Europe through literature discussion

The clear winner for our fourth classic read of 2023 is Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich.

Apart from Carolien, Azra, Armin, Valerie and me, who voted for this title, there are a lot of members who have already read this book, so everybody else is of course invited to also share their thoughts!

What made you vote for this novel? What are your thoughts about this novel and its documentary style? Would you recommend this title and if yes to what kind of reader and why? If not, why not?

Happy reading!

My book just arrived. I'm looking forward to reading it!

I am almost finished with this book. It is extraordinary to say the least. The insight of those interviewed speak so deeply to what it is to be a human, a societal creature, fragile despite our belief that we can harness the natural world to our benefit. It reveals so much about the culture of those living in that region. Impressive. This is among the most compelling and important books I have read. I’m so glad to be in this group. I would not final these wonderful books were it not for all of you. Thank you!

Jax wrote: "I am almost finished with this book. It is extraordinary to say the least. The insight of those interviewed speak so deeply to what it is to be a human, a societal creature, fragile despite our bel..."

I'm glad you like this kind of writing - I find her way of constructing "literature" really fascinating and the interviews enable insights into mentalities that would otherwise not be available to such an extent. I think she is a great author and I am also glad we picked one of her books. I still have to read this one (as I mentioned somewhere in the nomination thread, so far I have only read Secondhand Time: The Last of the Soviets and already thought it was eye-opening.
I have to finish Red Crosses first before starting Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster, so will comment on this one later.

Orgeluse wrote: "The clear winner for our fourth classic read of 2023 is Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster by Svetlana Alexievich.

Apart from Carolien, A..."

The use of monologues, to me, is what gives this book its power. It connects the human to the crisis, helps us see the crisis through their eyes though we have no tools or experience to truly unpack what they have experienced. It is only through association with personal crises of our own that we can “imagine” how horrible it would be for that to be unending.

I would definitely recommend this book, particularly to those I know who seek literature that unflinchingly explores the human condition or those who have an interest in Soviet history. But I have told friends with different reading preferences that they should consider this book.