This novel can stand alone, though the trilogy is best read in sequence. The whole makes a Tolstoy-scale epic of Soviet life, from the idealism of youth, through the confronting of reality, to a beaten disillusion. This last volume covers the bloody decade from Stalin's Terror to the turning point of World War II in 1943. Against this depressing backdrop, however, Rybakov creates romantic tension and suspense, as the reader roots for the coming together again of Sasha, the protagonist of the earlier volumes, and his still beloved Varya. Rybakov is an old-fashioned storyteller, with a keen sense of the compelling detail.
Anatoly Naumovich Rybakov (Russian: 袗薪邪褌芯谢懈泄 袧邪褍屑芯胁懈褔 袪褘斜邪泻芯胁; January 14, 1911 鈥� December 23, 1998) was a Soviet and Russian writer, the author of the anti-Stalinist Children of the Arbat tetralogy, novel Heavy Sand, and many popular children books including Adventures of Krosh, Dirk, Bronze Bird, etc. One of the last of his works was his memoir The Novel of Memoirs (袪芯屑邪薪-袙芯褋锌芯屑懈薪邪薪懈械) telling about all the different people (from Stalin and Yeltsin, to Okudzhava and Tendryakov) he met during his long life. Writer Maria Rybakova is his granddaughter.
Anatoli Rybakov's Arbat Trilogy is probably the most detailed look at Stalin's Purges and the "Great Patriotic War" (World War Two) that followed immediately upon its heels. I have now read all three volumes: Children of the Arbat, Fear, and Dust and Ashes. I find them to be probably the most sustained look at a society that is both fearful of being caught up in the NKVD's meshes and yet determined to last through the horrors that await them.
This is not a series for people who like neat, happy endings. Some really nice people die under grim conditions. Although the books do not spend any time in the Gulags, what was happening in Moscow and along the long three-thousand-mile front that formed the war against the invading Germans was bad enough.
I will not quickly forget about a dozen of the characters, whose careers I followed from their youthful follies in the old Arbat section of Moscow, characters like Sasha Pankratov, Varya, Lena, Gleb, Shamov the Chekhist, and a host of others. Among the characters are some more famous names: Stalin, Yezhov, Beria, Zhukov, and Vasilevsky.
I took more than four years to read the 1,500-odd pages of the trilogy, but it was worth it. Rybakov is a traditional novelist -- no postmodern touches -- but he writes a story that is, I firmly believe, true to history and to the character of the Russian people.
If you are not put off by lengthy reads, I recommend Rybakov to you. His Arbat trilogy is well worth any time and effort you put into it.
One of best books I read this year. I would compare it with Ken Follett "Fall of Giants" and "Winter of the world", but Rybakov managed to show all tragedies of 20th century much deeper and more colorful. If you like Follett, you must read all three Rybakov's books. After these books you will understand Russians better and you will start respect them more.
I read a review about Children of the Arbat trilogy on New York Times.It reads as follows;
鈥淒epicting Stalin has proved a problem for Russian writers. The portraits tend to be distorted by hostility -- Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's portrait in "The First Circle" -- or are rendered with grotesque comedy by writers like Vladimir Voinovich or Andrei Sinyavsky, who get closer to Stalin's madness but miss the man. Mr. Rybakov's Stalin -- realistic, believable when on the stage of history (especially good when kibitzing with the German Foreign Minister, von Ribbentrop) -- is most vivid in throwaway moments:鈥�
How a great analysis this is in a simple short paragraph. Rybakov gives you a superb insight into the Stalinist Soviet Russia without demonizing Stalin. He actually demonizes those who turned an arrogant man into a tyrant out of fear of sycophancy. He does not refrain from calling Sholokhov a flunky, labeling Eisenstein as a sycophant supporter and Gorky an ordinary tramp. He even questions the integrity of Pasternak because he couldn鈥檛 stand pressure. An artist should not yield pressures, should not feel obliged to praise the regime and should write in the name of the helpless against the tyrant. He should be oppositionalist, he should go beyond the usual tirades of the day and say something new.
The first book was an amazing treat except for the monologues of Stalin. The second book is a bit more focused on Stalin than Sasha's friends. I must admit I had missed some characters like Lena. I was not expecting a tragic end for the concluding volume.It be imprinted on my mind.
P.S. There is a short description of the military conflict between the Soviet Union and Finland.Rybakov perfectly shows that Soviet losses on the front were so heavy because of the strength of the Soviet Red army crippled by Stalin's Great Purge of 1937. Those who are interested in the history of the period should see the Finnish Film The Winter War (Talvisota)
The final part of a trilogy, this novel moves from near the end of Stalin鈥檚 Great Terror, through to the turning point of the Great Patriotic War, focusing on Sasha Pankratov, the rounded hero who needs to prove himself after political problems in the late-1930s, in a sweeping saga with a rather clich茅d troubled romance. It鈥檚 stilted and a little too leisurely-paced in places but the background events are enough to carry the narrative.
To chyba najs艂absza cz臋艣膰 ca艂ej try/tetralogii, a przynajmniej takie odnios艂am wra偶enie. Mo偶e dlatego, 偶e czyta艂am j膮 na wy艣cigi, 偶eby zd膮偶y膰 przed up艂ywem terminu w bibliotece. W ka偶dym razie, "najs艂absza" absolutnie nie oznacza "z艂a". Nadal czyta艂o mi si臋 to dobrze, cho膰 przyznaj臋 - druga po艂owa ksi膮偶ki, ta dotycz膮ca wojny, by艂a dla mnie zbyt chaotyczna, a akcja posuwa艂a si臋 zbyt szybko. Mo偶e to te偶 kwestia narodowa/kulturowa? Ja gubi艂am si臋 w tych frontach i dywizjach, a Rosjanie pewnie nie maj膮 z tym wi臋kszego problemu. Niespecjalnie podoba mi si臋 te偶 to, 偶e o losach wi臋kszo艣ci bohater贸w nie dowiadujemy si臋 niczego pewnego; ich w膮tki po prostu w pewnym momencie si臋 urywaj膮. C贸偶 - tak to sobie autor wymy艣li艂 i nie jestem tym specjalnie zaskoczona - ju偶 same "Dzieci Arbatu" nie mia艂y "porz膮dnego" zako艅czenia, mimo 偶e wtedy Rybakow nie wiedzia艂 jeszcze, czy uda mu si臋 napisa膰 kolejne tomy serii - ale jednak wol臋 zako艅czenia bardziej domkni臋te. Czeka艂am na jaki艣 przeb艂ysk dziejowej sprawiedliwo艣ci (), a tu nic. W ka偶dym razie: bardzo ciekawa seria, na kt贸r膮 wpad艂am zupe艂nym przypadkiem, bez jakichkolwiek oczekiwa艅, wi臋c bardzo pozytywnie mnie zaskoczy艂a. B臋d臋 musia艂a cz臋艣ciej podbiera膰 mamie z p贸艂ek losowe ksi膮偶ki ^^.
Jedyna ksi膮偶ka,przez kt贸r膮 tak mocno p艂aka艂am. Po zako艅czeniu tej serii czuj臋 niesamowit膮 pustk臋, ale to jest najlepsze,co mnie do tej pory spotka艂o w moim czytelniczym 偶yciu.
Have read the whole trilogy. Could not do anything else. So much so that I paid the most I have ever paid for a book, and got it from across the Atlantic, at that. Such is the pull of the unfolding story of Sasha Pankratov, Varya, and so many other characters. Even the seemingly 'slightest' of individuals are often deftly drawn with staggering erudition and depth. The whole series is beautifully written, with an incredible insight into the thinking and results of Stalin's actions, interest dialogue and contextual rationale. I was SO hooked, that as I got toward the end, I kept checking the page numbers, to see how unfortunately few I had remaining...I've never done that before. I didn't want it to end...and then, I have to admit to having tears in my eyes as I closed the back cover. An enthralling tale. A wonderful 'read'. An enlightening, thought provoking and educational experience. It made me look at the current coronavirus crisis with fresh eyes, on so many levels. If ever there was a book, indeed series of books, that warranted a brand new edition...then this is it, and these are they ;-)
One of my favorite series of Russian novels so far, Dust and Ashes marks the conclusion of Anatoly Rybakov鈥檚 Children of the Arbat trilogy. The novel describes how Stalin, after completing the political purges, turned to the military, eliminating many of the most experienced and capable generals鈥攖hose who had fought in the Great War. This decision left the Soviet Union critically unprepared, both in manpower and resources, when Germany inevitably turned its sights eastward. While the Soviets initially attempted to form an alliance with Hitler鈥檚 Germany, hoping it would divert the Nazi war effort to the West, it only bought them a brief respite before the German war machine set its sights on Soviet territory. The consequences were catastrophic, costing the USSR around 20 million lives鈥攐n top of the 12 million who had already perished during collectivization. One of the most compelling aspects of this trilogy is following the same characters from childhood through the darkest years of Soviet history. The childhood friends from the Arbat each took different paths, and while some survived, most did not. No one lived through the years of Stalin untouched鈥擣ear, Dust and Ashes is a fitting representation of what Stalin鈥檚 era left behind. Thank you, Mr. Rybakov, for this incredible series of novels.
After completing the series the four stars for each book is a misnomer. Combined the series is a five star read. The last book cleans up the series. The ending is similar to Hamlet and Romeo and Juliet combined. As in Hamlet every one dies, one way or another all the Children of the Arbat die. Even those who survive the war and the end of the last book have already died inside as victims of Stalin's purges. Our two main characters die in the Kursk salient in a very Romeo and Juliet moment. A wonderful series that if you like Russian historical fiction this is a must read.
I enjoyed the Children of the Arbat trilogy, but this volume was a bit less successful as a novel because there was too little time spent on the lives of the characters and too much recounting well-known history of Soviets in WWII. Nevertheless, the melodramatic ending was satisfying, both romantic and supporting the overall theme of three novels鈥攈ow the lives of the generation of those who came of age after the Revolution were distorted and destroyed