Vasily Grossman never had the chance to see his masterpiece published and, indeed, apparently died thinking that it would never be read. Fortunately for us, a copy of the manuscript did manage to make its way to friendly hands and it has become published and celebrated around the world – although its reception in Russia remains problematic, as might be imagined. Recently, a dramatized version was performed on BBC radio (which I have not heard) and a number of other programmes have been discussing the book, in the context of it being perhaps Russia’s greatest novel and one of the great novels of world literature.
Read the full review here.
