Varlam Shalamov

Works

“‘Kolyma tales’ is the attempt to put and to decide some important questions of the time, the questions which may not be decided within other theme. The question of man and world meeting, of man's fight against state machine, the truth of this fight, the fight for self, the inside — and outside fight. Of how can one operate his fate grinding by the cogs of state machine, cogs of evil. Of the illusiveness of hope, and the heaviness of hope. Of the possibility to rely on other virtues — apart from hope”. “I consider myself as a successor too, not the successor to humane Russian literature of XIX century, but to modernism of the beginning of the century. Verification by sound. Counterpoint and symbolism. Documentary brought to the extreme artistic degree”.

Varlam Shalamov

Shalamov’s published works are put in this section: tales and poems, memoirs and notes etc. All of works, except those of 30s and of 50—60s which were anonymous or limited in circulation. Site staff searches for them now.

Complete works of Varlam Shalamov can be found in the Russian-language section of our site.