Ales Adamovich was a teenager fighting with the Belarusian partisans when he lived what would become Khatyn: the novel behind Elem Klimov’s shattering film Come and See, whose screenplay Adamovich co-wrote. Built from war archives and the testimony of survivors, it tells the story of the fire villages of occupied Belarus, whole communities locked into barns and burned alive in reprisal for the partisan resistance.
The narrator, Flyora, returns in memory to the boy he was in 1943, when he came of age amid atrocity. Around him the dead are briefly restored to speak their last words, against the cries of women and children set alight by a Nazi death squad. It is a book about unbearable cruelty and, just as insistently, about the ordinary courage that answered it.
The first edition of Khatyn was censored, and readers outside the USSR never saw what Adamovich actually wrote. This Glagoslav edition restores the uncensored original in English for the first time. More than half a century on, as war crimes against civilians continue, its warning has lost none of its force.
Ales Adamovich (1927–1994) was a Belarusian novelist, screenwriter, and critic who fought as a child soldier in the wartime resistance. A prominent critic of Stalinism, he was barred from Moscow State University for refusing to sign a letter condemning dissident writers. His work stands as one of the twentieth century’s great testimonies against the necessity of war.
Endorsements and Review Quotes
“The quiet art of Khatyn is the illumination, properly fitful and uncertain, of wartime Belarus, of the darkness of the twentieth century. The reader, like the protagonist, like the writer, cannot look away.” Timothy Snyder, Times Literary Supplement
“Still, Khatyn is an important book that deserves a place on the shelves of anyone fascinated by the history of World War II. It’s definitely not for the faint of heart, though. It’s the kind of book that gives you nightmares, and when you wake up and realize you were only dreaming, you cry for those for whom the burning agony was a reality.” Anna Horner, Diary of an Eccentric
“This book is probably not for very sensitive readers but if you think you can deal with all of the bad things in the book, it is most definitely worth the read.” A BOOKISH AFFAIR
“Adamovich is definitely a humanist. His work is not meant solely to depress or enrage us. True, we must never forget the horrors of our past, and we must be on constant guard against forces that would create new horrors (the latter point is emphasized in the novel by the Boky discussions). But in so doing we must live on as humans ourselves.” LOGOMORPHOSES BLOG
“Glagoslav Publications released a special book, a cultural heritage collectible item – Khatyn by Ales Adamovich, a classical Belorussian author who fought as a partisan during the WWII.” EYES IN MAGAZINE
“The book marries the historical events that happened alongwith the author’s own experience as a partisan during the war which results in this moving, haunting story. There are some charming scenes at the beginning, some friendship, some camaraderie, some romance, some humour. But most of the rest of the book is stark, grim, haunting and heartbreaking.” Vishy’s Blog
Readers on Goodreads.com say:
Steve: “Khatyn describes the genocide of Byelorussians in WW II, but as its author intended, it has universal meaning. Although it is fictional, it is very well researched and will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in WW II history.”
Crystal: “This book will make you think about things differently. It was a lot to take in and was emotional for me to read. If you like reading about WW2 and or history you will enjoy this book.”
Amanda: “Wow this book is a must read… It’s a book that will make you look at the world differently. At times it was difficult to read because we don’t want to feel or know others suffering but through this I have a different understanding of war and the feelings and emotions that we in this day and age don’t understand.”
Other publications:
PEOPLE’S DAILY
About Ales Adamovich:
“…A decent and honest man, popular with his colleagues at the Cinema Institute in Moscow, for his last six years he was at the centre of Moscow’s political and cultural life.” THE INDEPENDENT
About the movie Come and See based on the story of Khatyn:
“The history is harrowing and the presentation is graphic; you feel it through your body as villagers are packed into a barn to be incinerated.” THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Both exhilarating and exhausting, Come and See is not just a great war film, but a great piece of cinema per se.” STRANGE THINGS ARE HAPPENING
