O?owiane ?o?nierzyki, cynkowe trumny. Swiet?any Aleksijewicz opowie?? o wojnie w Afganistanie i granice ?wiadectwa

The novel Zinky Boys (1989; Polish editions in 2007 and 2015) by Belarusian author Svetlana Alexievich is more than just a story of the Soviet military intervention Afghanistan (1979–1989) told from perspective soldiers who participated it. It also confronts readers with contractual nature line that separates “artistic” “documentary” prose probes complexities discourse on memory Russian culture. This article discusses key motifs Boys: “zinc coffins” “lead soldiers”. examines ponders reasons for lawsuit against publication passages novel. Drawing Michael Rothberg, Anna Artwi?ska argues that, order to be able understand drama Afghanistan, one needs assume position an “implicated subject”, i.e., person understands need shared ethical responsibility traumatic past events, even though they neither those events nor witnessed them.