Described by the Belaruskaya Entsiklopedia as the “largest technological disaster of the 20th century,” the catastrophe at Chernobyl was the equivalent of 350 atomic bombs being dropped on Hiroshima. To increase your understanding of this tragic event, I highly recommend Svetlana Alexievich’s book, “Voices from Chernobyl: The Oral History of a Nuclear Disaster.” Alexievich was recently honored as the winner of the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature, a well-deserved honor.
She published this documentary in 1997, having interviewed many survivors, about 10 years after the catastrophe. Her book is a thoughtful and gut-wrenching recounting of the personal tragedy and loss in the Ukraine and Belarus. The book was translated into English in 2005 by Keith Gessen. I hope the Nobel Prize will motivate more people to read this historical account. Those who are accustomed to only reading novels should not avoid this book. It is fascinating reading. One journalist reported, “Show me a fantasy novel about Chernobyl—there isn’t one! Because reality is more fantastic.”
Read Full Article »