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Book Description
Moscow, 1939. The great author Isaac Babel is spending his last days in the
infamous Lubyanka prison, forbidden to write. His final works have been ...
2 Reviews
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GraJon said on May 6, 2010 | Add your feedback
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krin5292 said on Nov 22, 2009 about the Paperback edition | Add your feedback
Book Details
Prices Change currency & sellers
| ISBN | Edition | List | Sale | Seller |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9780747593201 | Others | $12.86 | -- | The Book Depository |
| Other editions → | ||||
George 
A beautifully written story about a dark period in Soviet history!
A strange, yet compelling, story of one man's determination to save for posterity the writings of one of the most famous authors in the evil totalitarian regime that operated under Stalin. Young archivist Pavel Dubrov works in the dreaded Lubyanka prison where he has to interview the famous author I ... (continue)
A strange, yet compelling, story of one man's determination to save for posterity the writings of one of the most famous authors in the evil totalitarian regime that operated under Stalin. Young archivist Pavel Dubrov works in the dreaded Lubyanka prison where he has to interview the famous author Isaac Babel. He listens to his story. Is deeply moved by what he hears. He cannot get Babel out of the prison but he can try to preserve his writings. This he endeavours to do. This is his passion. The writings are all there - in boxes in the store rooms. His task is to look through them then make certain they are destroyed in the furnace. Page by page he begins to sneak the documents out - to hide them in the basement in his apartment.
So, little by little, the author builds up his story, introducing characters who in some cases cause us some concern, and others who tend to evoke compassion in us.
It is a moving story, especially if one stops to consider that this is only a snapshot of the reality of what happened under Stalin. It shows, thankfully, that even under an evil regime good people exist.
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