Title
The unwomanly face of war : an oral history of women in World War II / Svetlana Alexievich ; translated by Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky.
Uniform Title
U voĭny--ne zhenskoe lit͡so--. English
Edition
First edition.
ISBN
9780399588723 (hardcover)
0399588728 (hardcover)
9780399588730 (electronic book)
Published
New York : Random House, [2017]
Language
English
Language Note
Translated from the Russian.
Description
xliii, 331 pages ; 25 cm
Call Number
D810.W7 A5313 2017
Dewey Decimal Classification
940.53/4709252
Summary
"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.
"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." -- Publisher's description
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 Sapper 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 ..."
