Vasily Grossman
Vasily Grossman was born into a Jewish family in Ukraine.
He became a war correspondent during World War II, witnessing major battles and the liberation of Nazi death camps.
His experiences informed his writing, including Life and Fate.
Grossman's mother was killed in the Holocaust, which deeply affected him.
Despite initial success as a Soviet writer, his later works, critical of Stalinism, were suppressed.
Life and Fate was confiscated by the KGB and only published posthumously.
Grossman died in 1964, unaware that his masterpiece would eventually reach readers and gain worldwide recognition.
