Life and Fate: The Complete Series (Dramatised)

De: Vasily Grossman

Narrado por: Kenneth Branagh, David Tennant, Raquel Cassidy, Greta Scacchi, Adrian Scarborough, Alex Tregear, full cast

Kenneth Branagh stars in BBC Radio 4's ambitious eight-hour dramatisation of Life and Fate, Vasily Grossman's epic masterpiece set during the Battle of Stalingrad. This powerful work, completed in 1960, charts the fate of both a nation and a family in the turmoil of war. Its comparison of Stalinism with Nazism was considered by Soviet authorities to be so dangerous that the KGB placed the manuscript under arrest and Grossman was informed his book would not be published for at least 200 years.

Having been a household name as one of Russia's most distinguished war correspondents, Grossman died aged 58 - the banning of his book hastening the end of his life - and he would never know the fate of his masterpiece: smuggled out of the Soviet Union on microfilm, to freedom and eventual publication in the West. Today it is increasingly hailed as the most important Russian novel of the 20th century.

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Very well performed!

One of the most important literature of 20th century, also my favorite title of this month. Recommend to all who've read the book.

Great

Philosophical reflections on an extermination war that was directed against ethnical groups Slavic and Jewish, a reflection on humanity and propaganda.

A 20th Century War and Peace

Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate is a phenomenal book on par with Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Sweeping, epic, gripping, it is not only one of the greatest Russian novels of the 20th century, but one of the greatest novels the world has produced in the last century, The realism of the dialogue and sound effects in this sumptuous BBC radio production astounded me. I’m glad activists smuggled this manuscript out of Russia in microfilm so that the world could finally read what the Russians tried so hard to suppress.

Soviets gonna Soviet

Great story. Too much volume variation. English accent for Russians is just a little off.

Painfully well done

I had a bit of a struggle following the thread of the story between the characters, however the narration skills of these amazing actors overcame this difficulty for the most part. As indicated in other reviews, the story is unrelentingly grim, realistic, and painful to listen to because of its adherence to accurate portrayal of individual experiences in World War II.

To know the times...

To know the times of WWII you must read Vasily Grossman to understand the East and William Shirer to understand the West. Both were superb journalistic representatives of their time in history in the same way Thucydides was to his.

captivating

Where does Life and Fate: The Complete Series (Dramatised) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

The similarity between Stalin's communism and Hitler's fascism is striking, although in the end they both deprive ordinary citizens of freedom and make them paranoid. The horrors of war to all sides is apparent here; and the fear of the people and bravery of the soldiers and arrogance of their leaders also shows itself in todays society and politics. As a Jew myself, I was tearful at times on both sides of the War, the cattle car, the "showers",(the Jew who only closes the door) the fear that neighbors would turn you in. The sound effects were so real. I felt I was there in the mud and stink of war.I don't know how the actors manage to create their characters in a room in front of a microphone with such conviction. They were amazing! The pain and disbelief in Krymov's voice as he was tortured without knowing why he was betrayed after being loyal to the Party all his life. Viktor's mother's sadness as she read the letter to him, so far away,before she died , etc. I felt it. I jumped when I heard the bombs; it so happened a plane flew overhead when I was listening to the recording. It made it more real. I recommend this book to someone who is familiar with Russian novels. There are always so many characters with long similar names. Sometimes difficult to keep track of when you're reading them, let alone listening. You might have to backtrack a few times to familiarize yourself with the voices, but it's definitely worth it.

What other book might you compare Life and Fate: The Complete Series (Dramatised) to and why?

I haven't heard any other dramatized books like this. Only Shakespearean Comedies. No comparison.I've read many books about the Concentration camps and Stalin in Russia, but never put together such as this book has been.

Which character – as performed by Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant – was your favorite?

Krymov---David Tennant. I wish he had a Tardis to take him and the other actors out of there. His betrayal by his wife and Party was so devastating. His entire life was destroyed by lies.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

The extremes of the political scale will lead to the same result. Persecution. Denial of Rights. War. Hate. Distrust Communism and Fascism supposed opposites, both granted power and wealth to the leaders. Stalin and Hitler. The same. Millions imprisoned and dead. Soldiers are fed hate and false ideals. They fight, die and kill for them. Citizens are stuck in the middle; Though they are also fed the diet of hate and fear of the "enemy" they're homeless, starving, being rounded up,raped, beaten and tortured, dying. The same on both side of the struggle. Suffering the same fate. The circle never ends even today. How many wars are there at this moment in the world?

Any additional comments?

I think this would be a great movie, with the same actors and I hope it's in the works. I will read the book on Kindle next. I know there is a lot more to this story.

MAGNIFICENT!!

Would you consider the audio edition of Life and Fate: The Complete Series (Dramatised) to be better than the print version?

Life and Fate is a wonderful, rich, beautifully written story, but it's also a tough read. This dramatized version is much more accessible and superbly done.

Which character – as performed by Kenneth Branagh and David Tennant – was your favorite?

This is a real ensemble with threads of dozens of characters' stories woven together.Viktor's doctor mother is based on the author's own mother who died in occupied Ukraine and even without knowing that, her farewell letter to her son and her lingering presence in his consciousness is very moving. For some reason in this version I quite like Zhenya's tank commander and the scenes with Tolya and his radio operator.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I wanted to, but didn't. Listening or reading this story leaves you with a lot to think about and a bit emotionally wrung out. I was glad when each chapter gave me a convenient place to stop.

I was sorry to reach the end.

The story, the adaptation and the performance of this book are outstanding. The story and the narrative style are gripping, moving and beautiful. I wanted to go on listening, it was such a pleasure to listen to this work.

Great

Grossman tells an clear overarching story across all the different characters that tells us of war and reveals what it’s like to live under Stalinism, and how Stalinism and Nazism seem to mirror each other in many ways.
Will listen to the us many times over.