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Камень. Биографический роман: Часть первая. Первые шаги к свету и обратно

Book by Володимир Шабля · 2 quotes · Historical Fiction, Gulag, Human Spirit

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AllHistorical FictionGulagHuman SpiritPolitical RepressionSoviet UnionStalin EraAuthoritarianismAutobiographical FictionBirthChildhoodChildhood MemoriesDestinyDictatorshipEmotional FictionExecutionExistential CrisisFamilyFamily HistoryFateFear

Камень. Биографический роман: Часть первая. Первые шаги к свету и обратно Quotes

“A volley thundered — and the prisoner kneeling beside Peter collapsed lifelessly into the dirt. Three more men fell elsewhere along the line. “Reload!” the State Security lieutenant kept commanding. “Aim!” Peter turned his gaze toward the NKVD squad. A rifle was pointed straight at his chest, the bayonet gleaming. He looked into the barrel. “Can a crude piece of lead really destroy my unique soul forever? No — that is absurd!” In a state of shock, he felt himself tearing away from reality, rising above the turmoil into a silvery, radiant height. Below, his body knelt on the ground. But his essence — his soul — watched what was happening with bitter irony from above. His gaze turned toward the beautiful light descending from the heavens. Peter shuddered. The rifle was still aimed at his chest. Yet he felt no fear. Now he knew: his soul could not die — it was impossible. His essence, his spirit — and therefore he himself — were immortal. “Stand down!” the NKVD lieutenant said with relief. “This time you are spared. But if there is any further sabotage, there will be no mercy.” — Volodymyr Shablia, Stone. Book One Context note: During a prisoner transport in Stalin’s USSR, Peter witnesses an execution and is moments away from being shot himself. Facing death, fear gives way to a profound inner realization about the immortality of the human spirit.”

FearInner StrengthExecutionHuman SpiritNear DeathExistential CrisisNear Death ExperienceGulagMoral StrengthStalin Era
Book:Камень. Биографический роман: Часть первая. Первые шаги к свету и обратно
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“A son. An heir. Fragile — born too soon, and yet deeply desired.” The thought had barely formed when the father took the newborn into his arms and fell in love at first sight. Afraid to harm him, yet unable to resist, he gently kissed the baby’s cheek. “He is not Alexander, as I once imagined,” he realized suddenly. “He is Peter. My son is Peter.” When the parents chose the name, they did not know its ancient Greek meaning. Nor could they imagine how precisely it would define the boy’s fate: Peter — a stone, a rock. From the very moment of his painful birth, he would stand like a rock against suffering and injustice, enduring hardship, surviving cruelty, and emerging stronger — destined to fulfill a mission of goodness, reason, honesty, and justice. — Volodymyr Shablia, Stone. Book One Context note: Born into a turbulent era of war, revolution, repression, and uncertainty, Peter enters the world fragile — yet claimed by history itself. This moment of birth marks the quiet beginning of a life shaped by endurance, moral strength, and resistance to cruelty.”

DestinyFateBirthParenthoodHistorical FictionHuman SpiritTwentieth CenturyEmotional FictionHuman ResilienceLife Beginnings
Book:Камень. Биографический роман: Часть первая. Первые шаги к свету и обратно
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