He Fell on the Grass

Many of us know and love the delightful “Deniska’s Stories” by the wonderful children’s writer Viktor Dragunsky. But few know that Viktor Yuzefovich wrote not only for children.

A poignant and brutally honest autobiographical tale by Viktor Dragunsky about the tragedy of autumn 1941, about the defense of Moscow. The main character—still very young—volunteers to join the Moscow militia and sets out to dig trenches. Yesterday, he lived a completely peaceful life: walking with friends through sunny Moscow, in love with a beautiful actress… And today, utterly unarmed, he faces the leading detachments of the fascists…