About the book: 2008 / Moisey Kulbak's novel "Zelmenyan" tells the story of a patriarchal Jewish family, whose centuries-old roots were cut by the revolution. The older generation was taken by surprise by the changes and was unable to adapt to the new life, while the younger generation, with a naive faith in a bright future, joined the ranks of the builders of socialism. Moses Kulbak himself (1896–1937), a writer, poet and playwright, greeted the revolution with hope. He established himself as a master in all the genres in which he worked, but did not manage to implement many of his plans. Moses Kulbak was arrested in 1937 and soon executed. The novel “Zelmenyan” was published in Russian for the first and only time in 1960, after his rehabilitation.