Georgy Vladimov: The Burden of Knighthood

The book by philologist-slavist Svetlana Shnitman-MacMillan is written in three genres. The narrative of the vibrant and rich biography of the writer, dissident, and human rights activist Georgy Vladimov is closely linked to the study of his literary works and personal testimony—telling about the author's friendship with Vladimov. Thus, the portrait of one of the most important prose writers of the second half of the 20th century emerges, a man whose civic courage inspires deep admiration. Vladimov does not align himself with fickle time or changing public opinion, but with his inner sense of justice. He understands everything and everyone—the complex soul of a Soviet driver, the tragedy of a sentry dog, and the drama of a German general. Natalia Ivanova noted that Vladimov guessed a lot accurately, including things that had not been written about before. But Vladimov's last prose contained life-affirming words from an unfinished autobiographical novel: 'Thus, good does not perish without a trace, which, as is known, people do not forgive... So not all is lost yet, my gentlemen, and it is too early to bury hopes.' He rarely erred in his forecasts, so let us believe this time as well. Dmitry Bykov