Generations of Winter," by Vassily Aksyonov. Specifically, it will discuss literary themes and approaches used by the author and how the work reflects the political and social environment of the time.

GENERATIONS OF WINTER

Aksyonov's book opens in 1925, the "eighth year of the revolution." While it sometimes reads like a history of the Russian people, it is really a novel, written in the sweeping style of "War and Peace" by Tolstoy. The novel follows the Gradov family through twenty years of modern Russian history, with which they always manage to become involved. Mixed in with the family are real historical characters, so it sometimes becomes muddy between what is fact and what is fiction in this novel.

Aksyonov was expelled from his home country of Russia in 1980. His mother and father lived through much of the Stalin regime, and spent time in prison, and in the Crimea. "Aksyonov...
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