Vasily Grossman's masterpiece Life and Fate is rated by many as the greatest Russian novel of the twentieth century. Among its admirers is Antony Beevor, the bestselling author of Stalingrad and Berlin. This book is based on the notebooks in which Grossman gathered his raw material.

Released after Stalin's death, Ivan Grigoryevich finds that the years of terror have imposed a collective moral slavery. He must struggle to find a place for himself in an unfamiliar world. Ivan's cousin, Nikolay, a scientist never let his conscience interfere with his career, and Pinegin, the informer had Ivan sent to the camps.

A novel that focuses on overshadowing the lives of a huge cast of Russian and German characters which looms the battle of Stalingrad.