Svetlana Alexievich

Overview

Svetlana Alexeivich born Stanislau, Ukrainian SR May 31, 1948. Belorussian author. War’s Unwomanly Face about World War II, 1988; Zinky Boys portrayed brutality of Afghanistan war, 1992; Voices from Chernobyl, 1997. Received German Book Peace Prize, 2013; Nobel Literature Laureate, 2015.

Quotations

On Russian action in Ukraine: "It is occupation, a foreign invasion." (Reuters, Oct. 8, 2015)

"All that we know about Woman is best described by the word 'compassion.' There are other words, too—sister, wife, friend and, the noblest of all, mother. But isn't compassion a part of all these concepts, their very substance, their purpose and their ultimate meaning? A woman is the giver of life, she safeguards life, so 'Woman' and 'life' are synonyms.” (War’s Unwomanly Face, Introduction; photo greanvillepost.com)