![]() ![]() The reviews were mostly positive but sales were disappointing, especially in view of the fact that the book had been a bestseller in France one of Grossman's central themes-the identity of fascism and communism-was clearly a more pressing concern in a country where communism was still a significant political force. Collins Harvill published my translation of Life and Fate in 1985. Life and Fate is not only a brave and wise book it is also written with Chekhovian subtlety. It was a joy, therefore, to reread the novel last winter, for the first time in 20 years, and realise that I had underestimated Grossman's greatness. ![]() As the years passed and few people either in Russia or the west seemed to be paying much attention to it, I began to doubt my judgement. ![]() In the early 1980s, while I was translating Life and Fate-Vasily Grossman's epic novel about the second world war and totalitarianism-I was certain that it was a very great work. It is easy for a translator to exaggerate the importance of what he is working on. ![]()
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