In the 1960s and 1970s Vasilii Ivanovich Belov was known as one of the most lyrical of the village writers, and some of his works from those years have become classical examples of "village prose." His interest in the fate of the Russian rural community, its culture, and traditions have led him into much darker areas, however, especially since the years of glasnost. In addition, unafraid of courting controversy over the explicit anti-Semitic sentiments of some of his later works, he has associated himself with extreme nationalistic views. Still, there is a clear trajectory in his thinking--one that is of great interest in any consideration of Russian literature at the end of the twentieth century.

Vasilii Ivanovich Belov was born on 23 October 1932 in the village of Timonikha, Vologda district, into the family of a peasant; his parents were Ivan Fedorovich Belov and Anfisa Ivanovna (Kokliushkina) Belova. He attended...