Reviews

Zinky Boys: Soviet Voices from the Afghanistan War by Svetlana Alexiévich

schandmantel's review against another edition

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challenging dark sad medium-paced

4.5

bluehourphile's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

5.0


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ewelshie's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective sad slow-paced

4.5

gomiz's review against another edition

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emotional informative sad slow-paced

5.0

amurray914's review against another edition

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4.0

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.

utabuta's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

reneoro's review against another edition

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4.0

Tienen las bocas completamente llenas de sangre y encima se ponen a hablar.

andreiamorais's review against another edition

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TW: Cenas/Linguagem Explícitas; Referência a Morte, Suicídio, Violência, Violação

A verdade à vista de (quase) todos, mas era maior o medo de a comprovar. E foi ao tentar evidenciar essa verdade, através dos relatos de mães, de filhos, de esposas, de soldados, de enfermeiras, que Svetlana Alexievich se viu julgada em tribunal, acusada de distorcer os factos, porque não era válido diminuir a pertinência da guerra soviética no Afeganistão.

Conhecer a parte histórica é fundamental, claro, mas fascina-me sempre mais descobrir o lado humano, os testemunhos tantas vezes silenciosos de quem, direta ou indiretamente, viu a sua vida vira do avesso (no mínimo). É o segundo livro que leio da autora e sinto que, sem romantizar as vivencias, nunca fere a dignidade daqueles que lhe abriram o coração, muitas vezes a medo, muitas vezes sem saberem a extensão das repercussões, porque precisavam de ser ouvidos, precisavam que a verdade ficasse escrita.

Estas partilhas são um espelho de mais um período histórico doloroso e a lucidez destes retratos é impressionante. Por isso, é uma leitura que nos desarma, mas que também nos mostra a coragem que é necessária e a empatia que nos deveria mover.

annmeyer's review against another edition

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5.0

This is what writing is for.

tom_green's review against another edition

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“I don’t want to write about war any more … To live enveloped in a ‘philosophy of extinction’ instead of a ‘philosophy of life’. To compile the interminable experience of non-existence. When I finished The Unwomanly Face of War I couldn’t bear to see a child bleeding from an ordinary bang to the nose. On holiday I fled from fishermen merrily tossing on to the sandy shore the fish they had snatched out of the distant depths; those frozen, goggling eyes made me feel sick. Everyone has only so much strength to defend themselves against pain – both physical and psychological – and my reserves were totally exhausted. The howling of a cat struck by a car drove me demented. I turned my face away from a squelched earthworm. A dried-out frog on the road. Again and again I had the thought that animals, birds and fish also have a right to their own history of suffering. It will be written some day.”
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„Nechcem už viac písať o vojne... Znovu žiť medzi „filozofiou zániku“ namiesto „filozofie života“. Zbierať nekonečné skúsenosti ne-bytia. Keď som ukončila knižku Vojna nemá ženskú tvár, dlho som nemohla vidieť, ako od obyčajného úrazu dieťaťu tečie krv z nosa, na dovolenke som utekala čo najďalej od rybárov, veselo si hádžucich na breh ryby z ďalekých hlbín, bolo mi zle od ich strnulých vypučených očí. Každý má svoje zásoby, fyzické alebo psychické, z ktorých čerpá silu a ktoré nás chránia pred bolesťou. Tie moje boli úplne vyčerpané. Išla som sa pominúť od kvílenia mačky, ktorú prešlo auto, odvracala som tvár od rozmliaždenej dážďovky alebo žaby vyschnutej na ceste... Veľakrát som rozmýšľala o tom, že zvieratá, vtáky a ryby majú tiež právo na svoje vlastné dejiny utrpenia. Aj tie sa možno raz napíšu.“