Sea Stories
Birksted-Breen's translation was published by Glas in 2007.
The short stories
Even in the absence of war, the army, anywhere, is a cruel, unsafe, and closed world, perhaps more so in Russia due to its outdated compulsory national service and poor economic conditions. Now, thanks to the growing movement of Soldiers' Mothers Committees around the country, the public is increasingly aware of the realities of life inside the army with its violation of basic human rights, its corruption, cruel repressions and senseless violence that result in the systematic suppression and even elimination of the healthiest young men in Russia.
Pokrovsky was one of the first Russian writers to write openly and frankly on the painful subject of army life today. In the mid-1990s he made a considerable splash not only with their shocking revelations but also with his outstanding literary merits. He wrote of his traumatic first-hand experiences without losing sight of man's better nature. He avoids direct utterances and verdicts, preferring to paint a picture through a mosaic of scenes and dialogues, which allow readers to make their own judgments.