The history of the Great Patriotic War, which lasted more than four years, is an integral part of the history and culture of modern Russia and other CIS countries. Of course, you can treat her differently, but you need to know your story. And the best books about the war help us with this.
The Great Patriotic War created a huge layer in the culture of Russia, and today the number of books and historical works is in the hundreds, and maybe even thousands. It is almost impossible to single out the most interesting or truthful ones, because how many people have so many opinions, moreover, each author has his own unique point of view on historical events.
Fiction
Historical novels, tales, and short stories quickly occupied their niche in the cultural field of the Soviet Union, and by the end of the twentieth century they had become almost the most popular reading. In the zero years, many films and television series were shot in many works.
One of the most popular authors in the USSR was Boris Vasiliev. His artistic essays and novels became the core of numerous theatrical productions, and the most famous novel, “The Dawns Here Are Quiet, ” was filmed twice. Despite the fact that Vasiliev was a direct participant in the war from the very beginning and up to his wound in 1943, his works can not be attributed to historically accurate. Most of his works are based only on some real events or even stories and legends that existed at that time.
"And the dawns here are quiet" refers specifically to the genre of artistic interpretation of historical events. This is a story about five girls and their commander, who, without any orders, decided to stop the group of German saboteurs at all costs, only remotely similar to real events that became the basis of the plot.
“Not Listed” is yet another piece on the subject of war. The events of the novel unfold during the outbreak of war around the Brest Fortress. This is a kind of love story of the protagonist, the Soviet officer Nikolai Pluzhnikov and the ordinary girl Mirra. This work did not receive the same recognition as "Dawns", however, in 1995, based on its motives, the feature film "I am a Soldier" was shot.
Another popular author was Mikhail Alexandrovich Sholokhov. His books were read by almost all the inhabitants of the USSR, some works were even added to the textbooks of literature. His works differed from many similar books about the war by their greater truthfulness, cruelty and realistic details. Despite strong political censorship, Sholokhov did not hesitate to show the "bad" side of the soldier's life, and the disgusting details of military operations.
"They Fought for their Homeland" is a novel that Sholokhov began to write during the war in 1942. Over the course of two years, in between battles and on vacation, he took important notes and drafts to later begin writing a full-fledged novel. However, no one saw the final version of the work. Separate chapters were periodically printed as they were created, and in 1975 the famous Soviet director Sergei Bondarchuk even filmed "They Fought for the Homeland."
Written in 1956, the story "The Fate of Man" is based on the story of a real driver, which Sholokhov heard at the end of the war. After making a few notes, he firmly decided to write a book about this, but the work was constantly postponed. And only ten years later, the tragic story of Andrei Sokolov, based on real events, saw the light of day. In 1959, "The Fate of Man" was filmed by Sergei Bondarchuk.
Another writer that deserves attention is Valentin Savvich Pikul. Having survived the blockade of Leningrad in childhood and later entered the military school, he knew more than anyone else about the horrors of war. In the mid-fifties of the last century he began to write and print his own historical novels. Pikul did not specialize only in the history of World War II and the Great Patriotic War, but some of his works are devoted to precisely these events.
Seeing the light in 1970, the novel Requiem Caravan PQ-17 became one of the most striking works about the war. The story of one food caravan, which was sent from the USA to the USSR as part of the Lend-Lease, tells not so much about the events themselves, but about simple human relationships during one of the most terrible wars in history. The book tells about the death of the caravan PQ-17, about the courage of Soviet, American and British soldiers. Much attention is paid to the inhuman atrocities of the fascist regime of Hitler.
It is also worth mentioning the trilogy of Konstantin Simonov, "The Living and the Dead." According to most literary scholars, this epic is the best among art books about the Great Patriotic War. Each of the books (Living and Dead, Soldiers Are Not Born, and Last Summer) tells about the fate of specific people during the war. Nevertheless, the characters are fictional, the plot is based on the stories of the participants of the Second World War, and the novels themselves are not a historical chronicle.
Historical literature
Despite the priceless information and amazing plots, novels, stories and novels, they contain a huge share of fiction. They give an idea of the relationship between people, the reigning atmosphere, but they have a very large number of inaccuracies. This is not to say that this is bad. On the contrary, good historical novels are interesting and fascinating, give a more “humane” idea of what horrors war brings to people's lives, but much remains unattended. In addition, given the active work of propaganda in the post-war world, many writers worked in terrible conditions of supervision and were forced to write as they were told, omitting "uncomfortable" details and focusing on certain topics.
To learn more about real events, specific cases of heroism and the fate of people, it’s worthwhile to read several historical books that describe real events and the people who participated in them.
One of the most prominent representatives of the community of writers of historical chronicle is Anatoly Kuznetsov. Most of his works are based directly on his own experience and seen during the Great Patriotic War.
The documentary novel "Babi Yar", based on the memoirs of Kuznetsov, was written and first published in 1966. The book touches on several events at once, which led to terrible consequences. The retreat of Soviet troops from Kiev, the occupation by the Nazis and further repression against the civilian population and Soviet prisoners of war. Particular attention in the novel is given to the genocide of Ukrainian Jews and mass shootings, which Babi Yar became notorious for.
Sergey Petrovich Alekseev is a direct participant in the war and a certified historian. His works very accurately reflect the events that occurred during the hostilities. Based on the testimonies of participants and eyewitnesses, as well as on official documents, his books most reliably tell about the Great Patriotic War.
The collection "One Hundred Stories of the War", which was released from the pen of Sergei Alekseev, differs from many works related to the war. It was written for children. Short prose stories in the simplest and easiest way reflected all the horrors that occurred during the war, the heroism of ordinary people and soldiers.
Diaries and Memoirs
Speaking about the events of the Great Patriotic War and historical accuracy, one cannot ignore the author’s works of the direct participants in the war. Thanks to the records of soldiers, officers, prisoners of war and residents of the occupied territories, anyone can find out the truth about past events.
