The Past and the Present

The Past and the PresentHaving passed the harsh and dangerous path of a naval officer of the Baltic Fleet (after the war he commanded a minesweeper that neutralized German mines, which was equated with military operations), Mikhail did not stop exclusively on naval topics, in his essays he touches on a lot of other topicsfrom criticism of American democracy to the fate of Russian Jewry and the education of young people. One of his previous worksa book about his motheralso

Having passed the harsh and dangerous path of a naval officer of the Baltic Fleet (after the war he commanded a minesweeper that neutralized German mines, which was equated with military operations), Mikhail did not stop exclusively on naval topics, in his essays he touches on a lot of other topicsÑfrom criticism of American democracy to the fate of Russian Jewry and the education of young people.

One of his previous worksÑa book about his motherÑalso included as a part of his new book. And there was so much warmth and love in her, so tragically was the fate of a Jewish woman, whose husband was fighting at the front, and she and her four small children were going through the circles of an evacuation hell, through the hunger and cold of two Asian republics, that she could not help touching... On the way to evacuation, Mikhail, the eldest of four children, happened to witness a terrible scene. A nearby freight car was carrying Chechens and Ingushs into exile, indiscriminately accused by the Stalinist authorities of Òbetrayal.Ó In front of the teenagerÕs eyes, an armed guard shot and killed an elderly gray-bearded Chechen just because he wanted to get water for his sick granddaughter. Such impressions are not forgotten.

Today Mikhail Margolin is over 90, but his creative energy is not scarce. Every week he continues sending new articles to CHAYKA magazine. And we all wish his new book success and recommend it to the readers!