Svetlana Alexievich won the 2015 Nobel Prize in Literature for her documentary narratives of life in the Soviet Union and contemporary Russia. An author who has committed her life to channeling the voices of others now assumes the role of speaker in this wide-ranging conversation with Nina L. Khrushcheva.
KYIV – In 2015, the oral historian Svetlana Alexievich was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her “documentary novels” showcasing life in Russia and in the Soviet Union before its collapse. Through multi-voice narratives distilled from hundreds of conversations, Alexievich composes a symphony of meaning from what would otherwise be a cacophony of memories. Her work captures not only the emotions of its subjects, but also the very essence of what humans experience, and how they behave, under conditions of unrelenting stress.
KYIV – In 2015, the oral historian Svetlana Alexievich was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature for her “documentary novels” showcasing life in Russia and in the Soviet Union before its collapse. Through multi-voice narratives distilled from hundreds of conversations, Alexievich composes a symphony of meaning from what would otherwise be a cacophony of memories. Her work captures not only the emotions of its subjects, but also the very essence of what humans experience, and how they behave, under conditions of unrelenting stress.