Stalingrad
The prequel to Life and Fate — the Shaposhnikov family as the German tide reaches the Volga — finally published uncensored in 2019.
The Verdict
The long-lost first half of the twentieth century's greatest war epic, finally readable as its author wrote it. Vasily Grossman conceived Stalingrad and Life and Fate as a single vast work in the tradition of Tolstoy; for seventy years the first novel survived only in censored, mutilated Soviet editions. The 2019 restored translation recovers it: the Shaposhnikov family and a teeming cast as the German tide rolls toward the Volga. It is panoramic, humane, and essential groundwork for the masterpiece that follows. Tolstoy's ambition, attempted in the heart of the Soviet century.
Who Should Read It
Read it if you want
- The prequel to Life and Fate, restored
- Readers who want Tolstoyan scope
- The Battle of Stalingrad through many lives
- Admirers of the great Soviet novel
Look elsewhere if you want
- Readers wanting a short or fast novel
- A military history of the battle
- Those unwilling to commit to a two-novel epic
Why We Rated It 4.5
Historical Context
Stalingrad is the first of Grossman's two-novel epic, preceding Life and Fate, following the Shaposhnikov family and others as the Germans advance on the city in 1942. Written by a frontline correspondent, it was heavily censored in the Soviet Union (published as For a Just Cause); the restored English translation, drawing on Grossman's manuscripts, appeared in 2019.
Events Covered
Editions & Reading Notes
Read It Alongside
Collector's Corner
Where to Buy
ISBN: 978-1681374291
Read This Against
The same events seen from a different vantage point. The fullest understanding often lives in the space between accounts that don't agree.
Other Books About the Same Events
Frequently Asked Questions
- How is Stalingrad related to Life and Fate?
- It is the prequel — the two were conceived as one epic. Stalingrad sets up the characters and events that Life and Fate carries forward.
- Why is there a 'restored' edition?
- Soviet censors heavily altered the original; the 2019 translation reconstructs Grossman's intended text from his manuscripts.