Wave of Terror

Recently, I decided to focus upon reading great but lesser known masters of repressed writers from the Soviet Union during the time of Lenin and Stalin. Since some of the finest writing was considered to be critical of Soviet leadership, many beautifully written masterpieces have only fairly recently come to see the light of day. Of course, Solzhenitzyn has been recognized for his trials on the gulag with the Nobel Prize but there are many other genuinely great and supremely gifted writers of the era. And Theodore Odrach has earned a worthy place of prominence among the most talented and courageous authors of an era in which writers truly suffered for their art. In Odrach's case he escaped from the Ukraine and came to North America to live and write in Toronto. He was published by a discerning publishing house in Chicago who recognized his talent, the importance of his message and the sublime talents of Erma Odrach as her father's translator. Like other Soviet era writer's Odrach is powerful because of his understatement and the highly polished, vivid almost journalistic style. His journalistic writing style at times reminded me of Hemingway in For Whom the Bell Tolls and in A Farewell to Arms. The characters are uniquely and sensitively drawn portraits with realistic traits which bring out their humanity. The women in this book are especially well sketched, and -- although the writer was a man and capturing the essence of women is more challenging than writing about one's own gender -- perhaps Erma's devoted commitment to find Moliere's "mots juste" helps to distinguish every character in this novel. The Odrachs make this incredibly difficult era, with its incessant danger and hardship, come alive luminously. There are profound and enduring lessons in this novel for freedom-loving peoples worldwide -- hope for those seeking democracy through perserverance and caution to those blessed to live in democratic societies whose freedoms are at risk from powerful megalomaniacs. I really can't say enough in praise of the courage and talents of the Odrachs whose important work is worthy of wide readership. The Odrachs have given us the benefit of a great, living legacy to treasure: I really loved this intelligent, humble and truly beautiful novel. It represents a high standard of novel which America should aspire both to write and widely read. I was moved deeply and inspired by this lyrical, gorgeously crafted novel -- my best advice is to buy and read this timeless masterpiece now: you'll never forget this book.

The novel begins with the Red Army invasion of Belarus in 1939. Ivan Kulik is the newly appointed headmaster of School Number 7 in Hlaby, a rural village in the Pinsk marshes. Through Ivan's eyes, the reader experiences the impact and effect of Stalinist domination, including the capricious seemingly random acts of cruelty by those in power. Ivan struggles to make sense of this new world and of his personal life. This is a powerful novel: both the setting and the characters make it so. Mr Odrach's characters are human rather than suprahuman or subhuman with all of humanity's concomitant strengths and weaknesses. During the story, I could feel individual hope being extinguished as grinding reality overcame fragile optimism. The changes wrought on individual and community life by the emergence of the Belarusian Soviet Social Republic make very uncomfortable reading. In many cases, authority was vested in individuals whose capacity to misuse such power was only exceeded by their inability to realise the dehumanising effects extended to them as well as to their victims. It would be easy to illustrate this by the use of good and bad stereotypes but Mr Odrach manages to avoid doing this. At the end of this novel, I wanted more. I would like to think that the story of Ivan was the story of Mr Ordrach himself and that he managed to escape from an uncertain place to make a better life for himself. Whether this is true or not, this is a novel that will no doubt remain with me for a very long time. I thank Ms Odrach for bringing this novel to life by interpreting her father's work into English and pursuing publication. I hope to read more of Mr Odrach's writing. Jennifer Cameron-Smith

The setting is 1939, small Ukrainian village in the Pinsk. While this book is considered historical fiction, it is based on the experiences of the author. This novel was hidden from An English speaking world for 50 years. The author's daughter recently translated the novel into English. Theodore Odrach's purpose for writing this novel was to expose the atrocities of the Stalin regime. The story is told from the perspective of Ivan Kulik, the headmaster of School number 7 in Hlaby, a small village in the Pinsk Marshes. When the Stalin Regime first took over the small village, the residents were happy. The Polish government had been harsh. The soon discovered the cruelty of the Stalin was much worse. The residents struggled to adjust to the new way of life. The regime brought nothing but sorrow, pain and suffering. Those that disagreed or stood up to the Stalinist were placed in thought reform--labor camps. We have become complacent and forgotten the atrocities that took place in the past. We are ripe for the taking. I commend MS Odrach for bring this book to light. Theodore Odrach was a talented author. He was obviously a threat to the Soviet Union and barely escaped with his life. I admire his courage and tenacity. This should be required reading in high school and college history.

Originally published in 1972 (Ukranian edition), this powerful autobiographical-based novel from the late Theodore Odrach finally appears in an English edition, with the translation by his daughter, Erma Odrach. The story of Soviet terror machine under the cruel dictatorship of Josef Stalin and his sycophants is told through the main character - school headmaster Ivan Kulik - which begins with the 1939 invasion of Belarus by the Red Army. As the new world order brings hideous oppression, destruction, turmoil and death, Kulik is not just a survivor while appeasing the system....he refuses to forget what it means to truly live with compassion and determination and - through his courage - Kulik does find others who refuse to capitulate, though their yearning for freedom could mean "thought reform" in a labor camp. And it is this search for the dimmed beacon of love and hope that propels the book. Odrach (1912-1964) settled in Toronto, Canada, in 1953 after a harrowing journey through Europe while being pursued by Soviet authorities, due in part to his work as an editor for an underground newspaper in the Ukraine. After the Soviet invasion of Vilnius (Lithuania) in 1939, Odrach fled to his native Belarus and became a grammar school headmaster, where he was denounced by government officials. As the Soviet secret police closed in on him in the Ukraine, Odrach escaped through Slovakia and eventually found freedom in North America. This is the truth about terror that grips the soul and tears at the heart. But it is also the reality of victory for those who never forget about the warmth of even a sliver of sunlight as they are horribly bent - but do not break - as they tirelessly search for an opening in an Iron Curtain.

Wave of Terror is a novel about the effects of the Soviet invasion of Belarus in 1939 on a small Ukrainian village in the Pinsk marshes as seen through the eyes of a young school teacher named Ivan Kulik. Liberated from their uncaring Polish landlords, the village is first happy, but later finds they are faced with an even worse threat from Stalinist oppression. Originally written in Ukrainian and published as Voshchad' (Incipient dawn) in Toronto in 1972, this edition was translated into English by Erma Odrach, the author's daughter. The story is based on Odrach's personal experiences and was written to expose the horrors of Stalinist Russia, but now reads as historical fiction. The novel is best at portraying the people and their behavior as they struggle to adapt and survive under changing and unjust conditions. Particularly well done is Ivan's infatuation with the lovely Marusia, and her uncaring response as she tries hard to adjust to the new Russian social environment that Ivan disdains.