"True Stories and Untold Tales" by Boris Vasiliev, summary Automatic translate

This historical novel was written between 1977 and 1980. It depicts the fate of a large noble family against the backdrop of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. The fictional biographies of the characters are seamlessly intertwined with the destinies of real historical figures, such as generals Mikhail Skobelev, Eduard Totleben, and Fyodor Radetsky. The novel is part of the "Oleksins" family saga. The series includes the books "The Gambler and the Swordsman, the Gambler and the Duelist," "Assuage My Sorrows," "And There Was Evening, and There Was Morning," and "The House That Grandfather Built." Published first, it ranks second chronologically in the series.

The collapse of the noble nest

The events begin in 1876. Moscow is gripped by patriotic fervor. Thousands of volunteers are sent to aid rebellious Serbia. Young army lieutenant Gavriil Oleksin travels to the Balkans after an unpleasant scandal with a Moscow officer named Tyrbert. Soon, Anna Timofeyevna, the quiet and kind mother of the large Oleksin family, dies. The head of the family, Ivan Gavrilovich, a stern retired officer, outwardly accepts the loss coldly. Inwardly, the old man suffers from a crushing loneliness.

The children disperse, choosing their own paths. The eldest daughter, Varya, takes on the burden of household chores. She desperately tries to save the failing Vysokoye estate. Student Fyodor attempts to educate the workers. The young man faces police persecution and goes underground. Vasily returns from America, having failed in his attempts to establish an agricultural commune. The younger brother, Vladimir, an impressionable cadet, is sent to serve in the Caucasus.

Trial by fire

Vladimir Oleksin falls passionately in love with a married woman, Taya Kovalevskaya. Upon learning of the dirty intrigue of Second Lieutenant von Geller, who dishonestly deceived the girl with a sham wedding, the cadet challenges him to a duel. Vladimir dies from a gunshot to the heart. Geller commits suicide. The disgraced Taya leaves to serve as a nurse in the active army in the Caucasus.

The Russo-Turkish campaign begins. The Russian army crosses the Danube. The troops transfer combat operations to Bulgarian territory. Gavriil Oleksin commands a company of the Bulgarian militia. In the brutal and bloody battles near Eski-Zagra, the warriors defend the famous Samara banner. During the brutal crossing of the Danube, artilleryman Tyrbert, at the cost of his own life, ensures the success of the Russian landing force. His pontoon sinks under enemy fire, but the officer manages to fire a devastating salvo of grapeshot at the enemy. Gavriil demonstrates incredible courage. He is wounded, loses friends, and gradually loses his youthful illusions about the beauty of war.

The fugitive Fyodor Oleksin makes his way to the front. The young man becomes General Mikhail Dmitrievich Skobelev’s personal orderly. Fyodor witnesses the incompetence of the high command. He witnesses the senseless, bloody sacrifices of the repeated assaults on Plevna. At the same time, Fyodor admires the fearlessness of the White General, who is able to inspire his soldiers by personal example on the front lines. The war hardens the young man, turning him into a tough army officer.

The Siege of Bayazet and the Victims of the Rear

A stubborn defense of the Bayazet citadel is underway on the Caucasus Front. The small Russian garrison finds itself surrounded by Turkish troops and thousands of Kurdish bands. The defense is led by the stern quartermaster, Captain Shtokvich. He is assisted by the combat captain Gedulyanov, who has long been secretly in love with Taya Kovalevskaya. The besieged endure thirst, hunger, and disease for weeks.

The Turks divert the stream, issuing the garrison one spoonful of foul-smelling liquid a day. Gedulyanov makes desperate daytime forays to the mountain springs. An officer risks his life to save the weakened Taya and sick children. Shtokvich suppresses panic among the soldiers with an iron fist. The commandant orders the hanging of the Turkish envoy. An officer deliberately provokes the enemy’s rage and prevents them from escaping into the defenseless Armenian villages. The defenders hold Bayazet until General Tergukasov’s reinforcements arrive.

The youngest of the Oleksin brothers, high school student Ivan, drops out of school and goes to the front. He serves as a volunteer on a civilian food convoy. The young man encounters horrific images of looting on the home front. He saves a little Turkish girl from Cossack rapists. The orphan is sent to Smolensk to the care of his aunt, Sofia Gavrilovna.

Sister Varya, completely entangled in debt, saves the family from total ruin. She accepts the proposal of the wealthy industrialist Khomyakov. She becomes his wife, finding support in this tough, enterprising man who truly loves her. Masha is at the front desperately searching for her fiancé, Averian Benevolensky. The revolutionary hid under an assumed name and went off to war as a simple medic. The girl missed him, and later learns of his death.

Winter Pass

Russian troops under the command of General Kartsov are preparing for a winter crossing of the icy Balkans. Gavriil Oleksin, along with the Bulgarian Chetniks of the old voivode Tseko Petkov, is in the vanguard. In the bitter cold, the soldiers drag heavy artillery pieces up sheer, snow-covered cliffs. The detachments outflank Turkish positions along mountain goat trails, launching surprise flanking attacks on the freezing garrisons.

The infamous "Shipka Holdout" lasts for months. The defenders of the mountain pass, battered by icy winds, suffer from a lack of warm clothing and food. The soldiers repel continuous attacks from Suleiman Pasha’s army. The trenches are littered with frostbitten bodies, but the Russian regiments do not retreat an inch. The phrase "calm at Shipka" becomes a symbol of unparalleled soldierly heroism and staff cynicism.

During a arduous mountain trek, Gavriil Oleksin finds himself in a hopeless situation. The Turks have tightly surrounded the rebels among the snow-covered cliffs. The haiduks demand a direct assault, but Gavriil makes a different decision. Eager to save the frostbitten women and children in his unit, the officer orders negotiations. The Ottomans agree to release the civilians and rank-and-file Chetniks in exchange for the unconditional surrender of their commanders.

The Pole Zbigniew Otwinowski takes the blame and surrenders in place of the Bulgarian voivode. The Turks promise to transfer Gavriil to the Russian command. Realizing that he will be court-martialed in his homeland for his unauthorized actions, Gavriil decides to avoid a shameful trial. The officer shoots himself in the forehead before the astonished Turkish guards. Otwinowski is executed at dawn.

Echo of past battles

The war ends with Russia’s victory, the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano, and the subsequent humiliating Congress of Berlin. The surviving members of the Oleksin family try to find meaning in the changed state. The eldest brother, Vasily, settles in Yasnaya Polyana. He devotes himself to the religious and philosophical teachings of Leo Tolstoy, forever abandoning the radical ideas of his youth. Fyodor makes a brilliant military career with the direct support of General Skobelev.

Masha, having completely lost faith in peaceful social change, chooses the bloody path of terror. In the winter of 1881, she throws a homemade bomb at the governor’s open sleigh. She blows herself up along with a high-ranking official on a snowy street in a provincial town. The tragedy of the Oleksin family bitterly reflects the historical rift that claims the lives of those who upheld the concepts of honor and duty.