Steep Route

Evgenia Ginzburg, an historian and journalist, the mother of the famous writer Vasily Aksyonov, was repressed in 1937, spent ten years in prisons and Kolyma camps, and eight years in exile in Magadan. In 1955, her case was dismissed due to lack of evidence of a crime. However, even during the thaw, her autobiographical novel "Steep Route," in which Ginzburg described her terrible fate, could not be published in the USSR: it was only published during perestroika and became one of the most famous testimonies of the crimes of the Stalinist regime — moreover, Ginzburg, who was a loyal supporter of communist teachings until her arrest, does not absolve herself of the guilt for the events that occurred. The ability to convey the feelings of "madness and horror," hopes and total despair, to truthfully depict scenes of cruelty and self-sacrifice, manifestations of cowardice and bravery — all this allows "Steep Route" to be considered an outstanding literary work. The main value of the novel lies in its lesson to preserve courage and dignity, helping to overcome the "great Fear" that can destroy both destinies and the lives of an entire generation.