TRACES OF THE SECOND WORLD WAR IN KONSTANTIN SIMONOV’S “SMOKE OF THE FATHERLAND”

Abstract

The Second World War (1939-1945) is one of the extensive wars of modern era. At first, it started in Europe in September 1st, 1939 and then it influenced the whole world by spreading through Asia and Africa. The Soviet Union was also involved in this war, which caused millions of people to die or become disabled. It is known that almost 25-27 million people had died because of different reasons in the Soviet Union that had to join this war upon Germany’s attack. Death is a social and tragic reality. This reality finds its main expression in literature and art. The war has been narrated in every aspect in different genres of literary works both during WWII years and after in the Soviet Union, as well. Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov (1915-1979) is one of the important authorities in literature, who tries to tell about WWII with all the points included in both periods. He writes his story, “Smoke of the Fatherland”, which is the base of this study, in 1947, after the war. In this work, there is a description of the Soviet Union that tries to get on its feet again after great destructions and losses. The aim of this study is to show how K. Simonov narrated this process through the figures he created. As a result of this qualitative study, it has been revealed how a poet and author believing socialism since youth expressed these harsh years.