''Seryozha'' (russian: Серёжа, published 1955) is a short novel by Soviet writer
Vera Panova
Vera Fyodorovna Panova (russian: Вера Фёдоровна Панова; – March 3, 1973) was a Soviet novelist, playwright, and journalist. She was a recipient of the Stalin Prize in 1947, 1948, and 1950.
Early life
Vera was born into the f ...
. Seryozha has also been translated as ''Time Walked'' and ''A Summer to Remember''. Seryozha is a diminutive form of the name Sergey.
Plot
Seryozha is the story of a young boy living in the rural Soviet Union in the mid-1950s. The novel describes Seryozha's experiences, and those of his family, friends and neighbors over the course of a summer. The most important event of the story is the marriage of Seryozha's mother to a Red Army veteran named Dmitry Korostelyev. Korostelyev becomes the new manager of the local
collective farm
Collective farming and communal farming are various types of, "agricultural production in which multiple farmers run their holdings as a joint enterprise". There are two broad types of communal farms: agricultural cooperatives, in which member ...
and a strong role model for Seryozha. Throughout the novel Panova gives a relatively grim picture of life in the rural Soviet Union where both money and opportunity are scarce. The novel ends with Korostelyev being reassigned to a new collective farm in the remote
Arkhangelsky District
Arkhangelsky District (russian: Арха́нгельский райо́н; ba, Архангел районы) is an administrativeConstitution of the Republic of Bashkortostan, Article 64 and municipalLaw #126-z district (raion), one of the ...
, and taking the family with him.
Quote
Panova said of the genesis of Seryozha:
''"The soul of a child was revealed to me, the revelation engendered reflection, my reflections became clothed in images- and there appeared Seryozha."
English translations
*''Time Walked'', Harvill Press, 1957.
*''A Summer to Remember'', Thomas Yoseloff, 1962.
*''Selected Works'', Progress Publishers, Moscow, 1976.
Screen version
The story was brought to the screen in the 1960 film ''
Seryozha'' by
Georgi Daneliya and
Igor Talankin
Igor Vasilyevich Talankin (russian: И́горь Васи́льевич Тала́нкин) (3 October 1927 – 24 July 2010) was a Soviet and Russian film director and screenwriter. His film ''Splendid Days'' (1960, co-directed with Georgiy Danel ...
.
References
1955 novels
Soviet novels
Novels set in Russia
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