The novel describes the dramatic fate of an inventor faced with a bureaucratic system.

This novel, first published in 1956, then caused a loud scandal - not so much literary as political. Many "sixties" people still They believe that it was with this book that the Khrushchev Thaw began. Almost half a century has passed since then.

“The Central Committee of the CPSUIn early December 1956, on the instructions of the secretaries of the CPSU Central Committee Comrade. Furtseva E.A. and Pospelov P.N., the Department of Culture checked the status of the issue of publishing V. Dudintsev’s novel “Not by Bread Alone.” The department reported then that the novel was being prepared for publication by the State Publishing House of Fiction in Roman-Gazeta with a circulation of 500,000 copies, as well as by the Molodaya Gvardiya Publishing House. Goslitizdat was recommended to refuse to publish V. Dudintsev’s novel due to the ideological shortcomings of this work. The publishing house "Young Guard" was allowed to release this novel in a circulation of 30-50 thousand copies. in order to deprive demagogic elements of grounds for claims that V. Dudintsev’s novel is “banned.” As you know, false statements about the administrative measures taken against this novel are now being spread by the reactionary press abroad.... Note from the Department of Culture of the CPSU Central Committee on the publication of V. Dudintsev’s novel “Not by Bread Alone” by the publishing house “Young Guard”, January 22, 1957. »