Live and Remember is one of the most important works of Russian literature of the post-Stalin, pre-glasnost era. First published in Russian in 1974, it was immediately hailed by Soviet critics as a superb-if atypical-example of war literature and a moving depiction of the degradation and ultimate damnation of a frontline deserter-although it did provoke controversy for its sympathetic portrayal of the deserter's wife. But the novel has also attracted the attention of both Western and Soviet critics for it masterly psychological portrait of two characters caught in a hopeless situation. The novel tells the story of a Siberian peasant who makes a tragic miscalculation by deserting in the last year of the war, and the loyal wife who embraces his fate as her own. Rasputin examines the doomed relationship of these characters, sharply evoking the ties that bind individuals to their land, their community, their family. More than commentary on the nature of Soviet power or on the conduct of the war, Live and Remember is simultaneously a timeless tale with universal appeal and a very Russian story
Walentin Grigorjewitsch Rasputin Books
March 15, 1937 – March 14, 2015
Valentin Rasputin's works delve into complex ethical questions and spiritual revival. His writing depicts rootless urban characters grappling with the fight for survival of centuries-old traditional rural ways of life. Set against the backdrop of Eastern Siberia, his stories explore the clash between modernity and deeply ingrained traditions. Rasputin's prose offers profound insights into human dilemmas and the search for meaning in a changing world.

