FACES AND PLACES: Riedel's novel history (04/01/01)

FACES AND PLACES

by Myron B. Kuropas

Riedel's novel history

American novelists rarely treat Ukraine and Ukrainians sympathetically. Ukrainian nationalists are especially vulnerable to vilification and calumny.

A recent example is "Snow Wolf," a novel by Glenn Meade. Ukrainians in the book are all former members of the Nazi SS. One of the heroines is a Soviet who fought at Stalingrad where "she was captured by a detachment of Ukrainian SS. After interrogation, she was brutally raped."

A Ukrainian SS detachment at Stalingrad? I don't think so. The Battle of Stalingrad ended in February of 1943. The Ukrainian Waffen SS Division was established in the summer of 1943 and did not actually battle the Soviets until 1944. So much for historical accuracy.

Later, Mr. Meade takes pains to portray the German SS as a superb fighting unit. "Except for the Ukrainian SS. They were rapists and scum." A Meade character later explains: "The Ukrainians were the worst beasts in the SS. They killed women and children without regard, without so much as a second thought."

Fortunately, some American authors have not succumbed to Soviet disinformation in their depictions of Ukrainians. Morris West's "The Shoes of the Fisherman" is about Cardinal Kiril Lakota, who is elected pope. The novel appeared soon after Nikita Khrushchev's release of Josyf Slipyj from the Soviet gulag. Many believed Mr. West's book was a reflection of what might have been had Slipyj become pope. Although Pope Lakota is identified early as a "Ukrainian," he later morphs into a "Russian" pope, which is what he was in the movie adaptation of the novel starring Anthony Quinn.

A historical novel in which Ukrainian national aspirations are presented in some depth is "Poland" by James Michener. A chapter titled "Shattered Dreams" deals with the national aspirations of Poland, Lithuania and Ukraine. As the Soviets are advancing on Warsaw following the first world war, Witold Jurgela, a Lithuanian university professor, and Taras Vondrachuk, a wealthy Ukrainian landowner, meet with Count Andrzej Lubonski to discuss the future of their three nations. Count Lubonski presses for a temporary alliance under Polish protection until such time as Ukraine and Lithuania can develop a sound national culture, "You Ukrainians have not had time to build such a culture," declares Count Lubonski, "and if you try to establish a state of your own with inadequate foundations, it will collapse. Vondrachuk, I assure you, it will collapse, probably within 10 years, because you lack the cohesive background upon which to build."

Within 10 years? Scary! Given what's happening in Ukraine today, let's pray that the fictional Lubonski's prophesy was not prescient.

To my knowledge, no American novelist has researched Ukrainian history more thoroughly than John Riedel, author of "Requiem in Red, Death of the Soviet Empire: A Historical Novel." Don't be misled by the title. This is not a scholarly study of the Soviet collapse. It is, rather, an exciting historical journey through the eyes of fictional characters who suffered the dreadful denouement of Soviet cruelty. Published by Columbia University Press, this is a thriller that both reminds and enlightens.

The story begins in Stryi, western Ukraine, in 1943. Vasyl Petrenko, a young Ukrainian patriot informs his mother, Lesya, that he wants to join the Ukrainian SS Division Galicia. His mother informs Vasyl that his father, a member of the Ukrainian Insurgent Amy (UPA), prefers he join UPA. "But ... Mama," protests Vasyl, "I don't want to fight with the resistance forces. I want to proudly wear a Ukrainian uniform and meet the Russians face-to-face on the field of battle."

After elaborating on Ukrainian history in Galicia, Mr. Riedel turns his imagination to Tania Petrenko, Vasyl's sister, who eventually falls in love with the handsome Aleksander Narkevich, a Belarusian Soviet officer stationed in Lviv. Despite objections by Lesya Petrenko, the headstrong Tania marries Aleksander and follows him to Budapest. Disillusioned with Aleksander, who turns out to be a KGB officer, Tania escapes to the West with Hungarian friends during the Hungarian revolt of 1956.

Mr. Riedel's narrative then moves on to the Prague of 1968, where we meet Jan Hruskovic, a young journalist. Jan's father, a workers' union official who openly supported efforts by Communist party Secretary Alexander Dubcek to create a "socialism with a human face," is beaten to a pulp by a KGB officer for his "treachery." The older Kruskovic dies in the hospital and Jan, vowing to someday avenge his father's murder, escapes to the West.

Two more central characters emerge in the United States: Ken Ingersoll, vice-president of International Marketing for the Orlando Marketing Association (OMA), and Chris Cavallaro, administrative assistant to the OMA president. It turns out later that Ken is a stand-by agent for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) waiting for his next assignment. Chris, we discover, is half-Ukrainian and speaks the language fluently. A series of unusual events eventually places both of them in Ukraine attempting to extricate a CIA mole working for the KGB. The plot has many unexpected twists and turns that hold the reader's attention to the end.

The lively plot is interspersed with historical accounts of the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, the Prague Spring of 1968, the assassination of Lev Rebet and Stepan Bandera by KGB assassin Bogdan Stashinsky, and a number of other fascinating details which add to the story line. For old-timers like me, these facts serve as a refresher course. For the younger set, they should serve as a source of enlightenment.

It is obvious from the outset that Mr. Riedel did his homework. Consider this comparison of the Ukrainian and Russia languages: "Although both languages use the Cyrillic alphabet, Ukrainian speech is more melodious and lilting, with richer tonalities and slower." I like it.

Devotees of spy thrillers will find the three chapters devoted to the birth, paralysis and resurrection of the CIA especially rewarding.

The book is a fun read. Lesia and I found that once we got into it, we truly couldn't put it down; the story line kept us guessing until the very end.

By publishing the truth about Ukrainian national aspirations, John Riedel has performed an invaluable service for our community. I urge you to read the book and once you've finished, pass it on to a friend. Better yet, buy a copy for your friend.

"Requiem" sells for $24.95 and is available from J.R. Publications, Inc., P.O. Box 73850, Tampa, FL 33688-3850. Two or more copies are $21.95 each.

Myron Kuropas' e-mail address is: [email protected].

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