The main story is simple: released after thirty years in the Soviet camps, Ivan Grigoryevich must struggle to find a place for himself in an unfamiliar world. But in a novel that seeks to take in the whole tragedy of Soviet history, Ivan’s story is only one among many. Thus we also hear about Ivan’s cousin, Nikolay, a scientist who never let his conscience interfere with his career, and Pinegin, the informer who got Ivan sent to the camps.Then a brilliant short play interrupts the narrative: a series of informers steps forward, each making excuses for the inexcusable things that he did—inexcusable and yet, the informers plead, in Stalinist Russia understandable, almost unavoidable.And at the core of the book, we find the story of Anna Sergeyevna, Ivan’s lover, who tells about her eager involvement as an activist in the Terror famine of 1932–33, which led to the deaths of three to five million Ukrainian peasants. Here Everything Flows attains an unbearable lucidity comparable to the last cantos of Dante’s Inferno.

    It includes the harrowing novella Dzahn ("Soul"), in which a young man returns to his Asian birthplace to find his people deprived not only of food and dwelling, but of memory and speech, and "The Potudan River," Platonov's most celebrated story.In December 2007 The Fierce and Beautiful World will be superseded by Soul (978-159017-254-4), a new translation of eight of Platonov's stories.

    The reader will also find an introduction entitled "Some Random Reflexions" written by Paustovsky, which appeared in the second collection of his works published in Russian (1967-69) in eight volumes. Konstantin Paustovky's life (1892-1968) was a long and highly productive one. Over a period of some fifty years passionately devoted to literature this great Soviet writer produced many delightful works. His talent and profound humanism won him world-wide fame and popularity. Here are just a few of the remarks addressed to him by his friends and colleagues: "A certain lady writer, one of our contemporaries, once told me: 'Without Paustovsky's books something would be missing. There may be other more talented writers, but I cannot think of anyone as conscientious as him.' This is why we have such great respect for you. It is why we revere our great predecessors, the writers of the last century: because of their love for their fellow men, their desire to help them, their understanding attitude towards mistakes, and the high demands which they made on themselves.'" - Ilya Ehrenburg "I think the public likes Paustovsky because he dispenses goodness so generously... One can fight for goodness in many ways. One way of serving it is by inculcating a sense of goodness in people. This is how Paustovsky serves it." - Olga Berggolts "Konstantin Paustovsky cannot possibly know all his disciples because there are millions of them in this country of ours. As one who constantly feels himself to be a disciple of this great writer I would be only too happy if my life and work could convey even a fraction of Paustovsky's great concern for his fellow man." - Vladimir Tendyrakov