In Secondhand Time, Alexievich chronicles the demise of communism. Everyday Russian citizens recount the past thirty years, showing us what life was like during the fall of the Soviet Union and what it's like to live in the new Russia left in its wake. Through interviews spanning 1991 to 2012, Alexievich takes us behind the propaganda and contrived media accounts, giving us a panoramic portrait of contemporary Russia and Russians who still carry memories of oppression, terror, famine, massacres--but also of pride in their country, hope for the future, and a belief that everyone was working and fighting together to bring about a utopia. Here is an account of life in the aftermath of an idea so powerful it once dominated a third of the world.

A magnificent tapestry of the sorrows and triumphs of the human spirit woven by a master, Secondhand Time tells the stories that together make up the true history of a nation. Through the voices of those who confided in her, The Nation writes, Alexievich tells us about human nature, about our dreams, our choices, about good and evil--in a word, about ourselves.

A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR: The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, Financial Times, Kirkus Reviews

On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown-from innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster--and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Composed of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work of immense force, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner.

La escritora bielorrusa da voz a aquellas personas que sobrevivieron al desastre de Chern bil y que fueron silenciadas y olvidadas por su propio gobierno. Este libro les da la oportunidad de contar su historia.

Chern bil, 1986. «Cierra las ventanillas y acu state. Hay un incendio en la central. Vendr pronto. Esto fue lo ltimo que un joven bombero dijo a su esposa antes de acudir al lugar de la explosi n. No regres . Y en cierto modo, ya no volvi a verle, pues en el hospital su marido dej de ser su marido. Todav a hoy ella se pregunta si su historia trata sobre el amor o la muerte.

Voces de Chern bil est planteado como si fuera una tragedia griega, con coros y unos h roes marcados por un destino fatal, cuyas voces fueron silenciadas durante muchos a os por una polis representada aqu por la antigua URSS. Pero, a diferencia de una tragedia griega, no hubo posibilidad de catarsis.

« ...] por su escritura polif nica, que es un monumento al valor y al sufrimiento en nuestro tiempo. . -Jurado de la Academia Sueca al otorgar a la autora el Premio Nobel de Literatura 2015.

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award

On April 26, 1986, the worst nuclear reactor accident in history occurred in Chernobyl and contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown---from innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster---and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Comprised of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Washington Post - The Guardian - NPR - The Economist - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Kirkus Reviews

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 invention of a new kind of literary genre, describing her work as a history of emotions . . . a history of the soul.

In The Unwomanly Face of War, Alexievich chronicles the experiences of the Soviet women who fought on the front lines, on the home front, and in the occupied territories. These women--more than a million in total--were nurses and doctors, pilots, tank drivers, machine-gunners, and snipers. They battled alongside men, and yet, after the victory, their efforts and sacrifices were forgotten.

Alexievich traveled thousands of miles and visited more than a hundred towns to record these women's stories. Together, this symphony of voices reveals a different aspect of the war--the everyday details of life in combat left out of the official histories.

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

THE WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE
for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time.

A landmark.--Timothy Snyder, author of On Tyranny: Twenty Lessons from the Twentieth Century

An astonishing book, harrowing and life-affirming . . . It deserves the widest possible readership.--Paula Hawkins, author of The Girl on the Train

Alexievich has gained probably the world's deepest, most eloquent understanding of the post-Soviet condition. . . . She] has consistently chronicled that which has been intentionally forgotten.--Masha Gessen, National Book Award-winning author of The Future Is History

On April 26, 1986, the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident contaminated as much as three quarters of Europe. Voices from Chernobyl is the first book to present personal accounts of the tragedy. Journalist Svetlana Alexievich interviewed hundreds of people affected by the meltdown--from innocent citizens to firefighters to those called in to clean up the disaster--and their stories reveal the fear, anger, and uncertainty with which they still live. Composed of interviews in monologue form, Voices from Chernobyl is a crucially important work of immense force, unforgettable in its emotional power and honesty and a National Book Critics Circle Award winner.

A chronicle of the past and a warning for our nuclear future, Chernobyl Prayer shows what it is like to bear witness, and remember in a world that wants you to forget.

In April 1986 a series of explosions shook the Chernobyl nuclear reactor. Flames lit up the sky and radiation escaped to contaminate the land and poison the people for years to come. While officials tried to hush up the accident, Svetlana Alexievich spent years collecting testimonies from survivors - clean-up workers, residents, firefighters, resettlers, widows, orphans - crafting their voices into a haunting oral history of fear, anger and uncertainty, but also dark humour and love.

Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich delves into the traumatic memories of children who were separated from their parents during World War II--most of them never to be reunited--in this this young adult adaptation of her acclaimed nonfiction masterpiece (The Guardian), Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of WWII.

The personal narratives told by those who were children during WWII and survived harrowing experiences, are astounding. So many children were separated from their loved ones in the midst of the terror and chaos. As a result, some grew up in orphanages or were raised by grandparents or extended family; others were taken in and cared for by strangers who risked punishment for such acts. Still others lived on their own or became underage soldiers. Forthright and riveting, these bravely told oral histories of survival reveal the heart-rending details of life during wartime while reminding us that resilience is possible, no matter the circumstances.

I love life in its living form, life that's found on the street, in human conversations, shouts, and moans. So begins this speech delivered in Russian at Cornell University by Svetlana Alexievich, winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature. In poetic language, Alexievich traces the origins of her deeply affecting blend of journalism, oral history, and creative writing.

Cornell Global Perspectives is an imprint of Cornell University's Mario Einaudi Center for International Studies. The works examine critical global challenges, often from an interdisciplinary perspective, and are intended for a non-specialist audience. The Distinguished Speaker Series presents edited transcripts of talks delivered at Cornell, both in the original language and in translation.

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 a new kind of literary genre, describing her work as a history of emotions . . . a history of the soul.

Bringing together dozens of voices in her distinctive style, Last Witnesses is Alexievich'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 embedded--a trauma that would change the course of the Russian nation.

Collectively, this symphony of children'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.

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

There is a special sort of clear-eyed humility to Alexievich's] reporting.--The Guardian

A 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.--The New Republic

A profound triumph.--The Big Issue

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.--The Washington Post

Before the United States' invasion, a million Soviet troops fought a devastating war in Afghanistan that claimed 50,000 casualties--and the youth and humanity of many tens of thousands more. The Soviet Union talked about a peacekeeping mission, while the dead were shipped back in zinc-lined coffins. In this new translation, Zinky Boys weaves together the candid and affecting testimony of the officers and grunts, doctors and nurses, mothers, sons, and daughters who describe the war and its lasting effects. A masterpiece of reportage (Timothy Snyder, New York Review of Books) emerges of harrowing and unforgettable insight into war.

NOMBRADO UNO DE LOS MEJORES LIBROS DEL AÑO POR The Washington Post - The Guardian - NPR - The Economist - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Revisiones de Kirkus

Durante más de tres décadas, Svetlana Alexievich ha sido la memoria y la conciencia del siglo XX. Cuando la Academia Sueca le otorgó el Premio Nobel, citó su invención de un nuevo tipo de género literario, describiendo su trabajo como una historia de emociones. . . una historia del alma .

En La guerra no tiene rostro de mujer, Alexievich narra las experiencias de las mujeres soviéticas que lucharon en el frente, en el frente de casa y en los territorios ocupados. Estas mujeres, más de un millón en total, eran enfermeras y doctoras, pilotos, conductoras de tanques, ametralladoras y francotiradores. Lucharon junto a los hombres y, sin embargo, después de la victoria, sus esfuerzos y sacrificios fueron olvidados.

Alexievich viajó miles de millas y visitó más de cien ciudades para registrar las historias de estas mujeres. En conjunto, esta sinfonía de voces revela un aspecto diferente de la guerra: los detalles cotidianos de la vida en combate que quedan fuera de las historias oficiales.

«[...] por su escritura polifónica, que es un monumento al valor y al sufrimiento en nuestro tiempo.

Jurado de la Academia Sueca al otorgar a la autora el Premio Nobel de Literatura 2015.

Reseña:
«Gracias a Alexiévich, la historia de un millón de mujeres que participaron en el ejército soviético o como partisanas contra los alemanes es algo menos desconocida.
Felipe Sahagún, El Cultural de El Mundo

«De la lectura de los libros de Alexiévich (Stanislaviv, 1948) no es posible salir indemne.
Gabriel Albiac, ABC Cultural

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

A groundbreaking oral history of women in World War II across Europe and Russia--from the winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY
The Washington Post - The Guardian - NPR - The Economist - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Kirkus Reviews

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 invention of a new kind of literary genre, describing her work as a history of emotions . . . a history of the soul.

In The Unwomanly Face of War, Alexievich chronicles the experiences of the Soviet women who fought on the front lines, on the home front, and in the occupied territories. These women--more than a million in total--were nurses and doctors, pilots, tank drivers, machine-gunners, and snipers. They battled alongside men, and yet, after the victory, their efforts and sacrifices were forgotten.

Alexievich traveled thousands of miles and visited more than a hundred towns to record these women's stories. Together, this symphony of voices reveals a different aspect of the war--the everyday details of life in combat left out of the official histories.

De la Premio Nobel de Literatura 2015, una obra maestra inédita hasta ahora que recoge el recuerdo de los niños que sobrevivieron a la segunda guerra mundial.

Un tema de gran interés desde una perspectiva totalmente distinta. La Segunda Guerra Mundial dejó casi trece millones de niños muertos y, en 1945, solo en Bielorrusia, vivían en los orfanatos unos veintisiete mil huérfanos, resultado de la devastación producida por la guerra en la población de ese país. A finales de los años ochenta la Premio Nobel Svetlana Alexiévich entrevistó a aquellos huérfanos y compuso con sus testimonios un emocionante relato de una de las mayores tragedias de la historia.

Esta obra maestra inédita constituye un retrato personal y profundamente conmovedor del conflicto en el que la propia autora no interviene más allá del prólogo: son sus protagonistas los que hablan conformando con sus palabras una especie de memoria coral de la guerra, original, auténtica y fascinante.

«[...] por su escritura polifónica, que es un monumento al valor y al sufrimiento en nuestro tiempo. , palabras del Jurado de la Academia Sueca al otorgar a la autora el Premio Nobel de Literatura 2015. «Me dedico a la historia omitida, las huellas imperceptibles de nuestro paso por la tierra y por el tiempo. Recojo la cotidianidad de los sentimientos, los pensamientos y las palabras. Intento captar la vida cotidiana del alma.

Svetlana Alexiévich

ENGLISH DESCRIPTION

One of the New York Times's 100 Best Books of the 21st Century

NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE WASHINGTON POST AND PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK PRIZE WINNER NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY

- The New York Times

- The Washington Post

- The Boston Globe

- The Wall Street Journal

- NPR

- Financial Times

- Kirkus Reviews

When the Swedish Academy awarded Svetlana Alexievich the Nobel Prize, it cited her for inventing a new kind of literary genre, describing her work as a history of emotions--a history of the soul. Alexievich's distinctive documentary style, combining extended individual monologues with a collage of voices, records the stories of ordinary women and men who are rarely given the opportunity to speak, whose experiences are often lost in the official histories of the nation.

In Secondhand Time, Alexievich chronicles the demise of communism. Everyday Russian citizens recount the past thirty years, showing us what life was like during the fall of the Soviet Union and what it's like to live in the new Russia left in its wake. Through interviews spanning 1991 to 2012, Alexievich takes us behind the propaganda and contrived media accounts, giving us a panoramic portrait of contemporary Russia and Russians who still carry memories of oppression, terror, famine, massacres--but also of pride in their country, hope for the future, and a belief that everyone was working and fighting together to bring about a utopia. Here is an account of life in the aftermath of an idea so powerful it once dominated a third of the world.

A magnificent tapestry of the sorrows and triumphs of the human spirit woven by a master, Secondhand Time tells the stories that together make up the true history of a nation. Through the voices of those who confided in her, The Nation writes, Alexievich tells us about human nature, about our dreams, our choices, about good and evil--in a word, about ourselves.

Nobel Prize-winning writer Svetlana Alexievich delves into the traumatic memories of children who were separated from their parents during World War II--most of them never to be reunited--in this this young adult adaptation of her acclaimed nonfiction masterpiece (The Guardian), Last Witnesses: An Oral History of the Children of WWII.

The personal narratives told by those who were children during WWII and survived harrowing experiences, are astounding. So many children were separated from their loved ones in the midst of the terror and chaos. As a result, some grew up in orphanages or were raised by grandparents or extended family; others were taken in and cared for by strangers who risked punishment for such acts. Still others lived on their own or became underage soldiers. Forthright and riveting, these bravely told oral histories of survival reveal the heart-rending details of life during wartime while reminding us that resilience is possible, no matter the circumstances.