In the Town of Berdichev

Vasily Grossman

1934

Vavilova’s face was dark and weather-beaten, and it was odd to see it blush.

“Why are you laughing?” she said finally. “It’s all so stupid.”

Kozyrev took the paper from the table, looked at it, and, shaking his head, burst out laughing again.

“No, it’s just too ridiculous,” he said through his laughter. “Application for leave . . . from the commissar…

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“In the Town of Berdichev,” from Vasily Grossman’s The Road, depicts the brutal realities of life in Soviet Russia. Grossman, a Soviet Jewish writer and journalist, drew from his experiences to depict the human condition under extreme circumstances. This excerpt delves into moral complexities and human struggles by exploring ethical debates surrounding abortion in Jewish thought. 

Creator Bio

Vasily Grossman

1905–1964

Vasily Grossman was born in Berdichev, Ukraine, to an assimilated Jewish family. He attended university in Moscow and worked as a chemist; however, he became a writer, often exploring Jews and social issues. During World War II he served as a front-line newspaper correspondent. He was also a member of the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, and contributed, with Ilya Ehrenburg, to Chernaia kniga (The Black Book), outlining Russian anti-Jewish policies. After the war, Grossman continued not to be shy about expressing his views on Soviet antisemitism, and he refused to be censored.

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