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Valentin Savvich Pikul (1928 – 1990) is a bright and original writer of the 20th century, who tells about national history and historical figures in a simple and understandable language. The list of Pikul’s most popular books includes about 20 novels.
Valentin Savvich was born in Leningrad. In 1942, having survived the first blockade winter, he managed to leave the besieged city along the “Road of Life”. As a fourteen-year-old teenager, he fled to the Solovki to the Jung School. Until the end of the war, he served on the destroyer “Grozny” as a helmsman-signalman.
The path to literature for Pikul was not easy. He did a lot of self-education, while simultaneously working as a diver and fireman. The first novel “Ocean Patrol” was published in 1954. The attitude to the writer’s work has always been ambiguous. The list of books by Valentin Pikul includes controversial and scandalous works, such as the novel “Unclean Power”. The writer is often criticized for free handling of historical facts, calling the Russian Dumas father.
Three of the best books by Pikul on the marine theme
Compiling a list of the best books by Pikul on the marine theme, it is worth dwelling on works for readers of different ages and genre preferences:
1. Boys with bows
Bow Boys is an autobiographical coming-of-age book. The plot is based on heroic facts from the biography of young Valentine. Maritime romance and the formation of character in the harsh war years. This story is good to read at a young age. The heroes are fourteen-year-old boys who are cadets of the Cadets’ School on the Solovetsky Islands. The events are described from the perspective of Savka Ogurtsov, who is raving about the sea and in the dream of serving in the navy. The first victories and defeats, the test of friendship for strength and moral lessons – these are the hard everyday life of young boys.
2. Three ages okini-san
The Three Ages of Okini-san is a novel for fans of sentimental stories. The love between a Russian naval officer and a Japanese geisha unfolds against the backdrop of the tragic events of the early 20th century. Vladimir Kokovtsev at the beginning of the novel is a midshipman, on the last pages he is an admiral of the Russian fleet. The author leads a hereditary sailor through difficult trials: the revolution, the Russian-Japanese and civil wars, and emigration. The reader, along with the hero, is immersed in the world of Japanese culture and national traditions.
3. Requiem Caravan PQ-17
“Requiem for the PQ-17 Caravan” is a small book about the death of an Allied convoy in the seas of the Arctic, which will later be called “Convoy to Hell”. This is a documentary story about one tragic page of the Second World War. The courage of Soviet, American and British sailors is the subject of Pikul’s realistic book, which can be recommended to male readers.
Pikul’s novels from the list of books about the sea can be read for free. Everyone will choose a work to their liking.
Top 5 best Pikul books about history
For lovers of Russian history, Pikul’s prose will be a real gift. Books by Valentin Savvich Pikul are filled with details that accurately recreate several centuries of Russian reality.
Five of the best historical books by Valentin Pikul:
1. Favorite
The list opens with the novel “Favorite”, introducing the reader to the era of the reign of Catherine the Great. In the center of the writer’s narrative are two historical figures: the Empress and Grigory Potemkin, her favorite. The difficult life path of these heroes is filled with political intrigues, conspiracies, love and betrayal.
2. Battle of the Iron Chancellors
“The Battle of the Iron Chancellors” is Pikul’s essay on the subtle art of diplomatic relations between Russia and Prussia in the second half of the 19th century. Two talented statesmen Gorchakov and Bismarck understand well how to win the political struggle. The book is based on a comparison of the characters and actions of the “iron” chancellors, on which the fate of European states depends.
3. I have the honor
Next on the list is the book I Have the Honor. This is a good example of an action-packed work about the adventures of the “man with no name”. The hero, thanks to his outstanding abilities, is recruited into intelligence. Pikul places him in the midst of historical events: the First World War, the revolutions of 1905 and 1917. The action takes place in different cities and countries of Europe at the beginning of the 20th century. It is interesting to follow the fate of a person for whom duty and honor are not empty words, but service to the Fatherland is the meaning of life.
4. Devilry
“Unclean Force” tells about the “holy devil” Grigory Rasputin and his role in the fate of Russia. The life and death of the Siberian elder is depicted against the backdrop of the tragic events of 1917. This is the most controversial novel by Valentin Savvich, for which he received the Mikhail Sholokhov Prize. The images of Nicholas II and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna brought scandalous fame. The last Russian emperor is shown extremely negatively.
5. Barbarossa
Barbarossa, an unfinished novel written in the last year of the author’s life, completes the list of Pikul’s historical works. The scene is Stalingrad in 1942. A large-scale epic tells about the fate of the country during the tragic period of the Great Patriotic War. Privates and military leaders are united by a feeling of hatred for the enemy and a desire to protect the city on the Volga. A separate storyline is dedicated to the German General Paulus.
Books by Valentin Pikul are still popular with a wide range of readers. The total circulation of his works is more than 500 million copies.