Vasily Grossman
Vasily Grossman was a notable Soviet writer and journalist, born on December 12, 1905, to a family with an academic background. He graduated from Moscow State University and began his literary career with the novella "Glickauf!" in 1934, alongside his well-received short story "V gorode Berdicheve," which addressed the plight of Jewish people. Grossman’s wartime experiences as a journalist for the army's newspaper deeply influenced his writing, leading to the publication of significant works such as "The People Are Immortal," one of the first Soviet war novels, in 1942.
He continued to explore themes of war and freedom in his later writings, notably in "Life and Fate," a poignant exploration of Soviet camps, which was posthumously published in the 1980s after being suppressed by the KGB. Another important work, "Forever Flowing," also contributed to his literary legacy. Throughout his career, Grossman was praised for his unique perspective on personal responsibility and freedom, making his works invaluable historical sources. He passed away in 1964, leaving behind a rich legacy that continues to resonate in discussions of Soviet literature and history.
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Vasily Grossman
Writer
- Born: December 12, 1905
- Birthplace: Berdichev, Russia (now in Ukraine)
- Died: September 14, 1964
Biography
Vasilii Semenovich Grossman was born on December 12, 1905. His father was a chemical engineer, and his mother was a French teacher. He graduated from the school of Physics and Mathematics at Moscow State University in 1929. He published his first work, a novella about miners, Glickauf!, in 1934. That year he also published a short story about the treatment of Jewish people entitled “V gorode Berdicheve” (in the town of Berdichev). The short story received an immediate and positive response from Aleksei Maksimovich Gorky, a man whose writing Grossman both admired and emulated. Gorky offered him help with republishing his novella, and their meeting, according to Grossman, greatly influenced his life. The short story is the most famous of Grossman’s works, and a film adaptation of it was released during the glasnost era.
Throughout the war, Grossman worked at the front as a journalist for the army’s newspaper and kept a kind of journal. In 1942 he published one of his best novels and one of the first Soviet war novels: The People Are Immortal. The novel developed from the ideas expressed in his notebooks, which later served as the core for Stalingrad, his book of essays. These and other essays are considered unique and invaluable historical sources.
In 1943 Grossman began writing a second novel, Za pravoe delo (for a just cause). This epic novel about Stalingrad was completed in 1949 but was not published in its full form until 1956. A journal published it, heavily cut, in 1952, and parts of it appeared in book form in 1954. In 1950, Grossman began writing Life and Fate, a novel about Soviet camps that may be the most significant novel on that topic in Soviet literature. The manuscripts were confiscated from Grossman’s apartment by the KGB, but Grossman managed to save two copies, which he sent out for publication in 1960. He did not live to see the book’s publication (it was not published until the 1980’s) or the other novel on which his reputation is based, Forever Flowing. Grossman died in 1964. His contribution to literature, particularly Soviet literature, is his exploration of the concept of freedom as one that entails personal responsibility.