A CHANGE OF SEASON

by Ehrenburg ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 16, 1962

In one volume, this brings together Ehrenburg's much discussed ""post-Stalin"" novel The and its sequel, The pring. Whatever its literary limitations, it will be read for other reasons; for the fact that Ehrenburg was Stalin's favorite author and the official writer spokesman of Soviet Russia; for the fact that many will be looking for that Ehrenburg (always, and not admirably, ideologically facile- he survived many purg and represented many positions) reputedly showed signs of freezing against the regime. A few of the characters here, namely a teacher chafing at her supe, a signer unable to clear his new project, show symptoms of discontent- and a for independent opinion. Still they meet with the inevitable ""reprimands"" and accept them, and at the close, one of them on a visit to Paris- looks forward to his return home to the of all possible worlds where ""we've worked out something for ourselves, and we're going to work out still more in the future"". The novels are made up of various lives within a provincial town and its factory settlement. While the pressure to a better standard of living for the people and meet production demands set by the Party gets priority, there are many personal problems: the dissolution of a marriage; an artist's dissatisfaction with himself and his work; the factory director's increasing ever his employees and his replacement; an idealistic old schoolmaster and his Footnoted as it is with party pronouncements and policies, it is a record of life in Russia today and as such politically and sociologically interesting. It will attract attention, not necessarily admiration.

Pub Date: April 16, 1962

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1962

Categories: FICTION