The Master

"The Master" is the first novel by Anatoly Stepanovich Ivanov (1928-1999), the author of the famous epic works "Shadows Disappear at Noon" and "The Eternal Call". It reveals the characteristics of the Russian national character, shaped by the crucible of... revolution and the brass pipes of socialist construction. The ruined fates of the Siberians caught in the shackles of the state mechanism evoke a sense of pain. Driven by a thirst for wealth, Pyotr Borodin killed a gypsy in the forest over a bag of gold. With the same axe, had his wife Arina not screamed, he could have also killed his son Grigory to eliminate a witness. Just like his father, Grigory Borodin sees the meaning of life in becoming rich, marrying the neighboring girl Dunyashka, and living "well, comfortably, cozily". But the revolution struck, and everything went downhill. Trying to "turn back to the old ways", Grigory goes secretly to serve the Kolchak forces, tracking down the partisan detachment of Andrey Veselov on their orders, and during the years of collectivization, together with Terenty Zerkalov, he sets fire to the collective farm buildings, attempts to kill the collective farm activists, hoping to cut the tree of new life at its very roots. His father, whom Grigory now fears and increasingly hates as a witness to his own crimes, helps him vigorously.