The unwomanly face of war : an oral history of women in World War II / Svetlana Alexievich ; translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
By: Aleksievich, Svetlana [author.].
Contributor(s): Pevear, Richard [translator.] | Volokhonsky, Larissa [translator.].
Material type: TextPublisher: New York : Random House, [2017]Edition: First edition.Description: xliii, 331 pages ; 25 cm.Content type: text Media type: unmediated Carrier type: volumeISBN: 9780399588723; 0399588728.Uniform titles: U voĭny--ne zhenskoe lit͡so-- . English Subject(s): World War (1939-1945) | 1939-1945 | World War, 1939-1945 -- Women -- Soviet Union | World War, 1939-1945 -- Personal narratives, Russian | World War, 1939-1945 -- Participation, Female | Women and war -- Soviet Union | Military participation -- Female | Women | Women and war | HISTORY / Military / World War II | HISTORY / Russia & the Former Soviet Union | HISTORY / Women | Soviet UnionGenre/Form: Personal narratives. | Personal narratives -- Russian. | Personal narratives.Item type | Current library | Collection | Shelving location | Call number | Status | Date due | Barcode | Item holds | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Book | Haddon Twp. | Nonfiction | Adult | 940.5347 Ale (Browse shelf(Opens below)) | Available | 05000009237434 |
Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:
A long-awaited English translation of the groundbreaking oral history of women in World War II across Europe and Russia--from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Washington Post * The Guardian * NPR * The Economist * Milwaukee Journal Sentinel * Kirkus Reviews
For more than three decades, Svetlana Alexievich has been the memory and conscience of the twentieth century. When the Swedish Academy awarded her the Nobel Prize, it cited her invention of "a new kind of literary genre," describing her work as "a history of emotions . . . a history of the soul."
In The Unwomanly Face of War, Alexievich chronicles the experiences of the Soviet women who fought on the front lines, on the home front, and in the occupied territories. These women--more than a million in total--were nurses and doctors, pilots, tank drivers, machine-gunners, and snipers. They battled alongside men, and yet, after the victory, their efforts and sacrifices were forgotten.
Alexievich traveled thousands of miles and visited more than a hundred towns to record these women's stories. Together, this symphony of voices reveals a different aspect of the war--the everyday details of life in combat left out of the official histories.
Translated by the renowned Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, The Unwomanly Face of War is a powerful and poignant account of the central conflict of the twentieth century, a kaleidoscopic portrait of the human side of war.
THE WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
"for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time."
"A landmark." --Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century
"An astonishing book, harrowing and life-affirming . . . It deserves the widest possible readership." --Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train
"Alexievich has gained probably the world's deepest, most eloquent understanding of the post-Soviet condition. . . . [She] has consistently chronicled that which has been intentionally forgotten." --Masha Gessen, National Book Award-winning author of The Future Is History
Translated from the Russian.
From a conversation with a historian -- A human being is greater than war -- "I don't want to remember..." -- "Grow up, girls... you're still green..." -- "I alone came back to Mama..." -- "Two wars live in our house..." -- "Telephones don't shoot..." -- "They awarded us little medals..." -- "It wasn't me..." -- "I remember those eyes even now..." -- "We didn't shoot..." -- "They needed soldiers... but we also wanted to be beautiful..." -- "Young ladies! Do you know: the Commander of a Sappier Platoon lives only two months..." -- "To see him just once..." -- "About tiny potatoes..." -- "Mama, what's a papa?" -- "And she puts her hand to her heart..." -- "Suddenly we wanted desperately to live..."
"Bringing together dozens of voices in her distinctive style, War's Unwomanly Face is Svetlana Alexievich's collection of stories of women's experiences in World War II, both on the front lines, on the home front, and in occupied territories. This is a new, distinct version of the war we're so familiar with. Alexievich gives voice to women whose stories are lost in the official narratives, creating a powerful alternative history from the personal and private stories of individuals. Collectively, these women's voices provide a kaleidoscopic portrait of the human side of the war. When the Swedish Academy awarded Svetlana Alexievich the Nobel Prize in Literature, they praised her "polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time," and cited her for inventing "a new kind of literary genre." Sara Danius, the permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy, added that her work comprises "a history of emotions -- a history of the soul."--Provided by publisher.
Table of contents provided by Syndetics
- From a Conversation with a Historian (p. xi)
- A Human Being is Greater than War (p. xiii)
- "I Don't Want to Remember..." (p. 3)
- "Grow Up, Girls ... You're Still Green ..." (p. 19)
- Of Oaths and Prayers (p. 20)
- Of the Smell of Fear and a Suitcase of Candy (p. 34)
- Of Everyday Life and Essential Life (p. 54)
- "I Alone Came Back to Mama ..." (p. 71)
- "Two Wars Live in Our House ..." (p. 91)
- Telephones Don't Shoot (p. 99)
- "They Awarded Us Little Medals ..." (p. 113)
- Of Dolls and Rifles (p. 117)
- Of Death and Astonishment in the Face of Death (p. 122)
- Of Horses and Birds (p. 126)
- "It Wasn't Me ..." (p. 131)
- "I Remember Those Eyes Even Now ..." (p. 141)
- "We Didn't Shoot ..." (p. 159)
- Of Nice Little Shoes and a Cursed Wooden Leg (p. 160)
- Of the Special "K" Soap and the Guardhouse (p. 168)
- Of Melted Bearings and Russian Curses (p. 176)
- "They Needed Soldiers ... But We Also Wanted to be Beautiful ..." (p. 185)
- Of Men's Boots and Women's Hats (p. 186)
- Of a Girlish Treble and Sailors' Superstitions (p. 197)
- Of the Silence of Horror and the Beauty of Fiction (p. 207)
- "Young Ladies! Do You Know: The Commander of a Sapper Platoon Lives Only Two Months ..." (p. 211)
- "To See Him Just Once ..." (p. 225)
- Of a Damned Wench and the Roses of May (p. 226)
- Of a Strange Silence Facing the Sky and a Lost Ring (p. 239)
- Of the Loneliness of a Bullet and a Human Being (p. 247)
- "About Tiny Potatoes ..." (p. 251)
- Of a Mine and a Stuffed Toy in a Basket (p. 253)
- Of Mommies and Daddies (p. 265)
- Of Little Life and a Big Idea (p. 271)
- "Mama, What's a Papa?" (p. 281)
- Of Bathing Babies and of a Mama Who Looks Like a Papa (p. 281)
- Of Little Red Riding Hood and the Joy of Meeting a Cat During the War (p. 290)
- Of the Silence of Those Who Could Now Speak (p. 298)
- "And she Puts her Hand to her Heart ..." (p. 303)
- Of the Last Days of the War, When Killing Was Repugnant (p. 303)
- Of a Composition with Childish Mistakes and Comic Movies (p. 312)
- Of the Motherland, Stalin, and Red Cloth (p. 317)
- "Suddenly we Wanted Desperately to Live ..." (p. 323)