Svetlana Alexievich
Author of Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster
About the Author
Svetlana Alexievich was born in Stanislav, Ukraine, Soviet Union on May 31, 1948. She became a journalist and wrote narratives from interviews with witnesses to events such as World War II, the Soviet-Afghan war, the fall of the Soviet Union, and the Chernobyl disaster. Her books include Zinky show more Boys: Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War and War's Unwomanly Face. She won the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2005 for Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster and the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Works by Svetlana Alexievich
Associated Works
Writing War: The Best Contemporary Journalism About Warfare and Conflict from Around the World (2003) — Contributor — 15 copies
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Алексиевич, Светлана Александровна
Алексіевіч, Святлана Аляксандраўна
Alexievich, Svetlana Alexandrovna - Birthdate
- 1948-05-31
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- Ukraine
Belarus - Country (for map)
- Belarus
- Birthplace
- Stanislaw, Ukraine, USSR (today: Ivano-Frankovsk, Ukraine)
- Places of residence
- Narovl, Gomel oblast, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Beresa, Brest oblast, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Paris, France
Gothenburg, Sweden
Berlin, Germany (show all 7)
Minsk, Belarus - Education
- Belarusian State University (journalism)
- Occupations
- investigative reporter
- Organizations
- Revue "Neuman" (Directeur du département d'essais et de journalisme (1976|1984)
Journal républicain " Selska Gazeta " (1973-1976)
Journal régional « Phare du communisme », Beroza (1972)
Journal régional « Pripyatskaya pravda », Narovlia (1966)
Ecole de sept ans Belazhevity du district de Mazyrskyi (Professeur, Histoire et allemand, 19 66)
Centre PEN biélorusse (Membre, 19 89 | ) (show all 7)
Union des écrivains soviétiques (Membe, 19 83 | ) - Awards and honors
- Ryszard Kapuściński Award (2011 ∙ 2015)
Friedenspreis des deutschen Buchhandels (2013)
Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la République française (2014)
Nobel Prize in Literature (2015) - Agent
- Galina Dursthoff
- Short biography
- Elle a reçu de nombreux prix prestigieux pour son ouvrage La Supplication - Tchernobyl, chronique du monde après l'apocalypse (1997) (dont le Prix de la paix Erich-Maria-Remarque en 2001). Ce livre reste cependant toujours interdit en Biélorussie.
Elle est aussi l'auteure de La guerre n'aura pas un visage de femme (1985), ouvrage retraçant par des interviews le récit de femmes soldats de l'Armée rouge durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, de Cercueils de zinc (1990, 1991 pour la version française), qui recueille des témoignages de soviétiques ayant participé à la guerre russo-afghane, de Ensorcelés par la mort, récits (1995), sur les suicides de citoyens russes après la chute du communisme et de Derniers témoins (2005), témoignages de femmes et d'hommes qui étaient enfants pendant la Seconde Guerre mondiale. En 2013, son livre La Fin de l’homme rouge ou Le Temps du désenchantement remporte le Prix Médicis essai.
Wikipedia
Members
Reviews
A profound account of the experiences of people in Belarus to the accident and aftermath at the nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, Ukraine. This book is a really good example of how oral history can be used to capture stories that professional historians would miss. Read it.
A powerful oral history of the Soviet involvement in Afghanistan.
[a:Svetlana Alexievich|7728207|Svetlana Alexievich|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473846978p2/7728207.jpg] constructs a complete picture of what it was like on the ground, the horror, the cruelty, the atrocities on both sides. This collection of interviews gives a unique insight into the feelings, opinions and demons of officers, privates, nurses, doctors, mothers and fathers who lived through this 10 year conflict. Alexievich's novel style, earning her the Nobel prize in literature, results in a comprehensive picture of not only the perspective of those that were there, but that of the Russian government propaganda apparatus and the ill-informed Russian public as a whole.… (more)
[a:Svetlana Alexievich|7728207|Svetlana Alexievich|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1473846978p2/7728207.jpg] constructs a complete picture of what it was like on the ground, the horror, the cruelty, the atrocities on both sides. This collection of interviews gives a unique insight into the feelings, opinions and demons of officers, privates, nurses, doctors, mothers and fathers who lived through this 10 year conflict. Alexievich's novel style, earning her the Nobel prize in literature, results in a comprehensive picture of not only the perspective of those that were there, but that of the Russian government propaganda apparatus and the ill-informed Russian public as a whole.… (more)
Lists
THE WAR ROOM (1)
Best of 2014 (1)
Oral Histories (1)
Disaster Books (1)
1980s (1)
1990s (1)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 23
- Also by
- 6
- Members
- 6,422
- Popularity
- #3,834
- Rating
- 4.3
- Reviews
- 220
- ISBNs
- 334
- Languages
- 26
- Favorited
- 16
This is a fascinating book of womens’ recollections of their wartime service during WW2 in the Soviet Union. Svetlana Alexievich is the first Belarusian author to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. She was born in Ukraine to a Belarusian father and Ukrainian mother and grew up in Belarus. Her book is a detailed collection of many women’s stories, thoughts, feelings and heartaches. She has dedicated herself to writing a history through women’s eyes and words, a story that includes emotions, not just cold facts, conquests and achievements.
I found this an intriguing, readable history that highlighted much for me. The dichotomy between the Soviet belief that women were equal and could be fighter pilots, drive tanks and become army surgeons, and the intrinsic chauvinism of the patriarchy that exists in all political systems is apparent. For me, from a country where we view our politicians with distaste and cynicism, I found the patriotism and nationalism and desire to serve the mother country at all costs almost fanatical. Yet the women were unbelievably brave, heroic and tough and they accomplished extraordinary feats. All the while, many of them carried an unwavering desire to be women, to be feminine, and delighted in any opportunity to style their hair and wear heels. Many of them found war challenging on an emotional level, and shed tears as they either killed or saved lives, yet they still managed to continue their tasks. Sadly when they returned home as decorated war heroes they were often treated with suspicion and contempt by their country and their people. This is a remarkable piece of work that deserves much recognition.… (more)