Trivia

As the editor of "Znamya" ("The Banner"), a leading literary monthly, he was influential in promoting the glasnost reforms of Mikhail Gorbachev. He published works that had been banned by Communist censors, and helped to expose the crimes of Joseph Stalin.

He wrote fiction inspired by his war-time experiences in the Soviet Army. He was awarded the prestigious State Prize of the Soviet Union.

He joined the Red Army after the Nazi attack on the USSR. He was sent to the front line when he was 18. He was seriously wounded in combat, and received several medals for valor.