FIERCE AND GENTLE WARRIORS

by Mikhail Sholokov ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 3, 1967

The fierce and gentle warriors (a beautifully apt title) are the victims of the ""hurricane of war"" in Nobel Prize winner Sholokov's three short stories, presented here for young adults but equally presentable for sensitive readers of all ages. Two of these are early stories, set during World War I; the third was published in 1957 and deals with events and consequences of the Second World War: in all, details of time and place are incidental to theme, the tenacity of human will in clinging to the fragile fragmentary tokens of selfhood. Through the three stories, the theme develops in intensity and impact, to become a searing cry for a common humanity. In the first, The Colt, robust humor and tangential insights interact: a soldier's mare has foaled, and his squadron commander comments: ""Here we are, at the very height of the Civil War, and suddenly, there is this kind of going on."" The capering, unsteady colt reminds the men of home, weakens their resolve to fight, and eventually causes the death of the soldier, Trofim. In the second, Mishka, a haunted child, is scorned by the other children as ""the shame-child"" and ""Communist brat""; a cheap picture of Lenin becomes his comfort, his confidante, and his ikon. The last is the recollection and revelation of a common soldier who has suffered unspeakable torments as a prisoner of war only to lose his home and his family; he finds his reason for existence in a small orphan boy. Strong black-and-white wash drawings by Milton Glazer, reproduced on double-page spreads, evoke vistas of alienation and the intimacy of affection; they sometimes echo, sometimes extend, a memorable group of stories.

Pub Date: Feb. 3, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Doubleday

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1967

Categories: FICTION