Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War

Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II

â€œA masterpieceâ€ (The Guardian) from the Nobel Prizeâ€“winning writer, an oral history of childrenâ€™s experiences in World War II across Russia

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST

For more than three decades, Svetlana Alexievich has been the memory and conscience of the twentieth century. When the Swedish Academy awarded her the Nobel Prize, it cited her for inventing â€œa new kind of literary genre,â€ describing her work as â€œa history of emotions . . . a history of the soul.â€Â

Bringing together dozens of voices in her distinctive style, Last Witnesses is Alexievichâ€™s collection of the memories of those who were children during World War II. They had sometimes been soldiers as well as witnesses, and their generation grew up with the trauma of the war deeply embeddedâ€”a trauma that would change the course of the Russian nation.Â

Collectively, this symphony of childrenâ€™s stories, filled with the everyday details of life in combat, reveals an altogether unprecedented view of the war. Alexievich gives voice to those whose memories have been lost in the official narratives, uncovering a powerful, hidden history from the personal and private experiences of individuals.Â

Translated by the renowned Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky, Last Witnesses is a powerful and poignant account of the central conflict of the twentieth century, a kaleidoscopic portrait of the human side of war.

Praise for Last Witnesses

â€œThere is a special sort of clear-eyed humility to [Alexievichâ€™s] reporting.â€â€”The Guardian

â€œA bracing reminder of the enduring power of the written word to testify to pain like no other medium. . . . Children survive, they grow up, and they do not forget. They are the first and last witnesses.â€â€”The New Republic

â€œA profound triumph.â€â€”The Big Issue

â€œ[Alexievich] excavates and briefly gives prominence to demolished lives and eradicated communities. . . . It is impossible not to turn the page, impossible not to wonder whom we next might meet, impossible not to think differently about children caught in conflict.â€â€”The Washington Post
Country USA
Brand Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Hardcover
ReleaseDate 2019-07-02
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780399588754

Country	USA
Brand	Random House Books for Young Readers
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Hardcover
ReleaseDate	2019-07-02
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780399588754

Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of World War II

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