Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich (Book Analysis)

This practical and insightful reading guide offers a complete summary and analysis of Secondhand Time by Svetlana Alexievich. It provides a thorough exploration of the book’s form, context and themes, including suffering, violence and nostalgia for the past. The clear and concise style makes for easy understanding, providing the perfect opportunity to improve your literary knowledge in no time.

This clear and detailed 52-page reading guide is structured as follows:

• Biography of Svetlana Alexievich
• Presentation of Secondhand Time
• Summary of Secondhand Time
• Context
  • The history of the USSR
  • The transition to democracy
• Analysis of Secondhand Time
  • Alexievich’s approach
  • Homo sovieticus and relativism
  • A changing society
  • Violence
  • Nostalgia for Russia’s former glory

About Secondhand Time

Secondhand Time is a polyphonic narrative which brings together the voices of Russian citizens who lived through the fall of the Soviet Union and the transition to capitalism. By asking her participants, who come from a wide range of backgrounds and hold very different political opinions, seemingly mundane questions about their families, personal histories and romantic relationships, Alexievich probes the feelings engendered by this drastic change and weaves a compelling tale of suffering, sacrifice and nostalgia.

Secondhand Time has been described as “Alexievich’s masterpiece” (Newsweek) and “essential reading” for anyone who wants to understand contemporary Russia (Newsday).

About Svetlana Alexievich

Svetlana Alexievich is a Belorussian writer who is known for producing texts which interweave eyewitness accounts of major events and historical periods with her own commentary to create exceptionally rich, thought-provoking narratives. Having grown up in the USSR, she considers herself a product of the Soviet system and aims to use her writing to try and make sense of this turbulent time.

Alexievich was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2015 “for her polyphonic writings, a monument to suffering and courage in our time”. She is the first writer from Belarus to receive the award.