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Quote by Vasily Grossman

“He was telling her here, in this cellar, as he kissed her feet, he had understood love for the first time - not just from other people's words, but in his heart, in his blood. She was dearer to him than all his past, dearer to him than his mother, than Germany, than his future with Maria... He had fallen in love with her. Great walls raised up by states, racist fury, the heavy artillery and its curtain of fire were all equally insignificant, equally powerless in the face of love.. He gave thanks to fate for allowing him to understand this before he died.”

Quote by Vasily Grossman

Book:Life and Fate
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Life and Fate

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Vasily Grossman
Vasily Grossman

Vasily Grossman (December 12, 1905 – September 14, 1964) was a Soviet Jewish writer and journalist, best known for his works on World War II. Born in Berdychiv, Ukraine, he initially studied chemical engineering before turning to literature. As a war correspondent for the Red Star newspaper, he witnessed the Battle of Stalingrad and documented Nazi atrocities. His masterpiece, Life and Fate, was banned by Soviet authorities for its criticism of Stalinism and only published in the 1980s. Grossman's works explore themes of war, totalitarianism, and humanity, earning him recognition as a significant voice in 20th-century Russian literature. more

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Book:The Enemy
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“He looked around at that one room, and the few things in it. He'd always thought retiring would be going back to his life after some nightmare pause. Some stretch of exile in the land of the dead. Now it came to him that all his life worth living had happened while he was holding a sword. Standing alongside his dozen. Laughing with Whirrun, and Brack, and Wonderful. Clasping hands with his crew before the fight, knowing he'd die for them and they for him. The trust, the brotherhood, the love, the knit closer than family. Standing by Threetrees on the walls of Uffrith, roaring their defiance at Bethod's great army. The day he charged at the Cunmur. And at Dunbrec. And in the High Places, even though they lost. The day he earned his name. Even the day he got his brothers killed. Even when he'd stood at the top of the Heroes as the rain came down, watching the Union come, knowing every dragged out moment might be the last. Like Whirrun said - you can't live more than that. Certainly not by fixing a chair.”

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