A Few Sad Short Stories: A Closer Look at Grossman’s Later Works

Among the four stories that Grossman was able to publish in the 1960s, “A Few Sad Days” offers a unique opportunity for those studying Grossman’s literary path over the decades, as both the original manuscript dating back to 1940 and a typewritten copy with the author’s undated handwritten corrections are still well-preserved. A comparison of the manuscript, the edited copy, and the final printed version published in Novyy mir allows us to trace the transformation of Grossman’s writing in the crucial passage from the “establishment” writer of the 1930s and 1940s to the later “dissident” writer.