For a Just Cause

«For a Just Cause» (1943–1952, published 1952) – is the first part of the «Stalingrad» duology by Vasily Grossman, better known to readers by its second novel, «Life and Fate» (1950–1959, published 1980), which brought the author global fame. Growing out of Grossman's real frontline experience as a military correspondent for the newspaper «Red Star», who personally participated in the battles on the front line of Stalingrad, this book faced devastating criticism in party circles upon its release, which turned into a real witch hunt against the writer and predetermined the difficult publishing fate of the second part of the duology. Today, this novel, capturing the pain and losses of the early years of the war, stands alongside the best examples of domestic prose, full of «trench truth» about the great battle, – such as «Days and Nights» and «The Living and the Dead» by K. Simonov, «In the Trenches of Stalingrad» by V. Nekrasov, «Hot Snow» by Y. Bondarev. Grossman created a book maintained in the epic tradition of Leo Tolstoy: behind the life stories of dozens of people – from an ordinary soldier and worker to an academician and commander – one feels the mighty breath of great History, which forever changed millions of human destinies.