Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich (Book Analysis): Detailed Summary, Analysis and Reading Guide

By Bright Summaries

Unlock the more straightforward side of Secondhand Time with this concise and insightful summary and analysis!

This engaging summary presents an analysis of Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich, a collection of personal testimonies from people who lived through the demise of the Soviet Union and the subsequent establishment of the Russian Federation. The accounts gathered in the book span two decades, from 1991 to 2012, and explore subjects such as the rise of the oligarchs, the repressive Stalinist years (which are nonetheless viewed with a sense of nostalgia by some) and the leadership of Mikhail Gorbachev, bringing together participants with widely varying opinions from all strata of society. Alexievich herself grew up in the Soviet Union, and her writing was shaped by her upbringing and the society she lived in. She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015, making her the first writer from Belarus to receive the honour.

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This in-depth and informative reading guide brings you:
• A complete plot summary
• Character studies
• Key themes and symbols
• Questions for further reflection

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• Language: English
• Publisher: BrightSummaries.com
• Release date: Jun 12, 2018
• ISBN: 9782808009720

Book preview

BELORUSSIAN JOURNALIST AND PROSE WRITER

Born in Stanislav, Ukraine, USSR (now Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine) in 1948.

Notable works:

The Unwomanly Face of War (1985), collection of testimonies

Boys in Zinc (1991), collection of testimonies

Chernobyl Prayer: A Chronicle of the Future (1999), collection of testimonies

Svetlana Alexievich was born in Ukraine shortly after the end of the Second World War (1939-1945), but moved to Belarus with her family at a young age. She studied journalism in Minsk, graduating in 1972, and went on to work for a number of Belorussian newspapers and magazines throughout the 1970s and 1980s. In 1983, she joined the Union of Soviet Writers.

Her books, which were all originally written in Russian, interweave a multitude of eyewitness accounts of major events and historical periods, are closely linked to the Communist society she lived in, and often feature scathing criticism of Ukrainian, Belorussian and Russian policies, which meant that they were initially censored. After living abroad for over a decade, she moved back to Minsk in 2011.

She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015.

A MOSAIC OF ACCOUNTS OF