Ivan Bahrianyi (1907–1963) endured Stalinist repressions in the 1930s, passing through all the circles of hell—just like the protagonists of his novels. In 1945, he was forced to emigrate from the USSR. While in exile in West Germany, he wrote the novels The Garden of Gethsemane, The Fiery Circle, Tiger Trappers, as well as numerous poems and plays. The Garden of Gethsemane is one of the first works in world literature to expose the criminal nature of Stalinism. The events take place in Ukraine.
