How Steel Was Tempered (Revised Edition)

Author: (Russian) Ostrovsky, translated by Mei Yi
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 1995-10-01
Features: It is difficult to separate the protagonist of the work, Pavlo Korchagin, from the author's own experiences, but we must never mix truth with fiction. As the author pointed out: "This is a novel, not the legend of any particular person." "In the book, I depict not a single Pavlo Korchagin, but countless Korchagins—countless young men and women who bravely fight for their happiness." Besides Pavlo Korchagin, the novel also features characters who had a significant impact on his growth, such as Zhukha, Arkhim, Dzintya, Sherya, and Lyda, among others. Pavlo Korchagin is the epitome of the first generation of Communist League members in the Soviet Union. His personal fate is closely tied to the fate of the October Revolution and the first socialist country in the world. Pavlo's boundless loyalty to the revolutionary ideal, his unyielding fighting spirit, and his positive and optimistic attitude toward life. Pavlo Korchagin is both a revolutionary fighter and an ordinary, flesh-and-blood young man. He has made mistakes, committed errors, broken military discipline, and experienced disappointment and regret in life and love. When his life seemed desperate, he also once doubted and despaired. But as Pavlo himself said, "All of this was due to a lack of experience, youth, and mostly ignorance." The character of Pavlo Korchagin is admirable and particularly endearing. He is both a revolutionary hero of a specific historical context and a humanistic hero who transcends the limitations of time and space, an eternal strong spirit in the spiritual world of humanity. Many of Pavlo Korchagin's philosophical reflections on the meaning of life have become well-known life proverbs. Especially his famous line about "Life is precious" has become the motto of millions of young people and a benchmark for establishing their own worldview, life philosophy, and values. Time flies, and the era of turmoil in which Pavlo lived has passed by more than half a century, yet the spirit of Pavlo continues to be passed down from generation to generation. Today, people, especially middle-aged and elderly readers who once benefited from and drew strength from this novel, still cherish Pavlo Korchagin's noble sentiments—his opposition to oppression, his defiance of the strong, his rejection of bureaucracy and self-interest, his courage to act righteously, his willingness to face difficulties, his fearlessness of hardship, his loyalty to duty, and his selfless dedication to the public good without complaint. This social psychology reflects, to some extent, a new demand of the times: under the new historical conditions of a market economy, people talk more about material wealth and less about the spirit, and a society that has lost its humanistic spirit is not only unhealthy but even dangerous. Everyone says that How the Steel Was Tempered has influenced generations. I believe that any successful work is mostly written with the author's blood and tears. How the Steel Was Tempered is not a biographical work, but it essentially reflects Ostrovsky's extraordinary life experiences, his personal insights into life, and his philosophical reflections and summaries on the meaning of life. Good books are loved by all, and How the Steel Was Tempered is such a book—it leaves a lasting impression and inspires people to believe in life.