Ten Quotes About War By Vasil Bykau

The Belarusian writer and public figure Vasil Bykau went through the war from beginning to end.

It caught him in Belgorod. He took part in defensive work, then there was a short break to study at a railway school and return to combat positions.

World War II was a leitmotif in the works of all writers who participated in it, Vasil Bykau was no exception: the action of his stories almost always takes place on the front, and the characters always find themselves facing the most complicated moral choice.

Publication of "Third Rocket" brought recognition to the writer, followed by "The Alpine Ballad", "The Dead Feel No Pain", "Sotnikov", "The Obelisk" and "To Live Till Sunrise", which brought international fame to the writer.

The Eksmo website selected 10 quotations from his books:

- The memory of the bloody trials of the past war is the best guarantor of peace and the existence of different peoples in our land. ("To Live Till Sunrise").

- But those who only want to survive at any cost, do they deserve even one life sacrificed for them? ("Sotnikov")

- Perhaps one part of the character reveals itself under certain conditions, and another under others. Therefore, every time has its own heroes. (" The Obelisk")

- Everything happened. Old things were broken, rebuilt - it was not easy. With blood. And still there is nothing better than the Motherland. All hardships are forgotten, more of the good is remembered. The sky there seems to be different - tender, and the grass is softer, though without these bouquets. And the earth smells better. I wish everything could be back, and we would somehow manage to solve our misfortunes, would become more fair. Without war. ("The Alpine Ballad")

- What for? Why does one need all this obsolete tradition with monuments, which is in fact a naive attempt of a human to prolong presence on earth after death? Is it really possible, though? And why does one need it? No, life is the only real value for all creatures and for mankind as well. ("Sotnikov")

- How many heroes do we have? Isn't that a strange question? Correct, it's strange. Who counted them. But look at the newspapers: how they love to write about the same ones. Especially if it's a war hero and today stands out. And if one died? No biography, no photo. And there's little information. And it's unverified. Or even it's confusing and contradictory. (" The Obelisk")

- You can't hope for something that isn't deserved. ("Sotnikov").

- But who doesn't know that the one who is more cunning wins the game called life. Is there any other way? ("Sotnikov")

- The devil take this vain ant race for a phantom insatiable prosperity if something far more important is left aside because of it. ("Sotnikov").

- Over the years of war, he has become completely unaccustomed to the natural human need for happiness. All his energy has been spent on surviving somehow, not to let one destroy him. (" The Alpine Ballad").