'Otvečaja na molčalivyj vopros': Klassičeskie i neklassičeskie voprosy v odnom izvestnom dialoge romana 'Žizn' i sud'ba'

The author carries out an analysis of a famous dialogue between Liss, Himmler’s representative in a nazi concentration camp, and Mostovskoj, a bolshevist prisoner in the same camp. This dialogue is in the 15th chapter of V. Grossman’s Novel “Life and Destiny”. Analysing the communicative function of questions in this dialogue, it becomes evident that both heroes, although representing opposite ideological positions, share the same attitude from a communicative point of view, i.e., they insist on declaring blind faith in the leader. In this way V. Grossman expresses his idea according to which ideologically opposite totalitarian conceptions are deeply similar.