows that: "[n]o matter how mighty the empire, all this is only mist and fog and, as such, will be blown away. Only one true force remains; only one true force continues to evolve and live; and this force is liberty. To a man, to live means to be free" stands as a testament to the place that Grossman's road led him.
For me, the brilliance of the short stories and articles set out in "The Road" lies in the fact that they allow the reader to follow Grossman as he set out on his literary and lifes journey. As edited and translated by Robert and Elizabeth Chandler, Grossman's writings are set out in chronological order. We see his earliest writings from the 1930s. Grossman's writing style was still a work in progress and you can see him work on finding a style that was at once his own but still acceptable to the apparatchiks that controlled and approved all writings for publication. The second part, those stories and articles set during the War, see Grossman truly emerge. As set out on the excellent introductions to each section and the meticulous end notes written by the Chandlers, the war and the Shoah were searing experiences for Grossman. Apart from his coverage of the horrors of Stalingrad and Treblinka, Grossman learned that his mother had been murdered in the early months of the war in her home town of Berdichev. Finally, we see his post war stories in the 50s and early 60s before his death.
By the time we get to those later stories, particularly "The Road" and "The Dog", we begin to see the themes of life, fate, and freedom mature and ripen. The Russian poet Nadezhda Mandelstam once wrote that "a person with inner freedom, memory, and fear is that reed, that twig that changes the direction of a rushing river." It seems to me, after reading this book that Grossman became absorbed with that sense of inner freedom, the ability of individuals to live as free men and women even in a society that denies them their outer freedom.
In summary, Vasily Grossman's The Road is a book that serves as a testament to a man who put his life and fate into his writing and left a body of work behind that I hope will get as much exposure as possible. I would add that this compilation does stand alone, due in no small part to the editing and notes provided by the Chandlers, and can be enjoyed even if you have not read Life and Fate or Everything Flows. However, having read those books first really did enable me to more fully appreciate the writings in The Road. I can only recommend all of Grossman's work and suggest that they may be as absorbing for you as they have been for me.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good read
Purchased before the recent BBC radio series was even muted, this excellent book by a Russian Jew in the second world war, fully justifies its billing as a classic. Read more
Published 4 months ago by D. J. King
A good view of recent history
This was a well presented book with an account true to his observations. Hard to believe that these things happened in our lifetime.
Published 16 months ago by C. L. Scrivens
The Soviet Union's Most Turbulent Years
Robert Chandler, the translator to whom (with his wife and a number of collaborators) most readers of Grossman's work in English are indebted, comments in this volume, `Grossman's... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Lost John
A traumatic journey
Vasily Grossman's journalism is direct and does not spare the reader. Even taken by itself, his description of Treblinka - based on his being with the Red army unit who liberated... Read more
Published 17 months ago by Rattiman
A human view of live's tragedies.
I recently discovered the work of Vasily Grossman after reading Antony Beevor's history of the fall of Berlin in WW2
and a newspaper article about him. Read more
and a newspaper article about him. Read more
Published 18 months ago by james gardiner
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