Information about the author: 

Abstract:

According to the German Slavist V. Duvel, K.A. Fedin was “the most prominent expert on Germany in Russian Soviet literature”. Fedin’s acquaintance with the country began in 1914, when he was held as a civilian prisoner during World War I, serving as a formative experience in understanding the German people. In 1945, Fedin attended the Nuremberg International Military Tribunal for the Major Nazi War Criminals as a correspondent for “Izvestia”. Three decades are between these dates, a whole life: from the first enthusiasm for centuries- old German culture to insights into German militarism and chauvinism. Fedin’s deep understanding of German history and ideology, as well as his immersion in German psychology, sharpened his political intuition. Long before the Second World War, he sensed its impending arrival. Fedin’s prose (starting with his novel “Cities and Years”), essays, and open letters to his Western counterparts warned of the fascist threat. Fedin, who was not fit for military service due to his age and health, understood his duty to his homeland during the war as serving through his words. His war essays continued to expose the enemy, whose true face he was the first Soviet writer to see and portray.

Keywords: “Cities and Years”, Nuremberg, german militarism and chauvinism, World War I, “And There is Peace on Earth…”, K.A. Fedin’s political intuition, the International Tribunal.