Russian War Literature

After informing you about Russian Children's literature and Russian Sci-Fi, I'm now going to make a list of Russian war literature. Judging by what I see people read about World War II around blogosphere it's as if Russia was not taking part in it, or Russia don't have writers, or people just don't know about all the wonderful books on the topic! Being a clever girl, I ruled out the first two possibilities and was left with a sad fact that readers are not acquainted with Russian war literature enough. (UPD: while searching for translations I realized that it's actually the publishers that are not acquainted with it enough. If you happen to know a publisher, please do everybody a favour and show him this list!)

So I've decided to list all the awesome books that tell first hand about the terrible period of WWII in Russia. But I needed some help myself remembering everything, so I asked my mom during my Christmas trip home, and being a seasoned bookworm, bookhoarder and an expert in Soviet literature, she was eager to help. Then I consulted my very well-read BF, who also added a couple of books. So here is the result of our combined efforts. I've sorted it according to the authors' last names and provided the most common translations of the titles.

1. Abramov, Fyodor Aleksandrovich: Brothers and Sisters (1958) WWII from the point of view of a small village that needs not only to take care of its own needs, but also provide for the war in the absence of all its men.
2. Bondarev, Yuri Vasilyevich: The Battalions Request Fire (1957), The Hot Snow (1969), The Shore (1975) The last one is a bit philosophical and very heartbreaking. The other two are extremely famous and tell about some of the hottest WWII battles in Russia.
3. Chukovsky, Nicolay Korneevich: Baltic Skies (1955) The story of the pilots defending Leningrad during its siege.
4. Fadeyev, Alexander Alexandrovich: The Young Guard (1945) An account of the actions of a youth partisan organization. Idealized, of course, but really engaging.
5. German, Yuri Pavlovich: The Cause You Serve, My Dear Man, I'm Responsible For All (1958-1965) Although only the second book is about war, it’s a trilogy, so you’d better start from the beginning. It’s about a doctor who worked in the East before war and then became a war surgeon.
6. Granin, Daniil Alexandrovich: A Book of the Blockade (1979) A chronicle based on interviews, diaries and personal memoirs of those who survived the siege of Leningrad during 1941-44. It’s very difficult to read because of all the horrors of the time, and I confess I’ve read only parts of it. But I promise I’ll do better, because it’s essential. My Lieutenant (2011) is one of his later works, and I haven’t read it yet, but my mom says it’s good. Basically, grab any book by him if you see it, he’s great.
7. Grossman, Vasily Semyonovich: Life and Fate (1959) An epic novel focusing on the battle of Stalingrad
8. Ilyina, Elena: The Fourth Height (1945) It’s my favourite childhood book which I have re-read several times. It’s a biography of a war hero Gulya Koroleva from her childhood to her heroic death in a battle.
9. Kataev, Valentin Petrovich: Son of the Regiment (1945) About a boy adopted by a regiment. I have wonderful childhood memories of it!
10. Kaverin, Veniamin Alexandrovich: The Two Captains (1944) An awesome novel about polar exploration, love and treason, which ends in the period of WWII.
11. Kurochkin, Viktor Aleksandrovich: At War as at War (1970) How a young war academy graduate gains appreciation from his older and more experienced subordinates and becomes a real commander.
12. Matveev, German Ivanovich: Tarantul trilogy (1945-1957) It’s about boys against saboteurs in a sieged Leningrad! Suspense, adventure, mystery, danger! 
13. Medvedev, Dmitry Nikolaevich: It Happened Near Rovno (1948) A story about a special troop of scouts and saboteurs working in the rear of German army.
14. Nekrasov, Viktor Platonovich: Front-line Stalingrad (In the trenches of Stalingrad) (1946) A first-hand account of one of the most bloody battles of the war - the battle of Stalingrad
15. Panova, Vera Fyodorovna: The Train (1946) About a medical train and its nurses.
16. Pikul, Valentin Savvich: The Requiem for Convoy PQ-17 (1970), Boys with bows (1974) The first is a “documental tragedy” of one of the Arctic convoys, destroyed by German submarines and aviation. The second is autobiographical and tells about a sea cadet’s school.
17. Polevoi, Boris Nikolaevich: Story of a Real Man (1947) The book is about a pilot who started flying again after the amputation of two legs. Mostly about strong character, and very impressive!
18. Semyonov, Yulian Semyonovich: Seventeen Moments of Spring (1969) and all the rest of The “Isaev – Stierlitz” Series. Spy fiction, guys! And watch the mini-series of the same name, it’s awesome.
19. Sholokhov, Mikhail Aleksandrovich: They Fought for Their Country (1969) A novel about the first, the hardest and the bitterest period of war – the period of retreat. Sholokhov won a Nobel prize for literature, so don’t miss on him!
20. Simonov, Konstantin Mikhailovich: The Living and the Dead (1959) Simonov was a war journalist, so not only has he been everywhere and seen everything, he also really can write.
21. Tvardovsky, Aleksandr Trifonovich: A Book About a Soldier (Vasili Tyorkin) (1942-45) A humorous and optimistic poem about an ordinary soldier, resourceful and plain, going resiliently through the everyday hardships of the war. A streak of comedy in all the tragedy!
22. Vasilyev, Boris Lvovich: The Dawns Here Are Quiet (1972), Not on the Active List (1974), Tomorrow There Came War (1984) or really anything you can find by him. He’s awesome. I was crying like mad while reading The Dawns Here Are Quiet.

I hope this list will encourage you to pick some of the books that are not only great sources for learning about the Russian take on WWII, but are also literary and psychological masterpieces.

P.S. Special kudos for those who know what ribbon is used as a bookmark in the picture :) For those who have no idea, here's the link.

Historia Brittonum by Nennius (Review)

Title: Historia Brittonum
Author: Nennius
First published Written: 833
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Rating: ★★☆☆☆

Nennius's opus, thought rather short, is epic. He documents the history of Britain from Adam (every decent history should start there, right?) until 9th century. He traces the lineages of the peoples of Europe, talks about migrations and conquests... well, collects everything known to him, I guess :) But his focus is on Britain, first on its conquest by the Romans, and then on the Saxon invasion.

It was very interesting to read about numerous Roman undertakings in Britain and remember the facts I heard at British history lessons in the university. Then I was reminded of the fact that the Britons actually invited Saxons to live on their shores as a buffer from invasions. Who knew they would get OUT OF CONTROL? :) King Vortigern who invited them is an awesome character: he's portrayed as a coward, a tyrant and the one who would sleep with his own daughter and give the resulting (grand)son away. After becoming a hated figure for allowing Saxons take over he seeks refuge in Wales. Nice guy, eh?

As was usual at that time, Historia Brittonum contains not only more or less dependable facts, but also legends and rumors. Some of them are Christian, as for example the miracle of St. Germanus, and some of them are inherited from Welch mythology, as the story of Arthur's boar hunting with his legendary dog. The chronicle ends with the descriptions of the curiosities found in Britain beginning with hot springs in Bath and ending with flying stones.

Historia Brittonum is largely regarded as the first written source to document the life of king Arthur. However, he takes very little place in it, as he is only mentioned as a guy who battled Saxons twelve times. Not that is was something unusual at that time, but he was surprisingly successful in all of them. That's basically all that we get to know about him from this chronicle. He doesn't even fit in the story very well, because for every other known ruler Nennius gives his lineage from a god, or a Roman emperor, or some such famous character, and Arthur gets no such background.

In my book:
A nice example of an early history, although not very informative. Reads more or less as a legend collection, with the addition of some long tiring lineages.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman (Review)

Title: The Princess Bride
Author: William Goldman
First published: 1973
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Rating: ★★★★★

Another choice for Coursera Fantasy and Sci Fi book club has quite unexpectedly become a huge success with me. It's rather surprising, because really, if you read the premise it sounds like a typical Disney story. Don't let it mislead you! Even though “Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truths. Passion. Miracles.” are all present, as promised, it's also very, very funny.

The book is subtitled as "S. Morgenstern's classic tale of true love and high adventure. The "good parts" version abridged  by William Goldman", and it starts with an introduction in which the fictionalized Goldman explains how he came to love this book and why it needs abridging. The problem with the "original Morgenstern" is that he was writing a satire, and some satirical parts are better left out if the reader is not particularly interested in Florinese history and politics. So Goldman is doing what his father was doing when he read his son from the book - skipping the boring stuff. He actually substitutes it with his own commentary, justifying his omissions and commenting on their content. Sometimes the commentary also tells the reader about Goldman's experience when he was first read the book by his father. So, this way, with the additional awesomeness of Morgenstern's and Goldman's commentary, the story is told.

And the story itself is rather potent: not only does it have all the elements of a great narrative (fencing and true love, dudes!), it is also very ironic, with some twists of the plot rather unthinkable and some purely ridiculous. Yet, all of them pertaining to the style.

With all this complexity, the story holds together surprisingly well and is read in one breath. It took me only two nights, and that with all the impending exams. That says something about it!

In my book:
A great story: engaging, humorous, comforting. An unusual format adds to the appeal and doesn't distract :)

2014 TBR Pile Challenge

I was pondering if I want to join Adam's TBR challenge this year, because I failed miserably in it last year. You see, I'm really bad at planning ahead, so sticking to the list was really difficult. However, I guess I made it so difficult myself, as I chose some really daunting books. This year, I'm listing only the books from my TBR I'm really looking ahead. I hope that will help!

Books to read:

1. Historia Brittonum by Nennius
2. Historia regum Britanniae by Geoffrey of Monmouth 
3. Le Morte d'Arthur by Sir Thomas Malory (what? I'm really looking forward to these three!)
4. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (this one is supposed to be amazing and I'm surprised I'm putting if off)
5. Watership Down by Richard Adams
6. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel (I own these two in print, and they are calling to me from the shelf)
7. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (there are movies that I want to see!)
8. Paradise Lost by John Milton (I started it yesterday, and I need some extra motivation)
9. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (no reason whatsoever, only let's throw more Spanish guys here, maybe?)
10. Platero y yo by Juan Ramón Jiménez (this I have in Spanish, and in Spanish I must read it)
11. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
12. Roadside Picnic by Arkady & Boris Strugatsky (I have these two on my reader already, so why not?)

Alternates:

1. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

The Shore by Yuri Bondarev (Review)

Title: The Shore
Author: Yuri Bondarev
First published: 1975
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Rating: ★★★★☆

When my mom and I were preparing a list of Russian war books (see how I'm building up your suspense, although only half of the list is translated yet? :)), I put off some I wanted to read, and began with this one, as I've never read anything by Bondarev before. He was very young when he went to war, and thus has had a lot of prolific writing years after it. This is not the most famous of his books, but it's certainly quite unique, as it is set long after the war.

Two writers, Nikitin and Samsonov, are invited to Germany in 1971 to give a talk about Nikitin's famous books. They were both in the war, and now they observe with interest how Germany has evolved since its defeat. Some of the things they see are just curious, come seem revolting for them. They meet a few representatives of the intelligentsia, and all goes well, until one of the receiving women tells Nikitin she is the girl he had an affair with for a couple of days in the end of the war, in a small town near Berlin, where their artillery battalion was quartered. Nikitin starts to remember those days, when years of hardships were nearly all behind, the victory was close, the spring was in full swing, and he was in love with a German girl, although this was, of course, severely punished if discovered. Now, 26 years later, they are both changed and have a lot behind them, but this feeling still lingers somewhere deep inside them, now bitter and sorrowful.

The book seems to be about love, but it's not. It's about the permanent changes war makes in individuals and nations, how decades after it's finished it's still the main factor in the lives of those who have survived it. It's a very sad book, which leaves a lot to think about, and it's also very psychologically precise: you will not find one-dimensional characters here. There is not a lot of descriptions of military operations in this book, so if you don't particularly enjoy them, it's a plus.

In my book:
A difficult book, with a lot of essence in it, but still gripping and beautifully written.

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (Review)

Title: The Mysteries of Udolpho
Author: Ann Radcliffe
First published: 1794
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Rating: ★★☆☆☆

20 pages into this book I already regretted putting it on my Classics Club list. OK, it's an iconic Gothic novel, which has inspired a lot of followers since it was written, but it's very, very tiresome to read. Seriously, I was wondering how come Catherine Morland found it so exciting and how could Henry Tilney have read it in three days? It took me three months, on and off.

Let's be a little more organised than usual today and make a bullet list of things that I didn't particularly enjoy in the novel.

• The first problem of the book is, of course, the abundance of cumbersome poetry. The reader is lucky if there are only epigraphs from Milton or Shakespeare, as they are quite bearable, but sometimes it's real crap, which I can't even make sense of. Moreover, some of the heroes write "their own" poetry from time to time, which is even more horrible. Sorry, Mrs. Radcliffe, you are no Shakespeare.
• Second thing that bothered me was the descriptions of nature. They are everywhere and occupy nearly one third of the book, or so it seems. Imagine a heroine being led through the dark forest by a couple of ruffians at night and then just stopping to admire the stars. Yep, that's what happens here.
• It's slow! It's so slow that the castle of Udolpho is first mentioned only on page 188 out of 650. Argh!
• All the FEELINGS! The main heroine is particularly sensitive and is always fainting, blushing, crying, trying to find words, shocked, etc. I know, I know those were the times when it was considered desirable, but really?
• All the characters are either unreasonably evil or are saints. The only well-developed character in the book is Annette, Emily's maid, who is generally good, but talkative, shallow and superstitious. Her voice is the only one that is different from others.

Maybe for its time it was a super exciting novel, and there are some twists of the plot that liven it up a bit, but for a modern reader, even the one familiar with some old classics, it's a bit too much

In my book:
The only reason to read it is to get acquainted with the source of the genre. If you are not famous for your patience, skip it!

2014 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge

Historical Fiction is a genre I've always wanted to read more of. I have Wolf Hall lying on my desk for months, and this year I will also be joining some discussions at Plagues, Witches and War Historical Fiction Book Group. So this challenge is perfect for me! The full rules can be found here.

I'm joining for Renaissance Reader level, which means I aim for 10 HF books in 2014.

Books read:

1. Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
2. The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl
3. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
4. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel
5. A Burnable Book by Bruce Holsinger
6. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
8. Seduction by M.J. Rose
9.  
10.  

Pre-Printing Press Challenge 2013-2014

The idea of this wonderful challenge is to read books that came out before 1440, when the printing press was invented. The full rules can be found here. As for me, I'm aiming to read 10 books that count, which is totally doable, I think!

Books read:

1. Historia Brittonum attributed to Nennius (833)
2. The History of the Kings of Britain by Geoffrey of Monmouth (1136)
3. Life of Merlin by Geoffrey of Monmouth (1150)
4. Erec and Enide by Chrétien de Troyes (1170)
5. Cligès by Chrétien de Troyes (1176)
6. Yvain, the Knight of the Lion by Chrétien de Troyes (1170)
7. Lancelot, the Knight of the Cart by Chrétien de Troyes (1170)
8. Perceval, the Story of the Grail by Chrétien de Troyes (1190)
9.  
10.  

Around the World in 12 Books Challenge 2014

Last year I really enjoyed Giraffe Days' Around the World challenge in 2013, but it was quite... challenging, and I wasn't able to keep up. So I was very happy when Shannon announced that the rules would be more relaxed in 2014. So gladly I join for Casual Tourist level, which means I'll read 6 books set in different areas this year. I've chosen mine as following:

1. North America: Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks
2. South America: Dead Man's Tale by Joanna Chmielewska
3. Africa: 
4. Asia: 
5. Europe: The Shore by Yuri Bondarev
6. Australia, Oceania and Antarctica: At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft

Here I'll link the books I read for the categories, and I hope this year I'll cover all of them! :)

The First Post of the New Year

Hi everybody!

Congratulations on all the past holidays! I haven't been around much since December 20th, as I went home for Christmas holidays, so I had too much real life to spend time online. Then my BF and I did a bit of travelling together, and yesterday I came back to my dull student life full of exams and deadlines :) Which means I'll probably not be very active in January too, but at least I'll catch up on all your posts. There are 300 unread items in my RSS! That's a lot of work!

Soon I'll post some more sign-ups that I haven't had time to do before and then I'll get back to normal reviewing routine. Also, my mom, my BF and I have prepared a list of must-read Russian war books for you, so I only need to find English translations to present it. I hope you are excited :)

Meanwhile, I have finished The Mysteries of Udolpho, which was not very rewarding, and now I'm reading The Shore by Bondarev, which is quite good. The reviews will be up soon!

And here, the cute one is serving as an apology for my long absence:

Have a nice day!