Hubert Mingarelli’s short, beautiful novel about friendship and the fragments of happiness that illuminate the darkness. Translated by Sam Taylor.

A narrator remembers the harsh winter of 1919, fighting in the Russian Civil War on the Romanian front. Setting up camp in a forest, he and his closest friends from the battalion discover a pond, which becomes a secret place for the four young men to smoke, rest, wash and talk. Four Soldiers is about those precious months of waiting. Precious time before spring comes and their battalion moves on - and the inevitable resumption of war and its horror.

Longlisted
The Man Booker International Prize 2019
Published by
Portobello Books
Publication date
Hubert Mingarelli

Hubert Mingarelli

About the Author

Hubert Mingarelli was the author of numerous novels, short-story collections and fiction for young adults.
More about Hubert Mingarelli

Sam Taylor

About the Translator

Sam Taylor was born in Nottinghamshire, England, in 1970.
More about Sam Taylor

Other nominated books by Sam Taylor

The 7th Function of Language