We never make mistakes

two short novels

138 pages

English language

Published Nov. 5, 1974 by Sphere.

ISBN:
978-0-7221-8028-0
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OCLC Number:
16230185

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In "An Incident at Krechetovka Station," a Red Army lieutenant is confronted by a disturbing straggler soldier and must decide what to do with him. "Matryona's House" is the tale of an old peasant woman, whose tenacious struggle against cold, hunger, and greedy relatives is described by a young man who only understands her after her death.

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Two stories, both connected with railways.

One concerns a busy railway junction in wartime where the dispatchers have to balance efficiency against secrecy, in moving supplies and soldiers to the front lines, and refugees away from them, as well as salvaging goods damaged in bombing raids. Lots of goods get stolen or damaged in transit, and sometimes people do too.

The second story is after the war, when a village teacher lodges with a widow, and gradually learns about her life and realises only after her death what a genuinely good person she was.

Subjects

  • Russian fiction