"A penetrating and compassionate book on the most gigantic military struggle in world history."--The New York Times Book Review "An extraordinary tale... Overy's engrossing book provides extensive details of teh slaughter, brutality, bitterness and destruction on the massive front from the White Sea to the flank of Asia."--Chicago Tribune The Russian war effort to defeat invading Axis powers, an effort that assembled the largest military force in recorded history and that cost the lives of more than 25 million Soviet soldiers and civilians, was the decisive factor for securing an Allied victory. Now with access to the wealth of film archives and interview material from Russia used to produce the ten-hour television documentary Russia's War, Richard Overy tackles the many persuasive questions surrounding this conflict. Was Stalin a military genius? Was the defense of Mother Russia a product of something greater than numbers of tanks and planes--of something deep within the Russian soul?

リチャード・オーヴァリーの本書は、独ソ戦という史上最大の惨劇を、冷徹な史眼と深い慈愛で描いた傑作です。二千五百万人もの犠牲を払った民衆の「魂の咆哮」を、単なる記録を超えた文学的な厚みで捉えています。スターリンの専制と愛国心が交錯する極限下で、人間はいかに絶望を克服したのか。その根源的な問いが、読者の心を激しく揺さぶります。 ドキュメンタリー映像と連動した本作は、凄惨な事実に書籍ならではの緻密な分析を加え、精神的奥行きを与えています。映像が歴史を切り取る一方で、著者の筆致は深層の感情を汲み上げます。視覚と活字が共鳴し、歴史が立体的に立ち上がるこの知的興奮は、唯一無二の体験となるでしょう。