I read the book Days & Nights by Konstantin Simonov unexpectedly.

In a period of grief, I pulled it from a shelf. At first, it gave me an excuse to cry. But over the weeks I was drawn into it’s powerful narrative, that of Russian officers and soldiers struggling through the horrors of Stalingrad.

Used to a cultural sphere that portrays war as Hollywood action, the sparse yet vivid prose of Simonov was a breath of fresh air. There is fighting, and men die in the book as they did in real life, yet there is no excess in this, no exaggeration, no poetry, and no special effects either. Rather, it is gripping and raw. The scene in the middle of the book, the one in the brick rubble, is especially poignant in this regard.

Simonov shows us the life of a commanding officer, his decisions and his relationship with his inferior and superior comrades, all of whom glow with the light of realism, each having their quirks, their pasts and their hopes. All of them express compelling thoughts, shrouded as they are by war. The novel has love and betrayal, chaos and calm conversations, despair and hope. The book is nationalistic, yes, but more than this it is human.

What to say? It was an unexpected read which brimmed with the true experience of war. Simonov depicts beautifully the upswing of victory to come, and yet within it is such feeling for all that was lost and for all the hardships yet to come. The result is a perfect juxtaposition of human trials and successes, an image of the dual nature of our both blessed and cursed world. This novel is a great work. May there be more Simonovs in this world, and may there never again be a Stalingrad.


Find the book here : https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/10483917-days-and-nights