This painting has been seen by twelve generations of people, one-fifth of the human species that has passed through the earth, from the beginning of historical times to the present day. It has been gazed upon by elderly beggars, emperors of Europe and students, transatlantic millionaires, popes and Russian princes, pure virgins and prostitutes, high-ranking officers, thieves, geniuses and weavers, bomber pilots, school teachers, good and bad alike.

I believe that this Madonna is the most godless expression of life, of man, devoid of divine involvement. The Russian writer Vasily Grossman was one of the first to discover and describe the Nazi concentration camps. Grossman was undoubtedly influenced by this experience, and his view of the world changed: Indeed, after the war, he wrote his most significant works, in depth and clarity. And during that time, his eyes were also opened to the authoritarian nature of the communist regime.

In these two reflections on beauty and fate, on what is human in man and what remains of him after his death, the reader will rediscover the breath and imprint of the author of "Life and Fate." It is his affinity for specific details with sharp lyrical elevations, his deep understanding, and at the same time, a strong naivety intertwined with a wisdom filled with realism.