Days and Nights

This artwork was published in the 'Australian Women's Weekly' on 18 May 1946, p. 5 to illustrate the article 'Days and Nights' by Konstantine Simonov (1915-1979). The illustration was titled ' "Lie down like this", Saburov told Maslennikov, feeling the snow refreshing on his face'. This was a serialised novel that appeared in the 'Women's Weekly' between 6 April - 8 June 1946. The novel relates to the Seige of Leningrad and features the real-life characters of Captain Saburov, who was involved in the Eastern Front against the Germans and Ivan Maslennikov (1900- 1953) General of the Army, who was a Soviet military and NKVD commander during the Second World War. This illustration was captioned 'Maslennikov saw Anya lying in the trench, the blood coming from a small cut in her forehead'. The novel, 'Days and Nights' was an intense story, presenting a patriotic view of the war from the Soviet perspective, demonstrating the sacrifices made by the Russians as they fought to hold their ground against the German forces in Stalingrad. Along with gripping battle scenes, the novel incorporated a love story, when Saburov meets and falls in love with a nurse, Anya Klimenko, who is identified in this illustration. William Edwin Pidgeon ('WEP') (1909-1981) was a painter, cartoonist, illustrator and newspaper critic. In 1926 as a 16 yr old, he became a cadet newspaper artist with the 'Sunday News' and began his professional career working for a number of newspapers. During the Second World War, he became a war correspondant with Consolidated Press, contributing illustrations that were published in the 'Australian Women's Weekly' magazine. His images, with their sardonic humour, richly conveyed the lives and personalities of Australian troops during the Second World War.

Donated through the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program by Peter and Elizabeth Pidgeon in memory of William Edwin Pidgeon 2014