Stalingrad, 1942

Stalingrad is a Russian city that is situated on the Volga river, northwest of the Caspian Sea and northeast of the Black Sea. It is an industrial city, and it is under attack by the Germans for the strategic role it plays in controlling important energy infrastructure. The German's attack on Stalingrad in the Summer of 1942 is the primary historical context for the events of the novel. Although many of the novel's main characters do not participate in the battle of Stalingrad, the outcome of the battle weighs on the outlook and mood of the novel as a whole. Nevertheless, Stalingrad is the main setting for characters such as Spiridonov, Grekov, Byerozkin, and others who are directly involved in the war effort. After the battle Alexandra Vladimirovna returns to her home in Stalingrad, which has been destroyed. The ruined city becomes a point of inflection between Stalingrad's past...