The Penguin Book of Russian Short Stories

The Penguin Books of Short Stories

by D.J. Richards

20 Russian writers are represented in this collection, beginning with Pushkin, the founder of modern Russian literature, and concluding with contributions from such modern writers as Vladimir Nabokov and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.

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

368 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1981

Reviews

[Shinae · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great introduction to some of the greatest Russian authors. My favourite short stories in the book were those by Nabokov, Kazakov, Zamyatin and Chekhov.

[Bibliomantic · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is overall a very good collection. It allowed me to revisit some Russian greats that I've already read while introducing me to a handful I haven't yet had a chance to delve into. With respect to the latter, I especially appreciated adding Garshin, Leskov, Andreev, and Paustovsky to my Russian to-read list as a result of reading their entries here. At the same time, I did feel that on a couple of occasions Richards could have picked a better and more representative piece. For example, are 'Guy de Maupasant' or 'Spring in Fialta' anywhere close to being Babel's or Nabokov's best, respectively? I think not. Nevertheless, any such collection is a mixed bag, and this one provided several hours of very pleasurable reading. Richards's paragraph-long intros to each author's work were often exercises in insightful concision that complemented the readings adequately. One last note, had Penguin Books opted not to skip in this volume their customary endnotes that normally clarify a historical or cultural reference that would have been a welcome bonus.

[ewa · Rating 4 out of 5]

bardzo chciałam lepiej poznać literaturę rosyjską, jednak nie mogłam znaleźć żadnego tomu z opowiadaniami w polskim tłumaczeniu, który byłby dobrym i takim przekrojowym wstępem dla mnie. ten zawiera 20 opowiadań pisarzy od XVII do XX wieku. przed każdym jest krótkie wprowadzenie o autorze. jeśli chodzi o same teksty, to zachwyciły mnie, czytanie po angielsku ani trochę nie odebrało im uroku, a tego się bardzo obawiałam. teksty które najbardziej mi się podobały to: “bezhin lea” turgieniewa, “a strange man’s dream” dostojewskiego i „the winter oak” nagibina. polecam bardzo, można się naprawdę dużo dowiedzieć i poznać nowych pisarzy.

[Ben Hammerslag · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boy, I feel bad giving this book two stars. Let me explain.

I have no doubt that the editor has made excellent selections for this book. But this is NOT a book of "The Best Russian Short Stories". This book is presented chronologically, giving the reader some sense of the development of the short story for in Russian Lit over time. Which, while admirable, makes the volume as a whole tough to get through at times.

If you want to learn in a more academic sense about short stories in Russian Lit, this is the book for you. If you want to read the best short stories from Russian lit, there are likely better books for you.

[Clayton Lovell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best collection of short stories ever.

[Suzanne Ashworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting to read so many authors and see the commonalities in Russians short story styles

[J223]

I gave this book to one of my favourite professors; Dr. Yun.

[Og · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing collection for anyone who has not read a lot of Russian literature but is curious. Clear and beautiful.

[J · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an okay anthology, some stories were better than others, but few if any were really memorable.

[Dana Jerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a really phenomenal collection and should be read more than once. A great starting, and ending point, for some of these authors.

[Anne Fedarko · Rating 4 out of 5]

lermontov. yeah!