7 reactions
Why isn't Grossman considered as much as Dostoevskij and Tolstoy?
I'm currently reading *Life and Fate* by Russian novelist Vasilij Grossman. I've recently finished *Stalingrad* by the same author.
Now, I'm neither the fastest nor most prolific reader in the world. I have a soft spot for Russian literature, but outside of the major classics I still have a lot to discover.
My genuine question is: how on Earth is it possible that Grossman is not considered on par with Dostoevskij and Tolstoy?
I am at page 140 of *Life and Fate* and I already cried three times, wept once. Anna's letter to Viktor had me sobbing, and I never shed a tear even for the saddest books I've read. But it's not just that.
I seriously believe that Grossman is Dostoevskij natural evolution. Grossman's capability of finding the purest of beauty amidst the unfathomable cruelty and evil of the period confirms that, yes, "*Beauty will save the world*".
Not to mention the analysis of Nazism and the evil and surreal nature of Soviet totalitarianism as well. Some episodes seem to be a fictionalised form of Hannah Arendt's philosophical thought.
I understand that Russia has been rather... naughty recently, but then I can't explain why other Soviet artists are so revered and Grossman isn't. Why are Bulgakov, Shostakovich and Eisentein all adored by readers, music lovers and cinephiles respectively? Is it because they had trouble with the Soviet regime? Well Grossman didn't exactly go to bed with Stalin either... He had to rewrite *Stalingrad* four times and he suffered the Stalinian anti-semitic purge. Also, Eisenstein was literally the Soviet Union's main propaganda director...
So how is it possible that *Life and Fate* was reprinted so few times? Why was *Stalingrad* translated in English for the first time only four years ago? Is there a political background I'm missing? Am I just overrating Grossman?
Help me understand please.
I'm currently reading *Life and Fate* by Russian novelist Vasilij Grossman. I've recently finished *Stalingrad* by the same author.
Now, I'm neither the fastest nor most prolific reader in the world. I have a soft spot for Russian literature, but outside of the major classics I still have a lot to discover.
My genuine question is: how on Earth is it possible that Grossman is not considered on par with Dostoevskij and Tolstoy?
I am at page 140 of *Life and Fate* and I already cried three times, wept once. Anna's letter to Viktor had me sobbing, and I never shed a tear even for the saddest books I've read. But it's not just that.
I seriously believe that Grossman is Dostoevskij natural evolution. Grossman's capability of finding the purest of beauty amidst the unfathomable cruelty and evil of the period confirms that, yes, "*Beauty will save the world*".
Not to mention the analysis of Nazism and the evil and surreal nature of Soviet totalitarianism as well. Some episodes seem to be a fictionalised form of Hannah Arendt's philosophical thought.
I understand that Russia has been rather... naughty recently, but then I can't explain why other Soviet artists are so revered and Grossman isn't. Why are Bulgakov, Shostakovich and Eisentein all adored by readers, music lovers and cinephiles respectively? Is it because they had trouble with the Soviet regime? Well Grossman didn't exactly go to bed with Stalin either... He had to rewrite *Stalingrad* four times and he suffered the Stalinian anti-semitic purge. Also, Eisenstein was literally the Soviet Union's main propaganda director...
So how is it possible that *Life and Fate* was reprinted so few times? Why was *Stalingrad* translated in English for the first time only four years ago? Is there a political background I'm missing? Am I just overrating Grossman?
Help me understand please.
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