Cement

by Fyodor Vasilievich Gladkov, A. S. Arthur, C. Ashleigh

Overview

A classic of socialist realism, Cement became a model for Soviet fiction in the decades following its publication in the early 1920s. Gleb, a soldier hero, returns from the revolution to a world in transition, as demonstrated by the reorganization of the local cement factory for the massive national effort. His wife, Dasha, is now a leader of the Women's Section of the Communist Pary, an activist in a society where women are suddenly men's equals. Gleb finds that he cannot easily pick up the threads of their old relationship or adjust to this new social order.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780810111608
Publisher:	Northwestern University Press
Publication date:	11/23/1994
Series:	European Classics
Edition description:	Translated
Pages:	311
Product dimensions:	5.12(w) x 7.75(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

FYODOR VASILIEVICH GLADKOV (1883-1958) was born into a peasant family in the village of Chenavka, in the district of Petrovsk. As a young man, he lived in Kuban, where he became involved in revolutionary activities. He was exiled from 1905-1908. 

Table of Contents

Autobiographical Note

I. The Deserted Factory
II. The Red Kerchief
III. The Party Committee
IV. The Worker's Club "Comintern"
V. The Hidden Emigrant
VI. The Presidium
VII. The House of His Parents
VIII. Burning Days
IX. The Ropeway
X. Strata of the Soul
XI. In the Vice
XII. The Signal Fires
XIII. Slackening Pace
XIV. The Return of the Penitents
XV. Scum
XVI. Tares
XVII. A Thrust into the Future

Editorial Reviews

"Written with push and power, its action develops quickly and effectively, at times with real dramatic swing . . . Gladkov describes the life and customs of the Communist milieu with perfect realism and without idealization." —New York Times


"The result is unnerving, fascinating, and in its unflinching way, magnificent. It is a fierce modern epic, born in troubled times, but it breathes with an immense energy." —Spectator

From the Publisher

Written in the 1920s, this novel, a pioneer in portraying the sociological effects of Communism, examines family life after the sexes are suddenly equal in the labor force of the local cement factory.

Library Journal

**** Reprint of the Ungar edition of 1960 (which is cited in BCL3). Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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