Life and Fate Read Along, Part 2 Chapter 25

This post, covering Part 2, Chapter 25 is part of The Slavic Literature Pod’s chapter a day read along of Vasily Grossman’s Life and Fate. Learn more about our project here.

After returning from evacuation to the Academy, the dynamics seem to have shifted. Viktor, as tactful as ever, manages to upset nearly everyone in the room in just a few short conversations.

Immediately, Viktor is irritated by the presence of other Academicians like Shishakov, someone who he believes is a far better political operator than scientist. Viktor is upset that, as Sokolov notes, “What he’s most famous for is failing to reorganize a positron on a photograph. All the research students know the story. They call it ‘Academician Shishakov’s mistake,’” (p. 451). Unfortunately for Viktor, being back in Moscow suddenly seems to necessitate a different type of political awareness than in evacuation.