Russian Émigré Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky

by Bryan Karetnyk (Editor)

Imagine that many of Russia's greatest writers of the twentieth century were entirely unknown in the West, and only recently discovered in Russia itself. Strange as it may seem, it is in fact true, and their rediscovery is setting the literary world alight. Names such as Gaito Gazdanov and Vasily Yanovsky have excited great interest in Russia, and with stories of gambling, drug abuse, love, death, suicide, madness, espionage, glittering high society and the seedy underworld of Europe's capitals, their appeal is extremely broad. Many of these writers' works are only now being published in Russia for the first time, alongside those of leading contemporary authors - and to great critical acclaim. And we aren't just talking about two or three obscure authors; there are, quite literally, dozens of them.

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

464 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 27, 2017

Reviews

[Quirkyreader · Rating 5 out of 5]

The only writer I was familiar with in this collection was Nabokov. So the other stories were kind of like blind dates.

In reading the author's mini bio in the back of the book you see that many didn't have solid lives after immigrating. Many of them passed away from illnesses such as Tuberculosis. And the most heart wrenching ends were the ones who died alone and forgotten in hospitals in foreign countries.

The authors in this collection who stood out to me the most were Teffi, Nina Berberova, and Gaito Gazdanov. I already have one of Bererova's books in my collection that I found by chance at a charity shop.

I hope this Penguin anthology helps generate intrest in these writers and causes more of their works to be published.

[Cameron · Rating 5 out of 5]

20 authors. 35 short stories. Reading anything in translation can be hit or miss, but in terms of scope this collection captures a diverse range of styles. Here international literary giants like Vladimir Nabokov and Ivan Bunin share the stage with (and receive as much or little stage time as) lesser known émigré writers, such as Sasha Chorny and Vladislav Khodasevich (who both contain glowing commendations from Nabokov in their author biographies... 'He left only a few books, and a quiet, beauteous shadow'). The editor's introduction sets the stage for the stories to follow; artists in exile, dreams of alienation and of home. The chosen stories too mostly focus on alienation, exile and Russia. The styles are reminiscient of other European authors of the period, and the schools of literature that followed. While not every author may leave the same lasting impact on your mind, the collection as a whole does bring together a diverse range of voices, perhaps never before heard in such succession in an English edition.

[Ausma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finally finished this gorgeous collection after FIVE years! I originally bought it at Shakespeare and Company on my first trip to Paris in 2017 (I even still have the original bookmark it came with) and have been reading it on and off since then. I like the idea of reading a book like this over a long span of time — I only wish I'd scribbled down a few notes about each story to look back on because I've forgotten so many of them... guess I'll just have to read them all over again.

I also want to note what an expertly compiled collection this is (though Penguin collections usually are!). It's arranged chronologically by the writers' lifespans and includes copious details about the publication of each story, the authors' biographies, and plenty of footnotes expounding upon the historical context, literary references, etc. Any Russian lit fan will adore it; the beautiful cover design is just the cherry on top.

[Massimina Ferny · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, this is the first time I actually brought a thick physical copy book on a trip, and finished it during the trip. Partly because connectivity in the country I went to wasn't great.

Anyway, it's quite a noteworthy book as there haven't been many extensive compilations of emigre short stories before this. While the stories were interesting, not all were easy to understand. A lot of the value of this book is in the introduction and background to the context of many of the stories and their authors, and also the very informative profiles of the authors at the back, together with the footnotes which provide quite some historical insights. So read the author profile and footnotes carefully as they're really worth it.

[emil · Rating 4 out of 5]

some stories were great, others did not stand out so much. but my favourite was definitely Black Swans!

[Giovanni García-Fenech · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this as a follow-up to Gazdanov's fascinating Night Roads. I didn't like all the stories, but the ones I did I loved. A revelation of a world I knew next to nothing about.

[Guy Salvidge · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the other Penguin Russian anthologies but I couldn’t get into a lot of this. I like Bunin and Teffi but much of the rest bored and confused me.

[Callum · Rating 3 out of 5]

An indonesian telepath, the power of positive thinking, double agents - sometimes the concerns are exactly like those of today, sometimes they are strange and unrelatable. In both cases there's plenty of vodka.

Nabakov is the star, but there's a few hidden gems as well. The russians of this period weren't afraid of expression though, so you get a kind of ironic, overwrought emotional tone that's hard to find elsewhere. Even though the literature was serious in theme, it felt more 'fun' than equivelant books.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent and comprehensive collection of short stories by Russian émigré writers from the most famous such as Nabokov to the more obscure such as Sasha Chorny and others whom I had never heard of in spite of my deep interest in Russian literature. Obviously, as in any collection, the quality of the individual stories varies, but from a literary history point of view this volume is essential reading for all Russophiles.

[Graham Catt · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating collection of Russian Emigre short stories, varying in style and voice. Highlights include stories by Bunin, Nabokov and Gazdanov. Recommended for fans of Russian writing or short story lovers.

[Ikhwan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So beautiful to read - after having read this series, in addition to Ivan Morris' collection of Japanese short stories earlier this year, I've decided that I really need to start reading more short story anthologies!

[Alex Harris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few great short stories and quite a few duds.

[Sylvia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had to write an essay, and this book helped me a lot.

[Kerry Pickens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Russian short story seems like an oxymoron to me, and they pretty are just one long descriptive sentence. I like to read collections of short stories to find new authors. My favorite from this group is Teffi (one word name like Sting or Cher). She was a journalist that was considered humorous for her time period, and a Russian humorist also sounds like a oxymoron.