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Life and Fate: The Complete Series (Dramatised) cover art

Life and Fate: The Complete Series (Dramatised)

By: Vasily Grossman
Narrated by: Kenneth Branagh, David Tennant
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Summary

Kenneth Branagh stars in BBC Radio 4's ambitious eight-hour dramatisation of Life and Fate, Vasily Grossman's epic masterpiece set during the Battle of Stalingrad. This powerful work, completed in 1960, charts the fate of both a nation and a family in the turmoil of war. Its comparison of Stalinism with Nazism was considered by Soviet authorities to be so dangerous that the KGB placed the manuscript under arrest and Grossman was informed his book would not be published for at least 200 years.

Having been a household name as one of Russia's most distinguished war correspondents, Grossman died aged 58 - the banning of his book hastening the end of his life - and he would never know the fate of his masterpiece: smuggled out of the Soviet Union on microfilm, to freedom and eventual publication in the West. Today it is increasingly hailed as the most important Russian novel of the 20th century.

©2011 AudioGO Ltd (P)2011 AudioGO Ltd

What listeners say about Life and Fate: The Complete Series (Dramatised)

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful writing and superb cast

Wonderful writing and superb cast.
A true and frightening account of a terrible chapter in Russian history brought to life in an expertly written and brilliantly performed radio drama.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

super cast

you will struggle to find a more poignant beautiful production. the cast is like a who's who of British theatre.. long live BBC drama

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Dire

Dreadful BBC production. Kenneth Branagh should have been clue. No attempt to capture the spirt of the book, or the Russian language, lazy production.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Mixed story

Struggled to follow as story moved about.
Also available for free on BBC Radio 4 website.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Far too much taken out of the original

This dramatised version is far too short to convey the full story, characters and narrative necessary. So many cuts that it, in parts, becomes almost indecipherable. I wouldn’t recommend it.

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5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Brilliant dramatical performance, a great story

What did you like about this audiobook?

very High

How has the book increased your interest in the subject matter?

I have no special favorite character but the story itself was just brilliant

Does the author present information in a way that is interesting and insightful, and if so, how does he achieve this?

Having the actors reading the parts makes the story better

What did you find wrong about the narrator's performance?

Epic masterpiece set against the battle of Stalingrad

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Take an epic book and remove all the good bits

Grossman’s life observations are what made the original book so timeless. All have been removed by dramatising the book. Like taking the cheese out of a cheeseburger.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Not a reading of the book a dramatisation.

My favourite book but did not realise this was a dramatisation. So disappointed. Could not get past first chapter. My error not picking this up but just to make clear to others.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A decidedly British performance

I regret this purchase, I wish I read the original (translated) book instead. I feel it detracts from the raw powerful story of the original. The performances are good, however it isn't just an English translation it's very much a British interpretation of the story. And it's very distracting

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Beautiful authentic human story

Wonderful story, very deep and credible characters and a very unflinching look at the human lives caught up in the totalitarian regimes of the 20th century. Subtle and moving tales of normal people. Wonderfully acted aswell!

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