10 literary works on World War II

The Dawns Here Are Quiet by Boris Vasilyev. [Photo/Agencies]

Title: The Dawns Here Are Quiet

Author: Boris Vasilyev

Country: Russia

Published: 1969

Upon orders, Senior Sergeant Vaskov is somewhat unwillingly stationed with a group of young female gunners in a railway station far from the front line. The women's youthful, active and playful personalities are poles apart from what Vaskov is used to. Vaskov finds himself clashing with the gunners often, but slowly begins to enjoy the joy they bring to life during a time of despair.

Two German paratroopers appeared nearby on a peaceful morning. The team embarked on a mission to stop them from possibly sabotaging, only to discover that there were sixteen paratroopers instead of two. Outgunned and outnumbered, Vaskov and the gunners tried their best to keep the Germans at bay, but in the end, four gunners were killed and one drowned in a quagmire. Vaskov, desperate and angered, armed with only one knife and deactivated hand-grenade, attacks the Germans with his last full shot of energy.

Twenty years after the war, on another quiet morning, Vaskov visits the place again with the adopted son of one of the women.

The Dawns Here Are Quiet was a best seller, having sold more than 1.8 million copies within a year after its publication in 1969. Its depiction of patriotism and female heroism has been adapted for stage and the screen. In 2005, a namesake TV drama adaptation of the novel was aired on China Central Television in celebration of the 60th year since the end of war.

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