Widespread critical acclaim from authors and academics in the U.S. and Canada has greeted the release of Anton: A Young Boy, His Friend & the Russian Revolution, a novel by author and former Saskatchewan journalist Dale Eisler, who is currently Canada’s Consul General in Denver, Colorado.
Set in a small village in the Black Sea region of Russia from 1919-1925 during the tumultuous wake of the Russian Revolution, Anton is the story of a young boy trying to cope with the suffering and violence he witnesses and cannot understand. Slowly, Anton and his friend begin to comprehend the reality of their lives as their friendship deepens in the adversity they share.
The story, which explores the little-known fate of German immigrants to Russia during and after the Russian Revolution, is being received with praise.
Comments about the book:
"A beautiful, gripping story of the dark side of the Bolshevik Revolution. Told through the eyes of a small boy in a tiny Ukrainian village, the reader is immediately immersed in the horror of the Revolution, the redeeming power of friendship and courage, and the promise of opportunity in a new landThe reader is immediately immersed in the horror of the Revolution, the redeeming power of friendship and courage, and the promise of opportunity in a new land."
--- Tucker Hart Adams, former professor of economics, University of Moscow.
"A story of simple and lasting friendship that moves from the Black Sea through the Russian Revolution and horrors of the Great War to the mud huts of Saskatchewan. Leon Trotsky is here, as is John Smith -- but the characters the reader will never forget are Anton and Kaza."
--- Roy MacGregor, author of Canadians: A Portrait of a Country and It's People
"An arresting, imaginative work by a gifted and sophisticated writer."
--- Tom Farer, dean, Josef Korbel School of International Studies, University of Denver
"With Anton, Dale Eisler pulled off the difficult: He merged the sweep of history with the granular details and the small dramas of family into a gripping, moving whole. Anton is a fascinating glimpse into a little-known period of history. It is also a fabulous story. I recommend it highly."
--- Douglas Brown, Denver Post
"This is a novel I admire immensely: a forceful literary style, wonderful characters, impressive erudition about a historically and geographical remote setting, all of that and a compelling story worth telling."
--- Steven Hayward, author of The Secret Mitzvah of Lucio Burke, Colorado College
"Anton is compelling coming-of-age story" that is "an illuminating and rich portrait of the enduring power of friendship and memory spanning continents and generations."
--- Eric Schmaltz, associate professor, Oklahoma State University
"I would like to tell Kutschurganers about a newly-released book of historically-based fiction, Anton, a young boy, his friend, and the Russian Revolution by Dale Eisler. The book covers the time frame of 1919 to 1925 in the Kutschurgan valley. The story is told by young Anton, as he sees his world. He is almost five years old, as the story begins on July 31, 1919, the day he witnesses the execution-style death of his father along with eleven other men in Fischer-Franzen. The villages of Strassburg, Selz and Mannheim are mentioned frequently, as are many recognizable German family names.
The book is well researched, but the reader must keep in mind that the story is fiction, although it is based on the author's mother's family. The book provided me with a new understanding of the slow evolution of the "dorfsowjet", answerable to a larger regional "sowjet", and a system which eventually led to complete collectivization. Although I am sure it was not the author's intent, the book also explained for me how the revolutionary zeal of St. Petersburg was able to filter down to forcibly change and control the lives of the residents of even such a small and isolated village as Fischer Franzen in the Kutschurgan valley.
Mostly though, the book is about Anton, and his family, and his best friend, as they live through the horrors around them, and struggle to understand what is happening to their lives in Fischer Franzen, until 1925 when they are able to emigrate to Canada, to Saskatchewan. Yes, I admit a personal connection!"
--- Merv Weiss, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
