On the eve of the first Chechen war in the 1990s, Mikail Eldin was a
young and naïve arts journalist. By the end of the second war, he had
become a battle-hardened war reporter and mountain partisan who had
endured torture and imprisonment in a concentration camp. His compelling
memoir traces the unfolding of the conflict from day one, with vivid
scenes right from the heart of the war. The Sky Wept Fire presents a
unique glimpse into the lives of the Chechen resistance, providing
testimony of great historical value. Yet it is not merely the story of
the battle for Chechnya: this is the story of the battle within the
heart, the struggle to conquer fear, hold on to faith and preserve one's
humanity. Eldin was fated to witness key events in Chechnya's history:
from the first day of the attack on Grozny, and the full-scale Russian
invasion that followed it, to the siege of Grozny five years later that
razed the city to the ground and has been compared to the destruction of
Dresden. Resurrecting these memories with extraordinary lyricism, Eldin
observes the sights, the sounds and smells of war. Having fled Grozny
alongside the droves of refugees, he joins the defending army - yet he
always considers his role as that of journalist and witness. Shortly
after joining the Chechen resistance, Eldin is captured in the
mountains. He undergoes barbaric torture as his captors attempt to break
his will. They fail to make him talk, and he is eventually transferred
to a concentration camp. There a new struggle awaits him: the battle to
overcome his own suicidal thoughts and ensuing insanity.
