The Sistine Madonna by Grossman

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Show Notes

Matt and Cameron have finished reading Stalingrad, but they aren’t yet done with Grossman. This week, they tackle his short story “The Sistine Madonna.” Written before the publication of Stalingrad and after he began to write Life and Fate, “The Sistine Madonna” is a piece about beauty, desperation, and hope for the future. Oh, and thermonuclear war. It covers a lot of ground. Grab your Bibles to track the religious analogies and tune in!

Major themes: Non-religious Christianity, Aesthetic anti-Sovietism, Eternal Beauty

03:49 - Okay, I was close, but the beer is actually called “St. Pauli”

06:03 - Nicaragua, I mean

8:09 - Check out The Sistine Madonna here

08:56 - “The Sistine Madonna” by Vasily Grossman

10:19 - I have once again switched Stalin and JFK’s death date, as I am want to do. Stalin died in 1953.

The music used in this episode was “soviet march,” by Toasted Tomatoes. You can find more of their work on Bandcamp and Youtube.