В окопах Сталинграда (роман, повесть, рассказы)

Πριν από εννιά και πλέον χρόνια έτυχε να βρω τούτο το βιβλίο σε ένα από τα γνωστά μου βιβλιοσαφάρι στα παλαιοβιβλιοπωλεία της Αθήνας, μια επιλογή που ουσιαστικά βασίστηκε στον ιντριγκαδόρικο τίτλο και το κόκκινο χρώμα του εξωφύλλου. Ε, λοιπόν, αυτές τις μέρες κάτι με έπιασε με τον Β' Παγκόσμιο Πόλεμο, και ήθελα να διαβάσω ένα πολεμικό μυθιστόρημα που να βασίζεται στις εμπειρίες του συγγραφέα του. Και ήθελα να είναι από την πλευρά των Σοβιετικών αυτή τη φορά, έτσι, για αλλαγή.

Λοιπ Βαθμολογία: 9/10

Λοιπόν, πρόκειται για ένα πραγματικά πολύ καλογραμμένο και αφόρητα ρεαλιστικό πολεμικό χρονικό, που παρουσιάζει με αφοπλιστική ειλικρίνεια το χάος και την παράνοια που επικρατούσαν στα πεδία μάχης του Στάλινγκραντ, καθώς επίσης τις σκέψεις και τα συναισθήματα των απλών φαντάρων και των κατώτερων αξιωματικών που καθημερινά έπαιζαν τη ζωή τους κορώνα-γράμματα. Η γραφή είναι απλή, άμεση, με γλαφυρές περιγραφές και πραγματικά ολοζώντανους διαλόγους, με το σαρκαστικό χιούμορ να κάνει αρκετά έντονη την παρουσία του σε διάφορα σημεία του βιβλίου.

Επίσης, στα θετικά βάζω και το γεγονός ότι ο Νεκράσοφ δεν ασχολείται με την πολιτική, δεν εκθειάζει τα Σοβιετικά/Κομμουνιστικά ιδεώδη, απλώς καταγράφει αυτά που είδαν και έζησαν χιλιάδες Σοβιετικοί στρατιώτες στα πεδία μάχης τους Στάλινγκραντ, ενώ επίσης έγραψε το βιβλίο αμέσως μετά τη λήξη του πολέμου, όταν τα γεγονότα ήταν ακόμα φρέσκα στη μνήμη του. Σίγουρα είναι ένα βιβλίο που προτείνω στους λάτρεις του είδους. . more

This is the main Russian book in "Trench literature" genre. A war seen from the point of view of a ordinary soldier, intellectual, military engineer dragged into warfare with all its dirt and blood and cruelty and bravery and death. Nekrasov fought in the Battle of Stalingrad himself and served there as a military engineer so main character, Kerzhentcev, is an alter ego. The book was written immediately after the War and is soaked in the horror of it. One can say it's a Russian version of "All q This is the main Russian book in "Trench literature" genre. A war seen from the point of view of a ordinary soldier, intellectual, military engineer dragged into warfare with all its dirt and blood and cruelty and bravery and death. Nekrasov fought in the Battle of Stalingrad himself and served there as a military engineer so main character, Kerzhentcev, is an alter ego. The book was written immediately after the War and is soaked in the horror of it. One can say it's a Russian version of "All quiet on the Western front" only about WWII.

The book was a great success in USSR and received main State Literary Prize. There was a film based on it (weak one) and Nekrasov was doing great until he visited the West in the early 60s. His stories about the trip, written with a friendly attitude were treaded to pieces, he fell from grace of the Soviet authorities. Later he was expelled from the party, KGB organized a house-check of Nekrasov's apartment and found there a lot of forbidden books. His USSR citizenship was revoked and he lived in Paris, working in the Continent magazine up until his death. . more

Когда я начинал читать книгу, думал, что вот теперь-то я разберусь что там было в Сталинграде. Думал, книга будет чем-то вроде фильмов про Зайцева: уличные бои, мины за каждым углом, драка за каждый метр и все такое. Но в книге ничего такого особенно нет. Город представлен как-то слабо, наверное, так задумано. В основном, у меня сложилось впечатление, что все описываемое происходило где-то на окраине города. Я так толком и не понял какой период борьбы за Сталинград был в книге.

Интересно, что бол Когда я начинал читать книгу, думал, что вот теперь-то я разберусь что там было в Сталинграде. Думал, книга будет чем-то вроде фильмов про Зайцева: уличные бои, мины за каждым углом, драка за каждый метр и все такое. Но в книге ничего такого особенно нет. Город представлен как-то слабо, наверное, так задумано. В основном, у меня сложилось впечатление, что все описываемое происходило где-то на окраине города. Я так толком и не понял какой период борьбы за Сталинград был в книге.

Интересно, что больше всего понравилась вторая часть, начиная про танк, больницу и далее. Местами поднимаются важные вопросы, но много и того, что в голове сложно удержать — персонажи, технические термины, чины и так далее. В целом, можно сказать, что если вы не шибко интересуетесь военной историей, то можно не читать. . more

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. It had been a long time since I last enjoyed a war novel so much.

First, it is written in a very simple but gripping way and I started to identifiy myself with the characters almost from the very beginnig. From a reader's point of view (seeking literary please only) the novel is a very 'fit' adventure tale, like a short version of the Odissey but set in Stalingrad and with a happy-end if one can say so. All the people who were important to me got to live at the end of that battle at least. I fou It had been a long time since I last enjoyed a war novel so much.

First, it is written in a very simple but gripping way and I started to identifiy myself with the characters almost from the very beginnig. From a reader's point of view (seeking literary please only) the novel is a very 'fit' adventure tale, like a short version of the Odissey but set in Stalingrad and with a happy-end if one can say so. All the people who were important to me got to live at the end of that battle at least. I found it very reassuring in an emotional sort of way. Here I should also praise what I like best in fiction: there were no hesitations or existential fear in the characters.

For me it was a very smart text from a military standpoint. I understood the logic and reasons behind soldiers' actions, I could see the entire picture of the battle (which is a real curse for so many other war novels) and follow all the developments. And nothing of it jumped at me yelling to me 'False! That can't be true!'

And most importantly, the book gives us a picture which is the opposite of what we are given in things like 'Enemy at the Gates'. It is a pity the novel is hardly (if at all) available in English.

Why not five stars? Because I felt like everything in the novel was a bit shallow, as if a hydrofoil gliding at a very high speed across the Volga waters - you see it, you feel it, you can even breathe it, but you are not one with it. I didn't feel soaked in it. And I didn't fear what I read. Maybe I could call it a lack of grandeur (which I find in plenty in Bondarev's novels), or some sort of the main character's detachment (as if he does not really cares) and the poor spectrum of 'non-war' emotions. Or this could be the reason why Soviet critics of that time blamed the novel for 'remarquisme'.

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