The Living And The Dead

Nonfiction, History, Germany, European General, Military, United States
Cover of the book The Living And The Dead by Konstantin  Simonov, Verdun Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Konstantin Simonov ISBN: 9781787200197
Publisher: Verdun Press Publication: July 26, 2016
Imprint: Verdun Press Language: English
Author: Konstantin Simonov
ISBN: 9781787200197
Publisher: Verdun Press
Publication: July 26, 2016
Imprint: Verdun Press
Language: English

The combination of traditional Tolstoyan verbiage with the time-worn universal theme of war has not prevented this Russian author (Days and Nights) and journalist from creating an intense and absorbing World War II documentary of the first months at Russia's Western Front, as the Germans advance relentlessly toward Moscow. More than an accurate, exciting record of the actual battles, retreats, and encirclements, the novel is meaningfully overcast with an aura of war—any war of any nation—not only its horrors, but its rewards, its spirit, and above all, its blind disregard for any ""disparity between the living and the dead"". In microcosm, the hero of the book is Vanya Sintsov, a young military journalist who joins the front ranks to fight, is wounded and captured, and escapes, but without his survival guarantee—the Party Card and Identity Papers. The struggle to redeem his official status as a soldier through his own actions takes him from unit to unit, from comrade to comrade, never doubting his country's victory, but often despairing at human nature. Sinstov, with all his faith and failings, is still only an opitome; it is the Russian Army and all its emergency supporters that is the true epic hero. Aided by Ainsztein's fine translation, Simonov has managed, in a gargantuan complex of characters and events, to capture that elusive dust that inexorably settles on a people at war. Long but rewarding—both for historical accuracy and artful fiction.-Kirkus Reviews

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

The combination of traditional Tolstoyan verbiage with the time-worn universal theme of war has not prevented this Russian author (Days and Nights) and journalist from creating an intense and absorbing World War II documentary of the first months at Russia's Western Front, as the Germans advance relentlessly toward Moscow. More than an accurate, exciting record of the actual battles, retreats, and encirclements, the novel is meaningfully overcast with an aura of war—any war of any nation—not only its horrors, but its rewards, its spirit, and above all, its blind disregard for any ""disparity between the living and the dead"". In microcosm, the hero of the book is Vanya Sintsov, a young military journalist who joins the front ranks to fight, is wounded and captured, and escapes, but without his survival guarantee—the Party Card and Identity Papers. The struggle to redeem his official status as a soldier through his own actions takes him from unit to unit, from comrade to comrade, never doubting his country's victory, but often despairing at human nature. Sinstov, with all his faith and failings, is still only an opitome; it is the Russian Army and all its emergency supporters that is the true epic hero. Aided by Ainsztein's fine translation, Simonov has managed, in a gargantuan complex of characters and events, to capture that elusive dust that inexorably settles on a people at war. Long but rewarding—both for historical accuracy and artful fiction.-Kirkus Reviews

More books from Verdun Press

Cover of the book Elephant Bill by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book Bicycle Blitzkrieg: The Malayan Campaign And The Fall Of Singapore by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book General Hermann Balck: An Interview January 1979 by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book The Lost War: by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book United States Army in WWII - the Pacific - the Fall of the Philippines by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book Through Hell And Deep Water by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book Hitler’s Defeat In Russia by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book The History Of The Canterbury Mounted Rifles 1914-1919 [Illustrated Edition] by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book From the Somme to the Rhine by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book What Kept The Tank From Being The Decisive Weapon Of World War One? by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book Mission Beyond Darkness by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book Selected Readings in the History of Soviet Operational Art by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book I Walked With Heroes by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book Then There Was One: The U.S.S. Enterprise And The First Year Of War by Konstantin  Simonov
Cover of the book August Storm: The Soviet 1945 Strategic Offensive In Manchuria [Illustrated Edition] by Konstantin  Simonov
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy