Fifty Years of Russian Prose, Volume 2

A number of intellectual and literary events in Russia after 1953 led to a break in the code of Socialist Realism. Several courageous writers invoked sharp debate and attack by defending the individual's right to freely display his creative abilities in works that contained fundamental political and moral realities, couched in the unpredictable plot and the not-so-happy ending. Volume 2 of this anthology brings together stories by Russian writers of this new period.

The pieces by Yashin, Nagibin, and Zhdanov have been taken from Literary Moscow, an almanac whose role in the revival of Russian literature is comparable to that of Ehrenburg's important novel, The Thaw. Singer and poet, Bulat Okudzhava is one of the best and most original representatives of the antiwar literature that developed after Stalin's death. His poetry and prose display strong thematic and lyrical ties and are developed to unmasking the false images of war -- its real and inglorious impact on people's lives.

In addition to the proliferation of literature on social, political, and moral themes, a number of stories center on the world of children. Two fine examples are Seryozha by Vera Panova, and "The Fourth Daddy," by Yury Nagibin. Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Nobel laureate and author of the recent novels Cancer Ward and The First Circle, is perhaps the best known and most commanding figure among modern Soviet writers.

He is represented in this book by three compelling stories set in provincial Russia. "Matryona's Home" describes the simple righteous existence of a peasant women in a small village, while "An Incident at Krechetovka Station" explores the complex character of a devoted Communist soldier. In the last story, "For the Good of the Cause," enthusiastic students of a technical school clash with Party bureaucrats, bringing to the surface petty ambitions and deceits that prevail despite changes in regime.

These short stories as well as his novels link Solzhenitsyn to the tradition of great Russian classical prose, whose anecdotes are Tolstoy and Dostoevsky.