The Gentleman from San Francisco and Other Stories

by Ivan Bunin, David Richards (Translator), Sophie Lund (Translator)

Fictional Novel, General & Adult Fiction

Genres: Short Stories, Russia, Russian Literature, Classics, Fiction, Nobel Prize, Literature

224 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1922

About the author

Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin (Russian: Иван Алексеевич Бунин) was the first Russian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. He was noted for the strict artistry with which he carried on the classical Russian traditions in the writing of prose and poetry. The texture of his poems and stories, sometimes referred to as "Bunin brocade", is considered to be one of the richest in the language.

Best known for his short novels The Village (1910) and Dry Valley (1912), his autobiographical novel The Life of Arseniev (1933, 1939), the book of short stories Dark Avenues (1946) and his 1917–1918 diary ( Cursed Days, 1926), Bunin was a revered figure among anti-communist White emigres, European critics, and many of his fellow writers, who viewed him as a true heir to the tradition of realism in Russian literature established by Leo Tolstoy and Anton Chekhov.

He died November 8, 1953 in Paris.

Reviews

[E. G. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Introduction

--The Gentleman from San Francisco
--The Primer of Love
--Chang's Dreams
--Temir-Aksak-Khan
--Long Ago
--An Unknown Friend
--At Sea, at Night
--Graffiti
--Mitya's Love
--Sunstroke
--Night
--The Caucasus
--Late Hour
--Visiting Cards
--Zoyka and Valeria
--The Riverside Tavern
--A Cold Autumn

[Sergio · Rating 3 out of 5]

Può accadere quando si legge una raccolta di racconti che non tutti i componimenti siano della stessa qualità e, dopo la lettura di un racconto magnifico che ci ha emozionato e coinvolto può seguirne un altro che ci lascia perplessi se non addirittura interdetti: questo preambolo spiega in breve l’altalenarsi, in questo libro di racconti di Ivan Bunin [1870-1953] insignito del Premio Nobel della letteratura nel 1933, di ottimi racconti come quello che dà il titolo alla raccolta, “Il signore di San Francisco” che ho appena terminato di leggere o “Il Figlio”, “Una sera di primavera” e “La bella vita” e al contrario composizioni irritanti come “Fratelli” e “Il sacrificio” che non ho minimamente apprezzato. A fine lettura del libro ho deciso di leggere presto uno dei romanzi dell’autore, “Il Villaggio” per farmi un’opinione più precisa, per quanto personale, su questo scrittore.

[Erma Odrach · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ivan Bunin (1870-1953) is one of Russia's most overlooked writers. The stories are set in Russia, parts of Europe and France, where the author lived the last 30 years of his life. The pieces are really extraordinary in that they are about ordinary people who are brought to life in very colorful ways. The language is rich and detailed, sensuous, and reads like poetry. Nobel prize for 1933 and 1st Russian to win it.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ivan Bunin was the odd man out of Russian letters the early nineteenth century -- in a highly factionalized literary world, he stood by himself, or rather, in what he saw as the grand tradition of realists, not in the revolutionary vein of Gorky's but instead that of Tolstoy. Yet he clearly lacked Tolstoy's grand vision; what this volume reveals him to be, concerned mostly with the Russian countryside and failed love, is a Chekhov but without the exploration of how people interact and affect each other. Bunin is interested in strong emotion, principally romance, but not necessarily the people who experience them. The most famous of his characters, the gentleman from San Francisco, never receives so much as a name and is less well detailed than a couple who appear on the last page--dancers hired to pose as lovers on the voyage he fails to complete. His death is just the most extreme example of how nothing in Bunin endures: romance, affairs, great estates, families. The strongest of these pieces is "Sukhodol", which takes place on the kind of decaying estate that supplied Bunin's friend Chekhov with so much material for his desperate, bored characters, although the people in Sukhodol live decades before the three sisters. Like many of the great novelists of the early twentieth century -- Joyce, Proust and Faulkner come to mind -- the effect of the passage of time is one of Bunin's great themes. But each of those writers gave us unforgettable characters who suffer the effects of its passage. If Bunin had been as interested in people as they were he might have stood with them.

[aMiR · Rating 5 out of 5]

تاریخ 04/01/12
بیشتر داستانها خیلی کوتاه هستن ، به طوریکه اصلا نمیشه اسم داستان رو روی اونها گذاشت . در حد یک یا دو صفحه که یک تصویر رو به زیباترین و بی رحم ترین شکل ممکن به ما میده . بی رحمی عجیبی در نثر بونین نسبت به انسانها و مشغولیت های عبثشان وجود داره . در مقابل ، ستایش عجیبی نسبت به طبیعت و عظمتش در برابر جهان انسانی وجود داره. با اینکه بعضی از داستانهای او وضعیت بد روسیه رو بعد از انقلاب 1917 نشان میده اما مضمون تمام داستانها نیست. بونین همدردی ای با انسانهای آسیب دیده و مرده نداره . اینو بیشتر از همه توی داستانهای آقایی از سانفرانسیسکو ، قفقاز و موزا حس کردم.
داستان قفقاز شاید غمگین ترین داستان این مجموعه بود . داستانی درباره خیانت اما نه از دید کسانی که مورد خیانت قرار گرفتن بلکه از دید کسانی که خیانت کردن.افسری که حضوری سایه وار و بی رحم بر رابطه همسرش با معشوقه اش دارد که صرفا رد او دو جای داستان دیده می شود اما این افسر جوان پایان داستان را به غمگین ترین حالت ممکن رقم میزند بدون اینکه کلمه ای بیان کند .

[K's Bognoter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Den russiske nobelpristager Ivan Bunin byder på novellekunst af den fineste slags. I nogle stræk kan hans små melankolske fortællinger om døden og den flygtige, erotiske kærlighed måske nok forekomme en anelse bedagede, men han er en uovertruffen stilist og så absolut læseværdig også i dag.
Læs hele min anmeldelse på K’s bognoter: https://bognoter.dk/2022/02/16/ivan-b...

[Illiterate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shorts on human fragility and transience.

[La lettrice controcorrente · Rating 4 out of 5]

Il signore di San Francisco di Ivan Bunin (Adelphi edizioni) è una raccolta di racconti coinvolgente e di grande valore. Io di Bunin avevo già letto e amato Giorni maledetti, edito da Voland (TROVATE QUI la mia recensione). Il signore di San Francisco è completamente diverso da Giorni maledetti che è un diario.

Il signore di San Francisco è una raccolta di quindici racconti, alcuni mi hanno rapito, altri mi hanno lasciata tiepida. Ciò che ho amato di più di Bunin è proprio la penna. Malinconia, ricchezza e miseria si mescolano in questa raccolta di livello altissimo. Questi componimenti, tutti scritti prima del 1915.

Il signore di San Francisco è forse il racconto che mi è piaciuto di più, a convincermi è bastato l’incipit.
RECENSIONE COMPLETA: https://www.lalettricecontrocorrente....

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book! Even more surprisingly this is an easy read - not a phrase commonly used to describe Russian writers' books.

Bunin has an incredible talent for making normal people and events seem extraordinary. The Gentleman from San Francisco is a brilliant story. I was captivated the entire time, and I even found myself laughing in certain parts. The rest of the book was just as fun to read.

Russian writers have never been my favorite, but Bunin reads more like a British writer than his Russian contemporaries. However, after reading this book I'm searching out more of his works through the library. I can't wait to read more things he has written.

This was a great palate cleanser coming off of a disappointing book. It took me less than 24 hours to read the entire thing, and I didn't want to put it down until it was finished.

[Paul H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bunin is the greatest Russian author you've probably never heard of -- I somehow hadn't stumbled across this guy until last month.

Very reminiscent of Chekhov, but not in a derivative way. The style is similar enough to be noteworthy -- especially the descriptions of nature -- but Bunin is doing his own thing, not as light/airy/playful as Chekhov, a bit more 'serious', lyrical, parable-esque, and also covering the full range of human experience (vs. Chekhov).

Anyway, he's just so insanely good -- among Russian authors, I'd say only Tolstoy and Chekhov at their absolute best (like 30% of W&P/Karenina and Chekhov's best few stories) are better. I saw a critic refer to Bunin as "Nabokov with a heart" -- which, sure -- but he's also just better than Nabokov. Very highly recommended.

[Bettie]

https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/44998

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-...

[Caroline]

Century Reading Project 1922

The Wolffs’ Hogarth Press edition, short at 86 pages.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bunin’s name pops up in my readings. He was the first Russian to win a Nobel Prize for Literature while in exile in France. I finally got around to reading this compilation of short stories focused on the good days for the country gentry before the Revolution. He muses on human existence, love, sex and death. I understand he had a way with the Russian language which is presumably lost in translation.

[Jamyang Phuntsok · Rating 2 out of 5]

As I read the stories I became increasingly convinced that Bunin had been influenced by Buddhism. Most of the stories had very little plot, no great dialogues, they were rather sketches of a fleeting encounter, or an affair or a nostalgic recollection that echoed the fragility of our joys and existence. The title story itself sets the tone from the beginning - an American gentleman, holidaying in Italy with his family, meets with an unexpected end. The whole episode is narrated with almost ironic glee by the author. The dead man goes back by the same ship, 'hidden from the living: in a tarred coffin' and on board goes on the same chandelier-lit, festive ball.

The standout piece is 'Mitya's Love', the longest story in the book. Only in this story, there is a well developed character in Mitya whose jealousy and unchecked passion bring about his end. There is also a touch of modernity in these stories reflected by its treatment of sexuality. An adulterous affair, the sea, the night, a journey - these are recurring motifs in the book.

And I was not surprised to find a mention of an episode from the Buddha's life in one of the stories. It is, no doubt, personally agreeable to find a Buddhist connection. I remember being delighted to find a mention of the Dalai Lama in Turgenev's 'Sketches from a Hunter's Album'. All the same I have to say most of these stories lack the 'story-ness' itself, without which any piece appears dead and hollow. Although a realist in the steps of Chekov, Bunin is too philosophical for his own good and lacks that eye for compassion and humour that made Chekov so great.

[Greg Fanoe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobel Prize Project
Year: 1933
Winner: Ivan Bunin

Review: The title story was great, one of the most insightful, thought provoking stories I've read in a long time. The other three stories in the collection were fairly innocuous character portraits, not exactly exciting but well-written. "Son" was the best of those. I will definitely be checking out more by this guy.

Verdict: I don't know whether he was the best possible choice, but this is fundamentally Nobel-quality writing.

[Mbuye · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most great writers have, in one way or another, played with the theme of death-in-life. Edgar Allan Poe, Leo Tolstoy are two of the better known on this idea. Ivan Bunin’s most famous short story, the parable of ‘The Gentleman From San Francisco’ is an allegory that shows up the hypocrisy and false smiles of the attendants of the Gentleman With No Name, who presumes on his wealth and arrogance to buy himself unending pleasure; his wife and daughter too live privileged lives which they take for granted as permanently assured to them. The Gentleman indulges in all the pleasure life has to offer: he feels entlitled.

“Life in Naples immediately fell into its set routine. Early in the morning there was breakfast in the gloomy dining-room, an unpromising sky and a throng of guides at the entrance to the vestibule; then came the first smiles of a warm, pinkish sun and from their high overhanging balcony they enjoyed the view.”

But the pleasures only result in boredom:

“...then they would step out to the car and take a slow drive through the crowded, narrow, wet, corridor-like streets, between the tall, many-windowed buildings, visit deadly clean museums, where the light was as even and pleasant but as boring as snow, or inspect cold churches smelling of wax, every one of which offered exactly the same – a magnificent entrance with a heavy leather awning, and then inside a huge empty silence, the faint little flames of a seven-branched candelabrum flickering red on a lace-covered altar at the far end, a solitary old woman among the dark wooden pews, slippery memorial plaques under the feet and someone’s invariably famous Descent from the Cross…”

Or

“...at five there was tea at the hotel, in the elegant salon, made warm by its carpets and blazing fires; and then again the preparations for dinner – again the mighty, imperious boom of the gong which echoed through every floor, again the strings of silk-clad, décolleté ladies reflected in the mirrors and rustling down the stairs, again the wide and hospitably open palatial dining-room with the red-jacketed musicians on the rostrum and the black throng of waiters around the maître d’hôtel who with extraordinary dexterity ladled a thick pink soup into rows of plates …”

In contrast we are shown the simple pleasures of the village, in a song, a joy in nature and the magnificent views from the summit of Capri, and their devout prayers to a wayside shrine to the Madonna.

Life changes abruptly when the Gentleman From San Francisco With No Name dresses for dinner while planning to buy the services of a dancer to pleasure him later that evening. Waiting for his wife and daughter in the lounge before dinner, he has a massive heart attack and collapses. Almost within seconds, the attitudes of the hotel staff changes, not just towards the dead man, but to his widow and daughter as well. His body is stuffed into a ship’s container: “the cabman was cheered by the unexpected bonus brought to him by some gentleman from San Francisco whose lifeless head was rocking in the crate at his back.”

“After many degradations and much human neglect, after a week or so of being shunted from one harbourside warehouse to another, it at last found itself again on that same famous ship in which so recently and with such esteem he had been borne to the Old World.”

The symbols used to trace the presence of death are the classical ones of ominous dreams, “slippery gravestones,” the Descent from the Cross, “invariably famous,” clothing – how each of the three is dressed indicates the scorn with which the Gentleman regards his wife and daughter, while he himself is dressed flamboyantly and inappropriately for his age and status in life. Even the lack of names reveal their complete insignificance.

But what strikes you most about this devastating short story is the terseness, almost staccato strength of the language, the clipped sentences, the weight of every word, and all of it served with elegance and flair.

[Jimgosailing]

“The fact we never learn the name of the gentleman from San Francisco—nor his wife’s name, nor his daughter’s—suggests the basic difference in orientation between Bunin’s story and “The Death of Ivan Ilych.” While the two stories share the themes of vanity, spiritual isolation, and death, Tolstoy focuses on the change which his hero undergoes. Enlightenment comes to Ivan Ilych and he breaks through the black bag, but for the gentleman from San Francisco there is no revelation—he remains in his black box in the bowels of the “Atlantic. Tolstoy makes us feel Ivan Ilych’s growing pain, and by the time he learns to feel pity for others, we have come to pity him. Bunin is more pessimistic. He wrote:

‘Woe unto thee, Babylon!’ These terrible words of the apocalypse kept persistently ringing in my soul when I was writing “The Brothers” and conceived “The Gentleman from San Francisco,” only a few months before the war, when I had a presentiment of. . . the abyss which have since been revealed in our present-day civilization’

World War One and the Russian Revolution showed that the Biblical warning was still relevant; the new Babylon was falling…

the careful reader may also be haunted by a feeling that the story has hidden depth and density. There is a wealth of detail, allusion, and symbol which gives the work this disturbing resonance….
I think the key to the inner sanctum of the story is in the allusion to Tiberius…Why did Bunin set the story in Capri?…it was the residence of Tiberius Claudius Nero…(who)retired to Capri, neglected the affairs of state…and devoted himself to relaxed debauchery…he kept a house of adepts in perverse sexual practices…Above all, he was cruel.

The allusions to the birth and death of Christ are intended to combine with the epigram (‘Alas, alas, Babylon, the mighty city!’) and make us re-read the Book of Revelation.

FN29: Bunin parallels specific situations from “The Death of Ivan Ilych”: the importance of the wife and daughter, the daughter coming to the death-bed with a half-bare bosom (contrast in flesh again), the reaction of other people to death, etc.

FN31: in ironic contrast to the pious asceticism of its namesake, Saint Francis, at the turn of the century San Francisco was thought of as a symbol of crude materialism.

FN32: a common interpretation of John’s allegory in Chapter 17 of the Book of Revelation has the seven-headed monster which supports the whore Babylon as a symbol for Rome with its seven hills. The entire apocalypse was written as a prediction of Rome’s fall. Of course, San Francisco too is built on seven hills. Presumably, this is one of the main reasons why Bunin chose that city. If we extend the prediction of the Apocalypse to the New World, then its fate is clear.”
- Carl Proffer

Translated by Olga Shartse

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you had that experience when you hear or read about a book and then you go find it and read it and it's really wonderful? Well, I just did (again). I was reading Shirley Hazzard's delightful little book about Graham Greene, "Greene on Capri," and she mentioned I. A. Bunin's book having something to do with the Isle of Capri. Aha, I thought. I think I have that little book somewhere in my stacks. Yes, there it was - a first edition in English published by Leonard and Virginia Woolf at their Hogarth Press in London in 1922, in mint condition, with the errata slip bound in.
I read the first story (referencing the Isle of Capri) and then couldn't put it down. For several years apparently it sat in my shelves, unread and unappreciated.
It turns out, of course, Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin was the first Russhin writer to win the Pulitzer Prize (in 1933). Alas, my knowledge of and appreciation for Russian writers is seriously lacking. But, I am proud to say, my taste in fine literature and good writing is not impaired. Here's to more "aha" reading experiences.

[Sofia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Il racconto, nel suo filone narrativo, risulta semplice. È la sottile ironia e la crudezza con cui lo scrittore si esprime che fa da moto alla storia. Una critica sprezzante al materialismo, all’inconsistenza della ricchezza e alla voracità con cui chi possiede troppo trangugia e rimette l’eccesso. In questo contesto, risulta tagliente la satira verso gli Stati Uniti e la loro bulimia materiale. Brillante come i piani della nave rappresentino la gerarchia sociale. Il rigurgito dato dalla troppa ricchezza viene espresso in maniera magistrale, distaccata ma chiara. Nel racconto, la morte di un uomo scomoda l’abbuffata degli averi dei benestanti, sottintendendo una forte accidia data dal vuoto implicato dall’avere troppo. Se non avere eccita la bramosia, avere assai allarga le viscere e ne evidenzia la più suprema elasticità, ma senza mai definitivo appagamento. La morte tra gli averi è un decesso accompagnato: il defunto era abitante della sua dimora, ma non il suo protagonista. L’autore, in questa storia, ci illumina bene.

[Ilse · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Only had chance to read The Gentleman from San Francisco): 3/5 stars

I loved the wistful atmosphere Bunin created on the voyage towards Europe, the arrival of the family in Capri and everyone’s response to that. What I struggled to understand was the sudden death of the Gentleman and the complete 180 in behaviour of the staff and people from Capri.

I liked the touch at the end, of the Gentleman journeying back in a dark coffin while life goes on as it did on the voyage to Europe, but that unexplained death, lack of attention to the daughter and wife’s grief at the death of the Gentleman, and the weird behaviour of Capri’s people after the event just made the story feel weird and not make sense anymore, which was a pity. This is a story that could’ve done with some more pages

[Dvora Treisman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can't say I enjoyed this book. The writing is good, but Bunin never captured my interest with any of the stories with two exceptions.
One was Late Hour. The truth is that I don't really know what it was about, but it had quite an effect on me, and that is a good thing. While reading, I went on a parallel journey of my own. The story evoked memoiries of the neighborhood and street where I grew up and some very strong emotions of nostalgia and loss.
The other was the last one -- yet another romantic story, but this one worked for me. It was romantic and sad but also realistic, and with no poor slob to commit suicide in the end, it managed to ask the question, what holds the meaning to one's life.

[Nepreading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jag har inte läst riktigt denna upplaga, utan den svenska Herrn från San Francisco och andra noveller från 1930-talet.

Jag är inte såld. Det finns vissa passager som är väldigt vackra och där det går att känna de starka känslor som karaktärerna känner, eller se de miljöer de befinner sig i, men mycket är det också bara meh. Och vad är grejen med att död spelar en så stor roll? I varje novell finns major character death med.

Lättläst iaf. Och alltid lite kul att se att människor alltid varit människor.

[Morzejko Leporello · Rating 5 out of 5]

It is unfortunate that Bunnin's work is relatively little known in English. He certainly deserves more and his short stories shine. Not only he is a master of this literary form, but in many ways unique even among Russian writers - though certainly one can see the "Russian sensibility" in his works.
Though the "The Gentleman from San Francisco" is best known I consider the "Sunstroke" and "Chang's Dream" even better. But really all the short stories in this collection are superb.

[gold dust woman · Rating 2 out of 5]

It took me so long to read this book.

I decided to start it because of “Gentleman from San Francisco”, I loved that story. However there were only 2 other stories that i enjoyed as much as “Gentlemen from San Francisco”.

Ivan Bunin is the first Russian author to get a noble prize and i see why. He is extremely talented and has a writing style of his own. But for now i don’t see the appeal of his short stories, maybe i’ll change my opinion later

[sAmAnE · Rating 4 out of 5]

به نظرم این کتاب یک مجموعه داستان کوتاه از یک نویسنده روسی کمتر شناخته شده بود. برخی داستان ها بسیار کوتاه بودند ولی در کل مجموعه داستان خوبی بود، جوری که من دوست نداشتم کتاب رو تموم کنم و کم کم خوندم. تلاش نویسنده برای خلق ماجراهای ساده ی زندگی به شکل کاملا خارق العاده بسیار محسوس بود. توصیفات موجود در داستان ها از فضاها و طبیعت و احساسات از جمله ثروت، فقر، عشق، نفرت و .... برای من بسیار جذاب و دوست داشتنی بود؛ بخصوص پرداختن به جزییات...

[Ali Nazifpour · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was told by a friend that if I wanted to appreciate Ivan Bunin I have to read his short stories so I read this one which contains 17 short stories. I agree that Bunin is a master of short stories, and comparisons with Chekhov aren't misplaced. The stories are often sad and critical, and they often deal with themes of exile and loss of identity. I didn’t dislike a single story. My favorite was "At Sea At Night".

[Paul LaFontaine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rich American and his family are on a world tour and have stopped in Italy. Assuming the world is theirs for the purchase, but a drastic turn of fortune shows that some things can't be purchased.

A story that has potential ends in a pretty depressing way and no redemption available. It was interesting in the portrayal of dignity.

Cautiously recommend

[Alexander Van Leadam · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm frequently puzzled by the choices for the Nobel prize and Bunin is no exception. This book impressed me much less than when I first read it in the previous century. The descriptions of environments and events can be dazzlingly detailed but also rather superficial, as are most characters, while the dialogues are often tortured.

[Federico Zolezzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finalmente ho trovato una serie di racconti che mi è piaciuta, dopo che le ultime volte ero rimasto un po’ deluso. I racconti di Bunin un bello spaccato della società dell’epoca, l’autore ha viaggiato molto e questo si vede molto bene nelle ambientazioni precise (Capri, Sri Lanka, Russia, l’Oriente), con episodi sia di vita quotidiana che altri molto più particolari che hanno innescato la mia curiosità di andare avanti e leggere subito quello successivo. Probabilmente in futuro lèggerò altre sue opere, magari un romanzo, per farmi un’idea più precisa di questo scrittore che mi ha colpito.

[rania · Rating 3 out of 5]

maybe it's biased but the first and last stories genuinely were my fav ! in between was just a lot of useless yearners and like hell yea i dig that but also ... i don't dig it 10 times in a row ... oh but i loved the one from the dog's pov !!!!