Cement

By Fedor Vasilʹevich Gladkov, Feodor Gladkov, Feodor Vasilievich Gladkov

Book Overview

"Cement" is a seminal work of Soviet literature and a cornerstone of the Socialist Realist genre. Set in the immediate aftermath of the Russian Civil War, the novel follows Gleb Chumalov, a Red Army veteran who returns to his provincial home to find the local cement factory-once the heart of the community-idle and decaying. As Gleb struggles to navigate the bureaucratic hurdles and physical exhaustion required to revive the industrial plant, he must also confront the radical changes within his own family. His wife, Dasha, has evolved from a traditional domestic figure into a dedicated political activist, reflecting the broader social transformations of the early Soviet era.

Through vivid depictions of labor and communal struggle, Feodor Vasilievich Gladkov captures the grit and determination of a society attempting to rebuild itself from the ruins of war. The narrative explores themes of industrialization, the changing roles of women, and the personal sacrifices demanded by collective progress. A powerful testament to the proletarian spirit, "Cement" remains an essential text for understanding the literary and historical landscape of the early 20th century.

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• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 102543742X
• ISBN13: 9781025437422
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Tradd Street Press
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 1.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 6.1" x 9.2"

Customer Reviews

Cement: A Reminder of a Lost World

"Cement" is a reminder of time when radical socialism seemed possible. We now know that Stalinism was to come down upon the Russian Revolution. But the Bolsheviks did not know what was coming until the true nature of the future bureaucratic state rolled over them in the late 1920's. "Cement" is not a great work of literature, but it is a valuable artifact from the the years before the Five Year Plans and the GULAG crushed naive idealism in Russia.

Sex, love, and Bolshevism

The 1920s was a great decade for Soviet literature: the works published during this era are thematically- and ideologically-diverse. Yes, there are better-written novels that came out during this period. Nevertheless, Gladkov's Cement is under-rated. I find it fun to read and re-read (which is critical, since I end up teaching it a lot) and it's definitively one of the best vehicles for getting at the tensions that plagued the Bolsheviks in the early years. Pairing this with Abram Room's film, Bed and Sofa, is a great way to address questions of gender in the early Soviet Union.