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Selected Stories
From the book jacket:
"I have always lived the lives of my characters, always tried to find their good points..."
This statement of Konstantin Paustovsky (1892-1968), who gave more than fifty years' service to literature, is a most apt comment on the main idea behind this collection -- the author's desire to show the fine moral fibre of his contemporaries, to reveal their characters in joy and sorrow, love and creative work.
The book contains some of Paustovsky's best stories written at different periods. Vera Panova, the writer, once remarked: "I think the reading public likes Paustovsky because he so generously dispenses good...A person can fight for good in many ways. One way of serving it is by cultivating the finer feelings. This is the way Paustovsky chooses.
"I have always lived the lives of my characters, always tried to find their good points..."
This statement of Konstantin Paustovsky (1892-1968), who gave more than fifty years' service to literature, is a most apt comment on the main idea behind this collection -- the author's desire to show the fine moral fibre of his contemporaries, to reveal their characters in joy and sorrow, love and creative work.
The book contains some of Paustovsky's best stories written at different periods. Vera Panova, the writer, once remarked: "I think the reading public likes Paustovsky because he so generously dispenses good...A person can fight for good in many ways. One way of serving it is by cultivating the finer feelings. This is the way Paustovsky chooses.
335 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
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About the author
Konstantin Paustovsky
322 books120 followersKonstantin Georgiyevich Paustovsky was a Russian Soviet writer nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature in 1965.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
April 25, 2021
I stumbled upon this book while rummaging through the store room. My dad bought this in his younger years - at a time when Indo-USSR relationships were at their strongest and there was significant political, economical, military and cultural exchange between our countries.
And given Soviet Russia at that time, it's fascinating to just understand how such books came to be sold in Indian markets.Propaganda can be subtle too, and I dont necessarily see it as a bad thing. Just to be clear though, there is no doubt that Paustovsky wrote at a time when there was genuine wonder of the Soviet experiment and his depiction of his motherland is so affectionate, its almost lyrical.
I would have rated this book a 3/5, but for how the book was also personally well suited to my procilivities. I love simple writing that explores human nature, and also often seek books that are vividly descriptive of the geography they are set in. And this book ticked both boxes.
Each story felt like a time machine, taking me to Russia, Crimea, Georgia in the early 20th century. I found myself reading about the Colchis, Karelia, Chechnya after the stories. The stories describe the land so soothingly, it feels balm like. I think this was an ode to the surrealist movement in Russia at that time.
Another thing I admired is the nod made by the author and his characters to the greats: Pushkin, Tolstoi, Chekov, Gogol, Issac Levitan. The book pushed me to wikipedia each of them and their works.
After each story, I just had to stop reading for a bit so I could absorb all that the author was trying to say, and all that I was feeling as a consequence.
What I liked: All of the third person narratives - each of them powerful, evocative and yet grounded in simplicity. Each of the stories had multiple themes, presenting themselves to a reader. The central themes were to do with the simplicity and beauty of our human nature, the transcendence of that nature into a collective love and comradeship, which further aggregates into a fierce patriotism and love for the land one is born in.
What I didn't like: I did not enjoy any of the first person narratives. They were too mundane, devoid of any arc that could sustain interest. The sole exception was A Night in October, which was just passable.
And given Soviet Russia at that time, it's fascinating to just understand how such books came to be sold in Indian markets.Propaganda can be subtle too, and I dont necessarily see it as a bad thing. Just to be clear though, there is no doubt that Paustovsky wrote at a time when there was genuine wonder of the Soviet experiment and his depiction of his motherland is so affectionate, its almost lyrical.
I would have rated this book a 3/5, but for how the book was also personally well suited to my procilivities. I love simple writing that explores human nature, and also often seek books that are vividly descriptive of the geography they are set in. And this book ticked both boxes.
Each story felt like a time machine, taking me to Russia, Crimea, Georgia in the early 20th century. I found myself reading about the Colchis, Karelia, Chechnya after the stories. The stories describe the land so soothingly, it feels balm like. I think this was an ode to the surrealist movement in Russia at that time.
Another thing I admired is the nod made by the author and his characters to the greats: Pushkin, Tolstoi, Chekov, Gogol, Issac Levitan. The book pushed me to wikipedia each of them and their works.
After each story, I just had to stop reading for a bit so I could absorb all that the author was trying to say, and all that I was feeling as a consequence.
What I liked: All of the third person narratives - each of them powerful, evocative and yet grounded in simplicity. Each of the stories had multiple themes, presenting themselves to a reader. The central themes were to do with the simplicity and beauty of our human nature, the transcendence of that nature into a collective love and comradeship, which further aggregates into a fierce patriotism and love for the land one is born in.
What I didn't like: I did not enjoy any of the first person narratives. They were too mundane, devoid of any arc that could sustain interest. The sole exception was A Night in October, which was just passable.
July 24, 2021
С финес и нежност Паустровски ме поведе на великолепно пътешествие из неговата руска земя. Усетих прекрасната магия на златните дни сред зеления широколистен лес. Бях омаяна от тишината сред вековните иглолистни гори, където сумракът властва дори по пладне. Търсихме малки, схлупени къщурки, скрити из дъбравите, където баби, живи сякаш от векове, ни разказваха стари приказки. Спокойствието и красотата на този свят, който е описан с толкова любов от автора, действително успя да докосне душата ми, и не исках да си тръгвам оттам.
August 20, 2010
منتخبات دارای دو تم اصلی هستند یا به انقلاب اکتبر مربوطند و یا به طبیعت روسیه. از آنجائی که نسبت به قهرمان های همه چیز تمام حساسیت دارم فقط بخش مربوط به طبیعت به نظرم جالب رسید. اگر از علاقمندان طبیعت گردی هستید این بخش را بدون تردید خواهید پسندید.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews