Abstract
Set in extraordinarily traumatic times, Vasilii Grossman’s For a Just Cause and Life and Fate testify to the ability of the human spirit to survive, and sometimes even thrive, in inhuman circumstances. Ultimately, freedom – both individual and national – is shown to be victorious over slavery. Yet there is a tension within the novels between trauma and freedom. This essay explores that tension by tracing Grossman’s use of time in depicting these dual phenomena, and specifically by analysing Nikolai Krymov’s fate. The focus is in part on how his identity changes over time. Yet Grossman also employs different modes of temporality to depict the psychological effects of traumatic events, during which inner experience of time becomes fragmented and repetitive. Time and temporality provide the focus for a nuanced exploration of Krymov’s identity and his eventual ability to attain freedom in the midst of traumatic repression.
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