Based around the pivotal WWII battle of Stalingrad (1942-3), where the German advance into Russia was eventually halted by the Red Army, and around an extended family, the Shaposhnikovs, and their many friends and acquaintances, Life and Fate recounts the experience of characters caught up in an immense struggle between opposing armies and ideologies. Nazism and Communism are appallingly similar, 'two poles of one magnet', as a German camp commander tells a shocked old Bolshevik prisoner. At the height of the ...
Read More
Based around the pivotal WWII battle of Stalingrad (1942-3), where the German advance into Russia was eventually halted by the Red Army, and around an extended family, the Shaposhnikovs, and their many friends and acquaintances, Life and Fate recounts the experience of characters caught up in an immense struggle between opposing armies and ideologies. Nazism and Communism are appallingly similar, 'two poles of one magnet', as a German camp commander tells a shocked old Bolshevik prisoner. At the height of the battle Russian soldiers and citizens alike are at last able to speak out as they choose, and without reprisal - an unexpected and short-lived moment of freedom. Grossman himself was on the front line as a war correspondent at Stalingrad - hence his gripping battle scenes, though these are more than matched by the drama of the individual conscience struggling against massive pressure to submit to the State. He knew all about this from experience too. His central character, Viktor Shtrum, eventually succumbs, but each delay and act of resistance is a moral victory. Though he writes unsparingly of war, terror and totalitarianism, Grossman also tells of the acts of 'senseless kindness' that redeem humanity, and his message remains one of hope. He dedicates his book, the labour of ten years, and which he did not live to see published, to his mother, who, like Viktor Shtrum's, was killed in the holocaust at Berdichev in Ukraine in September 1941.
Read Less
Add this copy of Life and Fate (Orange Inheritance) to cart. $4.99, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Vintage Classics.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
Add this copy of Life and Fate (Orange Inheritance) to cart. $5.02, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Vintage Classics.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Ex-Library Copy **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Life and Fate (Orange Inheritance) to cart. $5.02, good condition, Sold by Goldstone Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Ammanford, CARMS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2011 by Vintage Classics.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. All orders are dispatched within 1 working day from our UK warehouse. Established in 2004, we are dedicated to recycling unwanted books on behalf of a number of UK charities who benefit from added revenue through the sale of their books plus huge savings in waste disposal. No quibble refund if not completely satisfied.
Add this copy of Life and Fate to cart. $5.95, very good condition, Sold by Greener Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from London, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1995 by The Harvill Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. **SHIPPED FROM UK** We believe you will be completely satisfied with our quick and reliable service. All orders are dispatched as swiftly as possible! Buy with confidence! Greener Books.
Add this copy of Life and Fate to cart. $8.09, good condition, Sold by Anybook rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Lincoln, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1995 by Harvill Press.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
This is an ex-library book and may have the usual library/used-book markings inside. This book has soft covers. In good all round condition. Please note the Image in this listing is a stock photo and may not match the covers of the actual item, 1150grams, ISBN: 9781860460197.
Add this copy of Life and Fate: **as Heard on Bbc Radio 4** to cart. $8.70, good condition, Sold by Worldwide Books Ltd rated 2.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Brentwood ,, ESSEX, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by Vintage Classics.
Add this copy of Life and Fate to cart. $10.66, good condition, Sold by M Godding Books Ltd rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Devizes, WILTS, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by Vintage Classics.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good. Size: 5x2x8; English language. Posted within 1 working day. 1st class tracked post to the UK, Airmail tracked worldwide. Robust recyclable packaging.
Add this copy of Life and Fate to cart. $15.00, good condition, Sold by BARNABY rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Oxford, OXFORDSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 1995 by Harvill.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Good Condition. Corners a little bumped. Pages are free from notes or highlighting. Bindings firm, spine intact. Otherwise, a good used copy. Publisher's note: "A novel centred around the Battle of Stalingrad." Size: 21.6 x 13.6 x 4.4 cm. 880 pp. Shipped Weight: 1-2 kilos. Category: Fiction; Russia (Federation)--Volgograd; Soviet Union; Social conditions; Russia (Federation); Families; Military campaigns; Jews; Russian fiction; ISBN: 1860460194. ISBN/EAN: 9781860460197. Add. Inventory No: 230202ABJ012053.
Add this copy of Life and Fate to cart. $16.90, fair condition, Sold by Magers and Quinn Booksellers rated 5.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Minneapolis, MN, UNITED STATES, published 2006 by New York Review of Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Acceptable. May have underlining, highlighting, margin notes, remainder marks, inscriptions, book plates, tears, significant wear, and/or a missing dust jacket, box, or discs. Damaged item.
Add this copy of Life and Fate: (New York Review Books Classics) to cart. $16.91, very good condition, Sold by Brit Books rated 4.0 out of 5 stars, ships from Milton Keynes, BUCKINGHAMSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM, published 2006 by New York Review of Books.
Choose your shipping method in Checkout. Costs may vary based on destination.
Seller's Description:
Very good. Simply Brit – welcome to our online used book store, where affordability meets great quality. Dive into a world of captivating reads without breaking the bank. We take pride in offering a wide selection of used books, from classics to hidden gems, ensuring there's something for every literary palate. All orders are shipped within 24 hours and our lightning fast-delivery within 48 hours coupled with our prompt customer service ensures a smooth journey from ordering to delivery. Discover the joy of reading with us, your trusted source for affordable books that do not compromise on quality.
I am having to break up the reading of 'Life and Fate'. Knowing that it is based on Vasily Grossman's real life experience it is dreadful to know the horrific lives and deaths of so many people at the hands of Hitlers Germans, and Joseph Stalin's tyranny. I do not read the book at bed time, and have read 'A walk in the Woods' by Bill Bryson during my first break from Life and Fate. I am now reading Enid Blyton's 'Up the Faraway Tree' before going back in to 'Life and Fate'.
Michael B
Dec 6, 2012
haunting book
This book was arrested by the KGB while the author was allowed to remain free. However copies had been smuggled abroad. It presents Soviet Communism as being little different to Nazism. Grossman intercuts between scenes in a gulag and a concentration camp. Grossman was a war reporter with the Soviet 'Red Star' newspaper, so he knows what he is talking about. The opening scenes of Stalingrad ablaze are unforgettable. I found the German former nanny being denounced as an enemy agent -and her pet cat killed-so that someone could take her apartment as it had an extra room very reminiscent of what family members told me about the Second World War. British POWs spilling the beans about a radio to the Germans so that they could have cigaretttes, chocolate or just get into their captors' good books. Parts of it could have done with a literary editor but it was written in secret and has a few rough edges here and there, in as much as one can tell in translation.
Andrew M
Dec 1, 2011
Stalingrad, Stalin and Soviet Society
I came to this novel with the assistance of Athony Beevor's 'Stalingrad', though could be enjoyed without it.Following the complexity of the narrative of the family relationships is difficult but it draws you in to a deeply human tale of the effects of war on individuals and society. At times so moving it almost becomes unbearable.This is a book I had to resist the temptation to finish in one sitting. Truly worth your time
Steven W S
Nov 24, 2011
My Favorite Book
This great book is my favorite historical novel. Its scope and power allow the reader to fully understand the fact that Russian Communism and German National Socialism were little more than ugly, feuding brothers, struggling for power.
billbolen
Mar 4, 2010
Classic WW2 epic
One of great novels to come out of WWII. Based around battle of Stalingrad and families involved. Incredible insight into Soviet State and Fascism. Long read but worth it.
