What this book does well is get across how sudden death can be. The bitter battle of stalingrad on the eastern front was the turning point of world war ii. If there is only one book on stalingrad that you want to read, then i would suggest enemy at the gates by craig. Stalingrad by vasily grossman a sweeping tale of war and life. Vasily grossman author vasily grossman 190564 is best known as the author of life and fate, rated by many as the greatest russian novel of the twentieth century. But it will also be the cradle of a new sense of hope. Enemy at the gates is a 2001 war film written and directed by jeanjacques annaud and based on william craigs 1973 nonfiction book enemy at the gates. Each chapter begins with a page of text, providing context for the fighting ahead.
The luftwaffe and hitlers defeat in the east 19421943 and earl ziemke and magna bauers moscow to stalingrad. Jones new history of stalingrad offers a radical reinterpretation of the most famous battle of the second world war. Combining eye witness testimony of red army fighters with fresh archive material the book gives a dramatic insight into the thinking of the russian command and the mood of. Mar 09, 1986 that book hinges on the opening phase of the battle of stalingrad. The battle of stalingrad was the most important of wwii, the author tell us about the siege of stalingrad. While this book provides a historical overview of the stalingrad campaign, its primary purpose is to provide new scenarios, rules, and inspiration to help wargamers bring this bitter struggle to life on the tabletop.
Popular stalingrad books meet your next favorite book. Antony beevor has written another popularstyle book about stalingrad based on research done since then and he brings new facts to light. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. Linda grant wrote in the guardian that it was the only book that ever changed her worldview. Grossman consciously took on the role of red tolstoy. The battle for stalingrad a maelstrom of violence and firepower will reduce it to ruins.
The received wisdom about this book is that it was an orthodox soviet account of the siege of stalingrad and that it lacked the complexity and merit of life and fate. Beevors the fall of berlin 1945, stalingrad is an excellent book, well written and researched. First, to synthesize the standard american narrative of the second world wars european theatre, it was the united states who broke the back of nazi germany, rescuing, yet again. The unexpected soviet counteroffensive forms the climax of vasily grossmans 1952 novel stalingrad, one of the great novels of the 20th century, and now published in. Jun 03, 2019 the unexpected soviet counteroffensive forms the climax of vasily grossmans 1952 novel stalingrad, one of the great novels of the 20th century, and now published in english for the first time. Grossman originally envisaged stalingrad and his masterpiece, life and fate 1960, as a single organic work. Schroter was among the german war correspondents staff at stalingrad.
Find out why stalingrad is one of the best books of 2019. In august 1942, hitlers huge sixth army reached the. Its a very detailed book about the fights in the sovietunion, and the brutal battle of stalingrad. The book won the first samuel johnson prize, the wolfson history prize and the hawthornden prize for literature in 1999. This is the new popular reference edition of the fullyillustrated ebook, isbn. Stalingrad is a magnificent but mutilated achievement. Antony beevor has itnerviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of german and soviet archives, including prisoner interrogations and reports of desertions and executions. Get alerts on fiction when a new story is published.
Stalins war with germany and joel haywards stopped at stalingrad. Jan, 2018 stalingrad part 1 of 3 audiobook full by atony bevoor. He set out to write a requiem for the millions of soviet citizens who perished, especially those lost in the months after the 1941 invasion. The unknown story of the 1077th antiaircraft regiment, whose female gunners made an extraordinary land stand on the first day of the battle of stalingrad. These important books are john ericksons the road to stalingrad. Life and fate picks up chronologically where stalingrad leaves off, at the. The book is noted as a source in stalingrad, and the quotes attributed to groscurth are sourced to it.
His book stalingrad was awarded the samuel johnson prize for nonfiction, the wolfson history prize, and the hawthornden prize in 1999. Beevor also pointed to a harrowing but corroborating description of the incident in the the 1988 collection of firsthand recollections the good old. Jun 06, 2019 this is effectively a new and far more complete version of grossmans work, including previously censored and more daring sections. Stalingrad book wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. If you havent seen my book, amazon has a look inside feature which lets you view quite a few random.
This book covers the southern region of the ostfront from august 1942 to february 1943 including. Stalingrad was being publicly denounced soon after it appeared. It is not to excuse them for what they did, but to show that they were caught in hitlers maelstrom and how that led to the plots against hitlers life, which. Oct 30, 2017 it depends on how you want to look at the battle. May 16, 2019 stalingrad is the prequel to life and fate, one of the twentieth centurys greatest novels. The screenplay was written by annaud and alain godard. This is effectively a new and far more complete version of grossmans work, including previously censored and more daring sections. The battle of stalingrad was not only the psychological turning point of world war ii. Hitlers soldiers stormed the city in september 1942 in a bid to complete the conquest of europe. Stalingrad is a magnificent novel not only of war but of all human life. The best book i have read about stalingrad is a book written by antony beevor and its called stalingrad. For russians, 75 years later, stalingrad is a battle to. Its main focus is the battle of stalingrad, in particular the period from the initial german attack to operation uranus and the soviet victory.
Dramatic photographs from the battle of stalingrad have been brought to life in colour to mark the 75th anniversary of this critical defeat of hitlers germany during the second world war. Since vasily grossmans life and fate was first published, posthumously, in 1980, it has earned praise as one of the most significant books of our time. The battle of stalingrad 23 august 1942 2 february 1943 was the largest confrontation of world war ii, in which germany and its allies fought the soviet union for control of the city of stalingrad now volgograd in southern russia. This book covers the battle of stalingrad from beginning to end. Among them is his skepticism about the famous duel that was believed to occur between soviet master sniper vassily zaitsev and the german konings. Nov 15, 2017 for russians, 75 years later, stalingrad is a battle to remember. I have worked as a conflict photographer for more than 10 years. Alexandra popoffs new biography of grossman, vasily grossman and. Grossman 1905 1964, best known for this books sequel, life and fate, was on the scene as a soviet war reporter during wwiis nazi siege of stalingrad, and the novel teems with his firsthand observations. The fateful siege, 19421943 by antony beevor, life and fate by vasily grossman, enemy at the gates. Much like the german invasion of the ussr, stalingrad is a daunting monster, weighing in at 892 pages plus 100 pages of fascinating historical notes and the translators take on the many versions of the book.
Mar 08, 2020 the unknown story of the 1077th antiaircraft regiment, whose female gunners made an extraordinary land stand on the first day of the battle of stalingrad, 1942. Stalingrad, one of the bloodiest battles in the history of warfare, cost the lives of nearly two million men and women. Immersed in black, stalingrads book design asserts a heaviness that puts you in the right state of mind for this story. The action is told from dozens of perspectives, ranging from humble workers to. Russias topgrossing movie of 20 and its first made completely in 3d, stalingrad will arrive in us imax theaters february 28th. The book starts with operation barbarossa, the german invasion of the ussr in june 1941, and the subsequent drive into the soviet union. Grossmans genius extends to imagining the conquering. After months of bitter fighting, 100,000 surviving germans, huddled in the ruined city, surrendered to soviet troops.
Jun 06, 2019 buy stalingrad by grossman, vasily, chandler, robert, chandler, elizabeth isbn. Stalingrad is the prequel to life and fate, one of the twentieth centurys greatest novels. Stalingrad and life and fate are modelled on war and peace the only book grossman said he was able to read at the front. Battle of stalingrad, successful soviet defense of the city of stalingrad that was a turning point in favor of the allies in world war ii.
Grossman 19051964, best known for this books sequel, life and fate, was on the scene as a soviet war reporter during wwiis nazi siege of stalingrad, and the novel teems with his firsthand observations. After his death, his books and papers were removed from libraries and. Stalingrad is an epic novel, tolstoyan in its proportions and ambition, about a russian familys struggles amid the nazi march on stalingrad in 1942. This immense prequel to life and fate on the siege of stalingrad finally gets. Stalingrad conveys the experience of soldiers on both sides, fighting in inhuman conditions, and of civilians trapped on an urban battlefield. Russians consider it to be one of the greatest battles of their great patriotic war, and most historians consider it to be the greatest battle of the entire conflict.
Stalingrad part 1 of 3 audiobook full by atony bevoor. This was first published in the ussr in a number of different editions in the 1950s. Jun 07, 2019 the received wisdom about this book is that it was an orthodox soviet account of the siege of stalingrad and that it lacked the complexity and merit of life and fate. Since the war, the city has been completely rebuilt, and in 1961 was renamed volgograd, an effort to erase stalins legacy.
Grossman would probably have ended up shot had stalin not died only months later. New book project working on a new book project with our german colleague dirk jeschke at german history archive. During the battle and shortly after its conclusion, scores of red army commanders and soldiers. Times mustread books of 2019 at last, the russian novelistjournalists mighty prequel to life and fate, his epic of the battle of stalingrad and its aftermath, has received a definitiveand hugely powerfulenglish translation. The battle for stalingrad, which describes the events surrounding the battle of stalingrad in the winter of 1942 and 1943. The author goes beyond the usual treatment of the germans to share the dissension and disagreement in the ranks. What is the definitive book on the wwii battle of stalingrad. But this book is long on personality and short on military strategy. That book hinges on the opening phase of the battle of stalingrad.
A prequel to one of the great novels of the 20th century, vasily grossmans 1960 book life and fate, finally appeared in english this year. Stalingrad is an epic novel, tolstoyan in its proportions and ambition. In search of an honest man by gary saul morson the new. This won a new audience for the book, though the actual number of people who made it through the 850page volume is another question. Joness outstanding new book, uses memoirs, eyewitness accounts, and recently opened soviet archival material to uncover how the soldiers of gen. Antony beevor has interviewed survivors and discovered completely new material in a wide range of german and soviet archives, including prisoner interrogations and reports of desertions and executions. The unexpected soviet counteroffensive forms the climax of vasily grossman s 1952 novel stalingrad, one of the great novels of the 20th century, and now published in english for the first time. The carnage of the battle of stalingrad finally came to an end in february 1943, when the german sixth army commander, gen.
How the red army survived the german onslaught, michael k. In august 1942, hitlers huge sixth army reached the city that bore stalins name. Friedrich paulus, surrendered the remaining ninety thousand troops of his army to the soviet forces. An ideal historical novel for a new generation of readers. At the end, a population that had been half a million was just 35,000. The battle of stalingrad 23 august 1942 2 february 1943 was the largest confrontation of world war ii, in which germany and its allies fought the soviet union for control of the city of stalingrad now volgograd in southern russia marked by fierce closequarters combat and direct assaults on civilians in air raids, it remains the largest nearly 2. Leon aron called it the greatest russian novel of the twentieth century. The original publication process of grossmans novel stalingrad is a. Battle of stalingrad brought to life in shocking colourised. The action is told from dozens of perspectives, ranging from. Six months and a million casualties later, the reich had. Germans at stalingrad, 19421943 rare historical photos.
As a story of cruelty, courage, and human suffering, stalingrad is unprecedented and unforgettable. I fail to understand whats counterrevolutionary about my book is it that. The book count with an excellent research, well written like a novel. In june 1942, nazi germany was looking forward to victory. Aug 22, 2017 dramatic photographs from the battle of stalingrad have been brought to life in colour to mark the 75th anniversary of this critical defeat of hitlers germany during the second world war. Read an excerpt the silence that fell on 2 february in the ruined city felt eerie for those who had been used to destruction as a natural state. In april 1942, hitler and mussolini plan the huge offensive on the eastern front that will culminate in the greatest battle in human history. What is the best book to read about the battle of stalingrad. Vasily chuikovs sixtysecond army overcame incredible odds to save stalins namesake city from german invaders during the. Stalingrad is a narrative history written by antony beevor of the battle fought in and around the city of stalingrad during world war ii, as well as the events leading up to it. In april 1942, hitler and mussolini meet in salzburg where they agree on a renewed assault on the soviet union. From antony beevor, the internationally bestselling author of dday and the battle of arnhem. This book by noted writer antony beevor joins three others that are essential english language classics on stalingrad. Gil and ortegas account is extremely wellresearched.
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