Publisher Description

"Aside from his excellent prose, Stonov's book contains precious details about an era whose features are barely discernible today. The Raskin Family paints a picture of the fate of an entire generation standing at the historic threshold that began with great hopes and ended with those hopes crushed. This autobiographical novel has outlived its author and will no doubt remain not only on library shelves but also in the grateful memory of the upcoming generations." -David Markish, author of To Become Lutov
Meyer Raskin is a wealthy Jewish entrepreneur running a large agricultural estate in Belarus on the western outskirts of the Russian Empire in the early 20th century. His wife Chava feels out of place and yearns for the quiet life of a Jewish shtetl. Together they have six children, some of whom help their father on the estate, while others are more interested in pursuing education or getting involved in revolutionary politics. Their lives are interrupted first by the Russian revolution of 1905 and later by World War I, which eventually turns them all into refugees. This is an autobiographical novel based on the author's family.

Author Biography

Dmitry Stonov (1898-1962) was a Soviet literary author and a war correspondent in World War II. Because of his ties to the Jewish Anti-Fascist Committee, he spent over five years in the Gulag (1949-1954). He published a dozen books and many short stories, some autobiographical.

Description for Sales People

A unique and rare perspective of Jewish life in the Russian Empire, with the main character being a wealthy entrepreneur engaged in agriculture Compelling and sympathetic characters Well written, with a good sense of humor; reads well Early 20th century history of Russia, revolution, and war through the eyes of contemporaries The author was a close friend of Mikhail Bulgakov, Russia's literary giant

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