From Publishers Weekly
This careful translation of Bykov's 1982 excellent, unrelentingly bleak drama serves to introduce Byelorussia's foremost living writer to the American public. Two elderly peasants, Stepanida and husband Petroc, eke out a living on an allotment carved from an estate in the eastern Soviet republic. Having survived the horrors of agricultural collectivization during the 1930s, which caused a near-famine in their village, they now face a new terror--Nazi occupation. The Germans, with the help of vindictive local polizei who bear a grudge against the garrulous Stepanida for her Communist activism prior to the war, requisition their farm. Bykov's descriptions of fluctuations of nature and Stepanida and Petroc's stoic endurance through years of suffering and deprivation are contrasted with the deliberate brutality of the Nazi occupiers. Even when the Germans are finally forced to retreat, the elderly couple's misfortunes do not end. Petroc, who, unlike his wife, is an optimist, tries his hand at making vodka to use as a bargaining chip. But the polizei's demands become insatiable, and when he is unwilling to meet them, events move quickly to a tragic end. Bykov's sturdy yet evocative prose conveys the strength of the Russian character during a grim period of history.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Bykov, Belorussia's foremost novelist, belongs to the contemporary school of rural Soviet prosaists. Concerned with preserving historical memory, he here brings to life the unbearable existence in the villages during Stalin's collectivization and the war with Germany. This highly artistic novel tells the story of a simple peasant couple in a series of vivid scenes, interwoven with depictions of the countryside and village life. Petroc and Stepanida endure endless humiliation and cruelty from the Nazis and the local polizei until life becomes impossible to endure. Through all this their kindness and sense of justice survive, and their humble lives show incredible resilience and strength of character. This is a timely and valuable contribution to the knowledge of the USSR, as well as a very moving novel. Highly recommended.
- Ulla Sweedler, Univ. of California at San Diego Lib.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Ulla Sweedler, Univ. of California at San Diego Lib.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
