Complete Works of Isaac Babel Book + PRICE WATCH * Amazon pricing is not included in price watch

Complete Works of Isaac Babel Book

Arguably the best book of short stories published in 2001, The Complete Works of Isaac Babel, expertly translated by Peter Constantine, should affirm Babel's place among the top Russian short story writers. Like Chekhov, Isaac Babel primarily wrote odd, tightly wrung little stories in which he displays a variety of convincing styles and tones, with each piece having an immediacy and weight that exceeds its brevity. Babel's writing life lasted approximately 20 years. (He was executed by Stalin after a few military subjects unflatteringly portrayed in his "Red Cavalry" stories gained positions of influence.) His most notable stories depict the Russian civil war and Jewish soldiers, his childhood, and Jewish thugs in his native Odessa. Often journalistic in style, his stories provided gripping war accounts to Russians eager for news from the front, as in this passage from "The Church in Novograd": We drank rum, waiting for the military commissar, but he still hadn't come back from the headquarters. Romuald had collapsed in a corner and fallen asleep. He slept and quivered, while beyond the window an alley seeped into the garden beneath the black passion of the sky. Thirsting roses swayed in the darkness. Green lightning bolts blazed over the cupolas. A naked corpse lay on the embankment. And the rays of the moon streamed through the dead legs that are pointing upward. So this is Poland... This collection is a delight for its organization: the stories are grouped by periods, feature introductions, and include helpful maps. The preface and afterward by his daughter and editor, Nathalie Babel, are insightful. Also included are two plays, several screenplays, a chronology, and an introduction by Cynthia Ozick. The Complete Works of Isaac Babel should be a welcome addition to readers of literature everywhere. --Michael FerchRead More

from£39.51 | RRP: £32.99
* Excludes Voucher Code Discount Also available Used from £16.78
  • Product Description

    A literary event of extraordinary dimensions—the first single-volume edition of all of Isaac Babel's work. Considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century—and the greatest short story writer since Chekhov—Isaac Babel (1894-1941) also wrote numerous plays, diaries, and screenplays. Despite his stature, the whole of Babel's work has never been assembled in one place. This magnificent edition of Babel's collected work, edited and authorized by Babel's daughter Nathalie and newly translated by Peter Constantine, includes such standard works as the "Red Cavalry" cycle and his diaries, as well as several previously untranslated stories and screenplays. Often revolving around the tortured dilemmas faced by Jews within the ruthless Soviet state, Babel's terse, violent fiction has left its mark on generations of readers and writers. This book will stand as Babel's final, most enduring legacy. Slipcased edition. 2 b/w photographs, 3 maps.

  • 0393048462
  • 9780393048469
  • I Babel
  • 8 May 2002
  • W. W. Norton & Co.
  • Hardcover (Book)
  • 1076
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. If you click through any of the links below and make a purchase we may earn a small commission (at no extra cost to you). Click here to learn more.

Would you like your name to appear with the review?

We will post your book review within a day or so as long as it meets our guidelines and terms and conditions. All reviews submitted become the licensed property of www.find-book.co.uk as written in our terms and conditions. None of your personal details will be passed on to any other third party.

All form fields are required.