Sister of Sorrow and Other Life Stories

In the 'fantastic' volume of Shefner, published by the 'Azbuka' publishing house in two editions, it was noted that the basis of Shefner's writing is the principle of ordinary miracles. Ordinary miracles, yes. Of course, these are modest geniuses, heroes of Shefner's novellas and stories, for whom a miracle is no miracle at all - well, they made it, invented it, crafted it, and then it went on its own: the main thing is that this miracle brings joy to at least someone. Or benefit. Or that it would transform the world for the good of decent people. Which is rare in life, practically never.
In this book, the miracle is different. Not in 'made, invented, crafted'. Named 'Sister of Sorrow' after the main work included in it… no, rather a confession of a hero who has experienced in life so much that God forbid anyone else to undergo such a trial… - this book is about the meaning of life and about those difficult paths that a person goes through to ultimately understand why he is in life and for what purpose. War, difficult pre-war years, dreams, hopes, desires, consumed by Hegel's moles of history, - in these unvarnished stories, collected under one cover, the life of a person opens up to us, a witness, a participant, ultimately a conversational partner, if a person speaks with time in a language they both understand, - and this is real life, aged, like wine, which does not dull the senses, but stimulates.
Just as 'The Debtor's Hut' contained all of Shefner's 'fantasy' (or rather, modern fairy tale), this true collection includes the complete works of his realistic prose, including autobiographical pieces, military diaries, and works that have not been reissued for decades.