From the Frontline

Vasily Semionovich Grossman (1905-1964)

Vasily Semionovich Grossman was born into a Jewish family in Berdichev, in what is now Ukraine. In 1934, he achieved immediate acclaim with the publication of his short story “In the Town of Berdichev” and his novel Gluckauf, which depicted the lives of Donbas miners.

During the Second World War, Grossman served as a reporter for the army newspaper Red Star. His report “The Hell of Treblinka,” published in 1944, was one of the earliest published accounts of a Nazi death camp in any language.

His epic novel Stalingrad was released in 1952. In the subsequent years, Grossman dedicated himself to writing a follow-up novel, Life and Fate. Despite the KGB confiscating his manuscript in February 1961, he continued to work on Everything Flows, a novel even more critical of the Soviet regime, until his final days. The short stories he penned during his last three years are considered among his greatest works, with English translations featured in The Road.

Grossman passed away on September 14, 1964, just before the twenty-third anniversary of the massacre of the Jews of Berdichev, an event in which his mother perished.

This item is eligible for free returns within 30 days of delivery. See our returns policy for further details.