Swan Song. The Defeated

The book by Irina Vladimirovna Golovkina (1904–1989), granddaughter of the great Russian composer Nikolai Andreevich Rimsky-Korsakov, is a work of rare strength, depth, and sincerity. It is a narrative about people who committed acts of honor, a truly tragic chronicle of several aristocratic families who did not leave Russia after the revolution and the Civil War and found themselves in the hell of repression.
The novel is infused with the bitter poetry of the defeated (hence its second title), but not of those who surrendered — in the most difficult circumstances, they maintain their dignity and ideals, their almost mystical love for the Motherland. This is not just a testimony of the past, but a history of feelings, loyalty, betrayal, and resilience — a living life with all its joys and sorrows. The novel was first published in the early 1990s, after the author's death, and became a true bibliographic rarity. This bitter and majestic family saga will undoubtedly capture the hearts and souls of millions of readers. I consider this novel a masterpiece of Russian literature! It touched me to tears, to the depths of my soul. As for the love described in the novel… God grant everyone to experience such a thing.