Fiction Contest

The image above, taken by John Rahill, was lost for 80 years (see Russian Life, July/Aug 2013). It bore the simple inscription “Soldiers at Omsk Train Station,” and it seemed to us to contain huge potential for a short story. It was, after all, taken in late 1918, as Russia lurched from World War to Civil War, from monarchy to proletarian dictatorship. What is this man’s story?

So we held a short story contest. Entries had to be 500 words or less and over 20 stories were received. The two winners, judged on their literary merit and on how well they interpreted or were inspired by the photo, are printed in the two pages following.

Congratulations to the winners and indeed to all those who submitted stories. We were impressed by the quality of all the entries.