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The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales
Vasily Eroshenko was one of the most remarkable transnational literary figures of the early twentieth century: a blind multilingual Esperantist from Ukraine who joined left-wing circles in Japan and befriended the famous modernist writer Lu Xun in China. Born in a small Ukrainian village in imperial Russia, he was blinded at a young age by complications from measles. Seeking to escape the limitations imposed on the blind, Eroshenko became a globe-trotting storyteller. He was well known in Japan and China as a social activist and a popular writer of political fairy tales that drew comparisons to Hans Christian Andersen and Oscar Wilde.
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales presents a selection of Eroshenko's stories, translated from Japanese and Esperanto, to English readers for the first time. These fables tell the stories of a religiously disillusioned fish, a jealous paper lantern, a scholarly young mouse, a captive tiger who seeks to liberate his fellow animals, and many more. They are at once inventive and politically charged experiments with the fairy tale genre and charming, lyrical stories that will captivate readers as much today as they did during Eroshenko's lifetime. In addition to eighteen fairy tales, the book includes semiautobiographical writings and prose poems that vividly evoke Eroshenko's life and world.
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales presents a selection of Eroshenko's stories, translated from Japanese and Esperanto, to English readers for the first time. These fables tell the stories of a religiously disillusioned fish, a jealous paper lantern, a scholarly young mouse, a captive tiger who seeks to liberate his fellow animals, and many more. They are at once inventive and politically charged experiments with the fairy tale genre and charming, lyrical stories that will captivate readers as much today as they did during Eroshenko's lifetime. In addition to eighteen fairy tales, the book includes semiautobiographical writings and prose poems that vividly evoke Eroshenko's life and world.
304 pages, Paperback
Published March 7, 2023
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August 19, 2025
From reading the foreword and long introduction, I believe Vasily Eroshenko had a life worthy of a novel. Ukrainian by birth, he lost his sight from a childhood illness, but never allowed that to define or stop him, and after his education was completed at the best school for the blind available in his circumstances, he got into writing and politics. He soon became known for his poetry as much as for his political activism, that got him eventually exiled for his anarchist views and agitating against the statu quo to compel people to rise up for change, a couple of years before the Russian Revolution.
While in Japan, he didn't abandon his convictions. To the contrary, he became even more acute in his convictions, and wrote fairy tales protagonised by animals, plants, and small creatures, that became a venue for his ideas and calls for radical reforms. In this anthology, you'll find all the fairy tales he wrote in his Japan exile before he again got exiled for political agitation, a total of thirteen tales, and also the four fairy tales he wrote in his exile in China. Written and published from 1915 to 1923, they are known as Japanese Tales and Chinese Tales in this collection, not because they are either Japanese or Chinese in origin but because Eroshenko was living in each country when he wrote them. There seems to have been more, because Eroshenko wrote until his dying day, but the NKVD confiscated his manuscripts under Stalin, so a lot was lost.
Written in a style that makes you think they would be written by Aesop if Aesop was an angrier acivist instead of a quietly mordant fabulist, Eroshenko's fairy tales are pessimistic, bleak, and bittersweet. And so beautifully written they read like poetry. Like Aesop, Eroshenko's tales are deceptively innocent; when you start reading, you're lulled into a false sense of reading a nice little fable for children with cute animals as characters, and then, whack! The moral of the tale hits you right over the head, and you realise this is no children's sweet story. It carries a message, a metaphor, a reality. And it's not a pretty one.
And Eroshenko isn't always obvious with this message, you won't always finish a tale and think, "Ah, so he was talking about..." No, often, you'll have to play Spot the Point of It All with his tales, trying to see what is the political lesson, the philosophical aspect, the subversive idea. And no, you won't always agree with Eroshenko either, he can be super radical and go too far, but do take into account where he was from and what times he lived through, and you'll see his provocative commentaries make sense in that context.
Also worth keeping in mind is that Eroshenko's disability, his blindness, shows up in his fairy tales. And, unlike non-disabled authors, he doesn't magically "solve" or cure disability, nor does he accommodate it to fit into the able-bodied world. His very first fairy tale here, "The Little Lantern," contains this theme of disability. His biography says his writings have made him a treasured member of the blind community as regards communicating their struggles and needs to the world, like Helen Keller, and I can see why. In traditional tales, disability is something to be "fixed," but not so for Eroshenko.
These might not be the cheeriest of fairy tales, they might remind you a bit of Hans Christian Andersen, who was also known for giving his tales a most uncheery and tragic atmosphere, but they are so good and make you think! They should be read one at a time, if you want to grasp their message, and they also could be used to start debates and group conversations in the schoolroom, as the style of delivery is ideal for that.
I still want a novel about Eroshenko's epic life, though. Authors, if you're looking for someone that has everything: smarts, an iron will, a adventurous life, is on the Soviets' hitlist, possesses a silver tongue (a multilingual silver tongue at that), has a cynical optimism (or was it optimistic cynicism?), revolutionary tendencies, anarchism, celebrity status, blind but thriving, globetrotting by force, native from Ukraine, etc., etc., and did I mention blind?, then Vasily Yakovlevich Eroshenko is your man.
4. 5 stars!
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review slightly updated upon acquiring a published version copy for my shelves in August, 2025.
While in Japan, he didn't abandon his convictions. To the contrary, he became even more acute in his convictions, and wrote fairy tales protagonised by animals, plants, and small creatures, that became a venue for his ideas and calls for radical reforms. In this anthology, you'll find all the fairy tales he wrote in his Japan exile before he again got exiled for political agitation, a total of thirteen tales, and also the four fairy tales he wrote in his exile in China. Written and published from 1915 to 1923, they are known as Japanese Tales and Chinese Tales in this collection, not because they are either Japanese or Chinese in origin but because Eroshenko was living in each country when he wrote them. There seems to have been more, because Eroshenko wrote until his dying day, but the NKVD confiscated his manuscripts under Stalin, so a lot was lost.
Written in a style that makes you think they would be written by Aesop if Aesop was an angrier acivist instead of a quietly mordant fabulist, Eroshenko's fairy tales are pessimistic, bleak, and bittersweet. And so beautifully written they read like poetry. Like Aesop, Eroshenko's tales are deceptively innocent; when you start reading, you're lulled into a false sense of reading a nice little fable for children with cute animals as characters, and then, whack! The moral of the tale hits you right over the head, and you realise this is no children's sweet story. It carries a message, a metaphor, a reality. And it's not a pretty one.
And Eroshenko isn't always obvious with this message, you won't always finish a tale and think, "Ah, so he was talking about..." No, often, you'll have to play Spot the Point of It All with his tales, trying to see what is the political lesson, the philosophical aspect, the subversive idea. And no, you won't always agree with Eroshenko either, he can be super radical and go too far, but do take into account where he was from and what times he lived through, and you'll see his provocative commentaries make sense in that context.
Also worth keeping in mind is that Eroshenko's disability, his blindness, shows up in his fairy tales. And, unlike non-disabled authors, he doesn't magically "solve" or cure disability, nor does he accommodate it to fit into the able-bodied world. His very first fairy tale here, "The Little Lantern," contains this theme of disability. His biography says his writings have made him a treasured member of the blind community as regards communicating their struggles and needs to the world, like Helen Keller, and I can see why. In traditional tales, disability is something to be "fixed," but not so for Eroshenko.
These might not be the cheeriest of fairy tales, they might remind you a bit of Hans Christian Andersen, who was also known for giving his tales a most uncheery and tragic atmosphere, but they are so good and make you think! They should be read one at a time, if you want to grasp their message, and they also could be used to start debates and group conversations in the schoolroom, as the style of delivery is ideal for that.
I still want a novel about Eroshenko's epic life, though. Authors, if you're looking for someone that has everything: smarts, an iron will, a adventurous life, is on the Soviets' hitlist, possesses a silver tongue (a multilingual silver tongue at that), has a cynical optimism (or was it optimistic cynicism?), revolutionary tendencies, anarchism, celebrity status, blind but thriving, globetrotting by force, native from Ukraine, etc., etc., and did I mention blind?, then Vasily Yakovlevich Eroshenko is your man.
4. 5 stars!
I received an ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Review slightly updated upon acquiring a published version copy for my shelves in August, 2025.
March 7, 2023
Happy Publication Day! (March 7, 2023)
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is a selection of short stories written by Ukraine-born Vasily Eroshenko, “A BLIND poet. An Esperantist. A humanist. An egoist. A partisan. An anarchist. A “red” Russian. A “white” Russian. A Ukrainian. A child-like dreamer. A harborer of dangerous thoughts . ..” translated from Japanese and Esperanto by Adam Kuplowsky.
A bit of perspective on the author- his life and times- are of vital importance to fully appreciate these tales. I would urge readers to not skip the Foreword (by Jack Zipes) and the detailed Introduction ( by Adam Kuplowsky.) which give us insight into Eroshenko’s life - from his early days to his life and times in Western Europe and Central Asia, Esperantism, his activism and his political leanings for which he was constantly under watchful eyes.
Heavy in metaphors and political messages, the tone of these stories tends toward melancholic, dark and depressing. The tales feature interactions between humans, nature and animals (anthropomorphism is a common feature in these stories as in most fables). A few stories feature characters who are blind but rarely is the disability the central focus of the story.
Of the thirteen stories from the Japanese Tales ( written between 1915-1921), my favorites were “The Tale of the Paper Lantern”, a story that inspired the author’s experiences as a blind man (He lost his eyesight when he was four years old); “An Eagle’s Heart” and “Spring Night’s Dream”. Of the four Chinese tales ( written between 1921 -1923) I found “Father Time” and excerpts From “Tales of a Withered Leaf” particularly moving. Toward the end of the book, we also find a few autobiographical stories from the author’s life. The stories include excerpts from his experiences during his school days and his deportation and journey from Japan back to his homeland in 1921. The book concludes with “A Chukchi Story” (1933), inspired by the folklore of the indigenous population of north-eastern Siberia.
Eroshenko’s writing is poetic and profoundly insightful. These deceptively simple stories cannot be considered light reading and are more like fables with political and philosophical undertones. Overall this is an exceptional collection of tales that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Many thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this collection of stories. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is a selection of short stories written by Ukraine-born Vasily Eroshenko, “A BLIND poet. An Esperantist. A humanist. An egoist. A partisan. An anarchist. A “red” Russian. A “white” Russian. A Ukrainian. A child-like dreamer. A harborer of dangerous thoughts . ..” translated from Japanese and Esperanto by Adam Kuplowsky.
A bit of perspective on the author- his life and times- are of vital importance to fully appreciate these tales. I would urge readers to not skip the Foreword (by Jack Zipes) and the detailed Introduction ( by Adam Kuplowsky.) which give us insight into Eroshenko’s life - from his early days to his life and times in Western Europe and Central Asia, Esperantism, his activism and his political leanings for which he was constantly under watchful eyes.
Heavy in metaphors and political messages, the tone of these stories tends toward melancholic, dark and depressing. The tales feature interactions between humans, nature and animals (anthropomorphism is a common feature in these stories as in most fables). A few stories feature characters who are blind but rarely is the disability the central focus of the story.
Of the thirteen stories from the Japanese Tales ( written between 1915-1921), my favorites were “The Tale of the Paper Lantern”, a story that inspired the author’s experiences as a blind man (He lost his eyesight when he was four years old); “An Eagle’s Heart” and “Spring Night’s Dream”. Of the four Chinese tales ( written between 1921 -1923) I found “Father Time” and excerpts From “Tales of a Withered Leaf” particularly moving. Toward the end of the book, we also find a few autobiographical stories from the author’s life. The stories include excerpts from his experiences during his school days and his deportation and journey from Japan back to his homeland in 1921. The book concludes with “A Chukchi Story” (1933), inspired by the folklore of the indigenous population of north-eastern Siberia.
Eroshenko’s writing is poetic and profoundly insightful. These deceptively simple stories cannot be considered light reading and are more like fables with political and philosophical undertones. Overall this is an exceptional collection of tales that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Many thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this collection of stories. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.
February 11, 2023
Thank you to Columbia University Press and #NetGalley for providing an early copy of this book for review.
The reader would do well to take at least a cursory glance at the life of the author. This was a man who observed without physical sight, who understood, without being native to the country hosting him, who adapted to mistreatment for contradictory reasons in various places, and who dreamed of a new age with common language and common humanity.
Eroshenko's tales have the completeness of narrative carefully laid upon a subtext of symbolism and allegory. He correctly saw disability as both universal and political, as much a stand-in for xenophobia and colonialism as any other metaphor.
The first section includes tales written during Eroshenko's time in Japan, and have a distinctive Japanese flavor with the sharp pathos and longing known to a keen observer of humanity. Key elements include the contrasts between darkness and light, foreigner and native-born, journeys and returns. These are the themes closest to his own heart.
It's clear by the second story, as to how Eroshenko got into political hot water. He came out strongly against religion, delayed gratification/deflection political techniques, the elevation of one class over another, and groupthink in all its forms. His tendency towards anarchism would have rankled every political system. In the midst of some of the most politically dangerous upheavals of modern history, Eroshenko boldly spoke out against fascism, tyranny, and autocracy. He wasn't even particularly subtle about it, even though he was using fables, which are well-suited to political subterfuge. The author's cleverness is on clear display in "The Scholar's Head" in which the main character explains that we tend to go backwards at times of peril, because we (falsely) think it's somehow safer. Also, the more you know, the more you suffer. These are hardly truths anyone wants to face, but that doesn't make them any less true.
The author, firmly entrenched in his own self-avowed righteousness, took firmly to task all of the important leaders of the day with his contempt for imperialism, colonialism, and anti-intellectualism. Eroshenko eschewed any structure or system which failed to make interdependence and cooperation its main goals, which is to say, all of them. He truly had high hopes for Esperanto, a common language to bring the world together.
There's no one harsher on the world's ills than a utopian idealist.
Eroshenko speaks up for the voiceless: the political prisoner, the scapegoat, the innocents who are abused to make an example of them for others, and most especially the questioners, those who confront, confound, and vex the authorities. Are they not on the side of all humanity? Yet, perversely, they are universally regarded as troublemakers. In each fable, the author skewers the character of society, everything we are taught. We demand respect instead of command it, and work against nature instead of with it. It's a system of competition and oppression which cannot lead to peace.
One story, "A Spring Night's Dream" seems like a more emo version of O. Henry's "The Gift of The Magi." But, this story is probably more about colonialism, slavery, or just the destructive power of greed, especially the tendency of the greedy to deflect blame.
The highest aspiration in Eroshenko's fables is selflessness.
The author enjoys presenting bargains to the characters, and pitting the rich against the poor, or offering freedom to different characters to see which ones are too afraid to accept anything different from what they know. In the entire first section, "The Death of the Canary" is the most humorous, and one wonders if the author might have thought to include more satire, in order to share his points.
In Part II of the stories, Eroshenko has moved to (been dispatched to) China, yet he seems to have no love for it at all. Granted, Shanghai (especially at that time) harbored many dangerous and desperate people. Thieves are thieves, whether of high or low rank. Exploitation always breeds corruption. And whenever the people are packed in without hope, without relief, illness feasts, and suffering moves in. The author seems particularly focused on Consumption (Tuberculosis) the effects of which must have affected him deeply. The author at this time in his life bears a burning consuming hatred for colonizers. It is his belief that all human beings should have not just the privilege, but the right, to be happy, and to be loved.
From Shanghai, he makes his way to Beijing, where the author finds a more peaceful place to live, though perhaps it leaves him a little too lost in himself, in those wide melancholy places. He revisits his hatred for enforced group ritual, which serves mainly to keep the people in line, with arbitrary rules and conventions, and absurd punishments for real or imagined infractions. His main focus, night and day, is the fate of humankind. He agonizes over it. If only he could get people to concentrate on the things that truly matter. It is his assertion that nothing can change for the better until people are willing to embrace new ways of doing everything. And that's the thing about what you want most: happiness. It cannot be stolen. It must grow naturally and be nurtured. And even when it genuinely appears, there will always be those who mistrust it and refuse to accept it.
The most powerful story in the collection is also one of the longest: "The Red Flower." In it, the author exposes nearly every fault in the character of humanity.
In the Appendix, we read a tender account of the author's memory of his family in Tsarist Russia. For his teachers, he has a harder colder sense of memory. He paid the price for his temerity to be blind, and for his tendency to question authority. He is very matter of fact about his defiance and how it lead him to leave Russian, and to his deportation from Japan. Soviet Russia wouldn't let him in, so he had to sojourn in China.
This was a thinker ahead of his time. He probably had to write in fables, though it seems he was direct enough to write in essay form. He could have been a great satirist. As it was, he was a great man. The stories, I wish were a bit stronger. I never know if that is due to translation or the material. At any rate, one cannot help but be moved by this man's five star effort in getting the world to wake up.
The reader would do well to take at least a cursory glance at the life of the author. This was a man who observed without physical sight, who understood, without being native to the country hosting him, who adapted to mistreatment for contradictory reasons in various places, and who dreamed of a new age with common language and common humanity.
Eroshenko's tales have the completeness of narrative carefully laid upon a subtext of symbolism and allegory. He correctly saw disability as both universal and political, as much a stand-in for xenophobia and colonialism as any other metaphor.
The first section includes tales written during Eroshenko's time in Japan, and have a distinctive Japanese flavor with the sharp pathos and longing known to a keen observer of humanity. Key elements include the contrasts between darkness and light, foreigner and native-born, journeys and returns. These are the themes closest to his own heart.
It's clear by the second story, as to how Eroshenko got into political hot water. He came out strongly against religion, delayed gratification/deflection political techniques, the elevation of one class over another, and groupthink in all its forms. His tendency towards anarchism would have rankled every political system. In the midst of some of the most politically dangerous upheavals of modern history, Eroshenko boldly spoke out against fascism, tyranny, and autocracy. He wasn't even particularly subtle about it, even though he was using fables, which are well-suited to political subterfuge. The author's cleverness is on clear display in "The Scholar's Head" in which the main character explains that we tend to go backwards at times of peril, because we (falsely) think it's somehow safer. Also, the more you know, the more you suffer. These are hardly truths anyone wants to face, but that doesn't make them any less true.
The author, firmly entrenched in his own self-avowed righteousness, took firmly to task all of the important leaders of the day with his contempt for imperialism, colonialism, and anti-intellectualism. Eroshenko eschewed any structure or system which failed to make interdependence and cooperation its main goals, which is to say, all of them. He truly had high hopes for Esperanto, a common language to bring the world together.
There's no one harsher on the world's ills than a utopian idealist.
Eroshenko speaks up for the voiceless: the political prisoner, the scapegoat, the innocents who are abused to make an example of them for others, and most especially the questioners, those who confront, confound, and vex the authorities. Are they not on the side of all humanity? Yet, perversely, they are universally regarded as troublemakers. In each fable, the author skewers the character of society, everything we are taught. We demand respect instead of command it, and work against nature instead of with it. It's a system of competition and oppression which cannot lead to peace.
One story, "A Spring Night's Dream" seems like a more emo version of O. Henry's "The Gift of The Magi." But, this story is probably more about colonialism, slavery, or just the destructive power of greed, especially the tendency of the greedy to deflect blame.
The highest aspiration in Eroshenko's fables is selflessness.
The author enjoys presenting bargains to the characters, and pitting the rich against the poor, or offering freedom to different characters to see which ones are too afraid to accept anything different from what they know. In the entire first section, "The Death of the Canary" is the most humorous, and one wonders if the author might have thought to include more satire, in order to share his points.
In Part II of the stories, Eroshenko has moved to (been dispatched to) China, yet he seems to have no love for it at all. Granted, Shanghai (especially at that time) harbored many dangerous and desperate people. Thieves are thieves, whether of high or low rank. Exploitation always breeds corruption. And whenever the people are packed in without hope, without relief, illness feasts, and suffering moves in. The author seems particularly focused on Consumption (Tuberculosis) the effects of which must have affected him deeply. The author at this time in his life bears a burning consuming hatred for colonizers. It is his belief that all human beings should have not just the privilege, but the right, to be happy, and to be loved.
From Shanghai, he makes his way to Beijing, where the author finds a more peaceful place to live, though perhaps it leaves him a little too lost in himself, in those wide melancholy places. He revisits his hatred for enforced group ritual, which serves mainly to keep the people in line, with arbitrary rules and conventions, and absurd punishments for real or imagined infractions. His main focus, night and day, is the fate of humankind. He agonizes over it. If only he could get people to concentrate on the things that truly matter. It is his assertion that nothing can change for the better until people are willing to embrace new ways of doing everything. And that's the thing about what you want most: happiness. It cannot be stolen. It must grow naturally and be nurtured. And even when it genuinely appears, there will always be those who mistrust it and refuse to accept it.
The most powerful story in the collection is also one of the longest: "The Red Flower." In it, the author exposes nearly every fault in the character of humanity.
In the Appendix, we read a tender account of the author's memory of his family in Tsarist Russia. For his teachers, he has a harder colder sense of memory. He paid the price for his temerity to be blind, and for his tendency to question authority. He is very matter of fact about his defiance and how it lead him to leave Russian, and to his deportation from Japan. Soviet Russia wouldn't let him in, so he had to sojourn in China.
This was a thinker ahead of his time. He probably had to write in fables, though it seems he was direct enough to write in essay form. He could have been a great satirist. As it was, he was a great man. The stories, I wish were a bit stronger. I never know if that is due to translation or the material. At any rate, one cannot help but be moved by this man's five star effort in getting the world to wake up.
October 17, 2022
A blind man looks forward to a red revolution, but he cannot see that the only red waiting beyond it is a sea of blood.
I had never heard of Vasily Eroshenko before discovering this book. He was an interesting man; I detest him, but nonetheless. Born in 1890 and blinded by measles as a child (this was before vaccines), he attended a school for the blind and became a violinist. But it wasn't long afterward that he found his true love: Esperanto.
Mastering the language and taking advantage of the Esperantist communities around the globe, Eroshenko traveled for the first part of his adulthood, going first to Europe, then to Japan, then traveling to other Asian countries, returning to Japan, being deported to Russia, being turned away from Russia, ending up in China - and so on, until he finally settled in the USSR.
"Wait, what's that about deportation and being turned away from Russia?", I hear you ask. Well, he was a political activist of a sort nobody likes: a bit of a communist, a lot of an anarchist, hateful of everyone except idealized groups.
It shows in the stories in this volume: he has a quarrel to pick with religion, the rich, the socialists. He distrusts anyone who holds power, that is, and hopes for it to return to the hands of the poor people with pure hearts. Which is a very nice wish; but the world doesn't work that way.
Fables do work on a more idealist level, however, so the stories are decent. Here, let me recount one, though Eroshenko's telling of it surpases my own. There is a kingdom where Cold and Darkness rule and their evil children rule the land. People are forbidden from heating their homes or even lighting candles. There is a tale that says that the sun rising could help them all, but the sun never rises. But one day, Hope (a foreigner and much distrusted) arrives in the kingdom and says that the way to bring the sun is simple: a red flower must bloom. The seeds of the red flower are easy to find, however - but they need heat and light to bloom, alas, and in the absence of the sun, what can be done? So young men tear open their chests and plant the seeds in their own hearts, so the flowers bloom and the sun rises; but the men who brought it never see it, for they've given their lives to the flowers.
That's very nice. The red flower is the (communist) revolution, of course. The sun is a better tomorrow, with all the happiness, joy and bounty it will bring; except in order to bring it, dreams have to die fighting to make it happen. Which is what happened in Russia, except that blood flowed, many people were oppressed, and... well, communist regimes deserve to be studied as a horror of their own.
In a later tale, Eroshenko "dreams" of a young man who goes to bring the red flower to the people desperate to have it so it will bring them joy, but he brings back a white flower, which is only dyed red, or reddened with blood. It's a false red flower, that he had mistaken for the red one.
The white Russians, of course, were the tzarist forces who opposed the revolutionary red Russians. When Eroshenko sees the result of the revolution, he notices it's the same old, same old oppresive shtick. It hasn't changed a thing, the old gods are still there as before. At heart, he's one with all those who claim communism has never been *truly* tried, I suppose; without seeing that maybe there's something wrong with the sort of revolution he wanted.
Some stories are perhaps less politically charged. Some I found confusing (did the surgeon kill his child? is the child the dog now? is the dog the child? is anyone a ghost? was it all about baseless rumours? what).
I liked "The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales" because it's an interesting snapshot from a hundred years ago. It brings to light the hopes of communism; but it also says something about what the public would have read back then. Eroshenko's autobiographical bits towards the end draw attention to a part of history rarely mentioned (Vladivostok occupied by the Japanese and the White Russians still there). The introduction is amazingly helpful and the translation is very fluent and pleasant to read.
As far as the stories themselves go, however... I'm not impressed. Maybe it's the fact that it's 100 years and too many communist regimes later to be able to read them without a background of political criticism slowly churning through my mind.
Thank you, Columbia University Press and NetGalley, for providing a free ARC.
I had never heard of Vasily Eroshenko before discovering this book. He was an interesting man; I detest him, but nonetheless. Born in 1890 and blinded by measles as a child (this was before vaccines), he attended a school for the blind and became a violinist. But it wasn't long afterward that he found his true love: Esperanto.
Mastering the language and taking advantage of the Esperantist communities around the globe, Eroshenko traveled for the first part of his adulthood, going first to Europe, then to Japan, then traveling to other Asian countries, returning to Japan, being deported to Russia, being turned away from Russia, ending up in China - and so on, until he finally settled in the USSR.
"Wait, what's that about deportation and being turned away from Russia?", I hear you ask. Well, he was a political activist of a sort nobody likes: a bit of a communist, a lot of an anarchist, hateful of everyone except idealized groups.
It shows in the stories in this volume: he has a quarrel to pick with religion, the rich, the socialists. He distrusts anyone who holds power, that is, and hopes for it to return to the hands of the poor people with pure hearts. Which is a very nice wish; but the world doesn't work that way.
Fables do work on a more idealist level, however, so the stories are decent. Here, let me recount one, though Eroshenko's telling of it surpases my own. There is a kingdom where Cold and Darkness rule and their evil children rule the land. People are forbidden from heating their homes or even lighting candles. There is a tale that says that the sun rising could help them all, but the sun never rises. But one day, Hope (a foreigner and much distrusted) arrives in the kingdom and says that the way to bring the sun is simple: a red flower must bloom. The seeds of the red flower are easy to find, however - but they need heat and light to bloom, alas, and in the absence of the sun, what can be done? So young men tear open their chests and plant the seeds in their own hearts, so the flowers bloom and the sun rises; but the men who brought it never see it, for they've given their lives to the flowers.
That's very nice. The red flower is the (communist) revolution, of course. The sun is a better tomorrow, with all the happiness, joy and bounty it will bring; except in order to bring it, dreams have to die fighting to make it happen. Which is what happened in Russia, except that blood flowed, many people were oppressed, and... well, communist regimes deserve to be studied as a horror of their own.
In a later tale, Eroshenko "dreams" of a young man who goes to bring the red flower to the people desperate to have it so it will bring them joy, but he brings back a white flower, which is only dyed red, or reddened with blood. It's a false red flower, that he had mistaken for the red one.
The white Russians, of course, were the tzarist forces who opposed the revolutionary red Russians. When Eroshenko sees the result of the revolution, he notices it's the same old, same old oppresive shtick. It hasn't changed a thing, the old gods are still there as before. At heart, he's one with all those who claim communism has never been *truly* tried, I suppose; without seeing that maybe there's something wrong with the sort of revolution he wanted.
Some stories are perhaps less politically charged. Some I found confusing (did the surgeon kill his child? is the child the dog now? is the dog the child? is anyone a ghost? was it all about baseless rumours? what).
I liked "The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales" because it's an interesting snapshot from a hundred years ago. It brings to light the hopes of communism; but it also says something about what the public would have read back then. Eroshenko's autobiographical bits towards the end draw attention to a part of history rarely mentioned (Vladivostok occupied by the Japanese and the White Russians still there). The introduction is amazingly helpful and the translation is very fluent and pleasant to read.
As far as the stories themselves go, however... I'm not impressed. Maybe it's the fact that it's 100 years and too many communist regimes later to be able to read them without a background of political criticism slowly churning through my mind.
Thank you, Columbia University Press and NetGalley, for providing a free ARC.
August 17, 2022
Thank you so much to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.
I would read a book on Eroshenko's life in a second. Just wow. I could not imagine living such a fascinating life. I like that there is an extended intro to really give us at least the basics about Eroshenko. This really helps at the end of the book to give more context about what Eroshenko is writing about.
The tales themselves are some of the most depressing stories I have ever read. I am a fan of horror and dark writing, but these are so real they crawl under your skin and sit with you. The tone can also be quite jarring. These are written as if you are reciting a story to a child, yet the content is quite adult. There's such a sense of simplicity with his writing, yet what he's saying leaves you breathless.
Due to this I took quite awhile to finish this book. I would read only one or two stories a day, and maybe not touch the book itself for several days at a time either. I feel like this book really lends itself to be read slowly and savored.
I would read a book on Eroshenko's life in a second. Just wow. I could not imagine living such a fascinating life. I like that there is an extended intro to really give us at least the basics about Eroshenko. This really helps at the end of the book to give more context about what Eroshenko is writing about.
The tales themselves are some of the most depressing stories I have ever read. I am a fan of horror and dark writing, but these are so real they crawl under your skin and sit with you. The tone can also be quite jarring. These are written as if you are reciting a story to a child, yet the content is quite adult. There's such a sense of simplicity with his writing, yet what he's saying leaves you breathless.
Due to this I took quite awhile to finish this book. I would read only one or two stories a day, and maybe not touch the book itself for several days at a time either. I feel like this book really lends itself to be read slowly and savored.
February 15, 2023
When reading these stories you would never guess that the storyteller is blind and after reading some of the stories you would never guess they were written at the beginning of the 20th century. These stories are dark and at the same time make it thing they talk about oppressive and have such themes as government oppression wanting something that in the end you really don’t want at all and many other introspection‘s you have after consuming this book. When I started it I thought I would read a few stories and finish the rest later but that is almost impossible after starting this book. You can tell the author had a hunger for education as his verses are intelligent thought-provoking and definitely intriguing although some of them have talking animals don’t mistake it for cute and sweet stories because they are not. I loved The Narrow Cage And Other Modern Fairytales and highly recommend it. Even if reading historical fairytales aren’t you thing you’ll still truly enjoy these they could’ve very well been written by a writer today as they deal with many of the same issues. I absolutely loved this book and highly recommend it. From the forward until you get to the bibliography you will be captivated by at first the authors story and then by the stories the author has written… Absolutely brilliant… Such a good book. This should be mandatory reading in high school just for the fun of it. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.
August 17, 2024
Fairytales as oral traditions bear the stamp of the cultures that tell them; fairytales when written by an individual bear the stamp of culture channelled through that individual, which is a different thing altogether.
There really are some people who lead unusual lives in this world, and discovering a new one is always enjoyable. Half of the reason I decided to read this book is the author's biography - he was a blind Russian Esperantist who lived in Japan and China, and wrote communism-tinged fairytales stamped with his own unique view of the world. The other part is that I have been fascinated by fairytales for a long time, and after studying them in a college course have really enjoyed reading them with more critical eye.
This is a rich collection to mine in that way, with the myriad influences that Eroshenko brings to bear in his writing. His tone is generally ironic and often dark, and yet visible throughout is his hope for a world in which every living thing is respected. While my enjoyment of the stories was uneven, that's probably a matter of taste - I know other readers probably loved stories that I disliked, and vice versa.
I also really enjoyed the short biography by fairytale scholar Jack Zipes and the essays by Eroshenko that bookend the fairytales - they both help you understand Eroshenko and what he might have been hoping to convey in his fairytales better, as well as being entertaining reading in their own right.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
There really are some people who lead unusual lives in this world, and discovering a new one is always enjoyable. Half of the reason I decided to read this book is the author's biography - he was a blind Russian Esperantist who lived in Japan and China, and wrote communism-tinged fairytales stamped with his own unique view of the world. The other part is that I have been fascinated by fairytales for a long time, and after studying them in a college course have really enjoyed reading them with more critical eye.
This is a rich collection to mine in that way, with the myriad influences that Eroshenko brings to bear in his writing. His tone is generally ironic and often dark, and yet visible throughout is his hope for a world in which every living thing is respected. While my enjoyment of the stories was uneven, that's probably a matter of taste - I know other readers probably loved stories that I disliked, and vice versa.
I also really enjoyed the short biography by fairytale scholar Jack Zipes and the essays by Eroshenko that bookend the fairytales - they both help you understand Eroshenko and what he might have been hoping to convey in his fairytales better, as well as being entertaining reading in their own right.
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley. This is my honest and voluntary review.
September 4, 2022
Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for this ARC
Reading the foreword made me want to read a whole book just on Eroshenko's life. It's a rich story in and of itself and provided plenty of context for the actual fairy tales.
Adam Kuplowsky's translation preserved the lyricism of Eroshenko's work very well, which I greatly appreciate. The stories flowed and from the start I was transported back to college and my mind immediately jumped to analyzing the content. Fairy tales are not really a genre I'm reading for fun in my adult days and so my mind attempted an academic approach. This however was quickly thwarted by me going 'hey, this is a little on the nose' about the leftist, anarchist themes and I realized I was reading fairy tales and that's... kinda the point. So I relaxed and very much enjoyed these stories. Some made me gut wrenchingly sad, some made me laugh (the mosquito Jesus being the winner), some were... prett disturbing and some I'm still thinking about and what messages they're sending.
All in all, a great read that made me excited to know about this little corner of history and this fascinating man.
Reading the foreword made me want to read a whole book just on Eroshenko's life. It's a rich story in and of itself and provided plenty of context for the actual fairy tales.
Adam Kuplowsky's translation preserved the lyricism of Eroshenko's work very well, which I greatly appreciate. The stories flowed and from the start I was transported back to college and my mind immediately jumped to analyzing the content. Fairy tales are not really a genre I'm reading for fun in my adult days and so my mind attempted an academic approach. This however was quickly thwarted by me going 'hey, this is a little on the nose' about the leftist, anarchist themes and I realized I was reading fairy tales and that's... kinda the point. So I relaxed and very much enjoyed these stories. Some made me gut wrenchingly sad, some made me laugh (the mosquito Jesus being the winner), some were... prett disturbing and some I'm still thinking about and what messages they're sending.
All in all, a great read that made me excited to know about this little corner of history and this fascinating man.
August 11, 2022
I was delighted to read Vasily Eroshenko's fairy tales, well translated by Adam Kuplowsky, having read a lot previously about anarchist movements globally during his lifetime -- figures I know well like Kropotkin and Goldman are mentioned briefly, and with the excellent introduction about Eroshenko's life I was able to place him and his work in context (and context is, certainly, very important to these stories).
As for the stories themselves, they are truly fairy tales -- many have talking animals. They are also certainly of their time: the themes are those of debates and discussions on what might be called the "left" during Eroshenko's lifetime: critiques of organized religion, humans' exploitation of non-human animals, and anarchist critiques of communism and capitalism alike. I really appreciate Kuplowsky's work bringing these tales to an English-speaking audience, and recommend this collection to anyone interested in fairy tales as well as anyone interested in socialist and anarchist history.
Thank you to Columbia University Press & to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Content warnings: animal death, animal cruelty, violence, medical experimentation
As for the stories themselves, they are truly fairy tales -- many have talking animals. They are also certainly of their time: the themes are those of debates and discussions on what might be called the "left" during Eroshenko's lifetime: critiques of organized religion, humans' exploitation of non-human animals, and anarchist critiques of communism and capitalism alike. I really appreciate Kuplowsky's work bringing these tales to an English-speaking audience, and recommend this collection to anyone interested in fairy tales as well as anyone interested in socialist and anarchist history.
Thank you to Columbia University Press & to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC.
Content warnings: animal death, animal cruelty, violence, medical experimentation
March 7, 2023
4 stars
I am grateful to Columbia University Press for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review.
The first thing you should know is that this book has two very distinct parts . A huge chunk of pages is taken up by a biography of the author. The author was a blind man who lived in multiple countries throughout his life, wrote in multiple languages, and was highly involved with politics/political movements. This description alone should clarify that his biography is not boring at all . It was also nice to understand the author before engaging with his stories, because it was very clear what inspired each story and what statements he was trying to make.
The second portion of the book is the actual short story collection . The stories are highly political and deeply philosophical, while still being accessible and engaging. Due to the political environment that inspired his writing, the stories are generally very dark . This is an interesting contrast with his choices in giving many of them a fable-like structure and populating many of the stories with anthropomorphized animal characters. His political views and his personal experiences (which we learn about in the biography) are woven into every fiber of these stories though, so I can see this being tiring or even off-putting to some readers.
I enjoyed this collection, and recommend it to fans of short story collections, history, politics, and cultural stories.
I am grateful to Columbia University Press for sending me an advanced copy of this book for review.
The first thing you should know is that this book has two very distinct parts . A huge chunk of pages is taken up by a biography of the author. The author was a blind man who lived in multiple countries throughout his life, wrote in multiple languages, and was highly involved with politics/political movements. This description alone should clarify that his biography is not boring at all . It was also nice to understand the author before engaging with his stories, because it was very clear what inspired each story and what statements he was trying to make.
The second portion of the book is the actual short story collection . The stories are highly political and deeply philosophical, while still being accessible and engaging. Due to the political environment that inspired his writing, the stories are generally very dark . This is an interesting contrast with his choices in giving many of them a fable-like structure and populating many of the stories with anthropomorphized animal characters. His political views and his personal experiences (which we learn about in the biography) are woven into every fiber of these stories though, so I can see this being tiring or even off-putting to some readers.
I enjoyed this collection, and recommend it to fans of short story collections, history, politics, and cultural stories.
August 6, 2022
Before coming across this book, I had never heard of Vasily Eroshenko, so it was interesting to read a little about his life in the introduction before commencing the stories. It helped to place them in context of his experiences. The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales was a delightful collection of tales, each beautifully crafted and engaging with an thoughtful message and/or commentary on society. I enjoyed the tales penned in Japan more than those written in China, but that just came down to my personal preference for the style of those tales, and other readers may feel differently. Overall, though, this was a wonderful collection, nicely translated and well presented, and I recommend it to anyone interested in modern fairy tales and fantastical short stories. It gets 4.5 stars from me.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I received this book as a free eBook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
August 25, 2022
4/5 stars
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher
I had never heard of Vasily Eroshenko until I read the summary and I ended up finding his life so interesting that I just had to read this. In The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales we are presented with a selection of tales from the author translated into English. There's a diverse mix of tales and autobiographical stories, all of them clearly showing Eroshenko's political leanings and ideals.
I enjoyed most of what I read. I found the prose very lyrical and easy to read. The themes contained in his stories are still relevant in today's world and age. I will say this: I found him a great writer but I would probably not have wanted to have a chat with him.
I would also like to comment on the translation. While I have never read the tales in their original languages so I cannot say how good the translation is I got the sense that there was a lot of hard work behind this. I think Kuplowsky really managed to get the lyricism and tone of the writing.
I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley and the publisher
I had never heard of Vasily Eroshenko until I read the summary and I ended up finding his life so interesting that I just had to read this. In The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales we are presented with a selection of tales from the author translated into English. There's a diverse mix of tales and autobiographical stories, all of them clearly showing Eroshenko's political leanings and ideals.
I enjoyed most of what I read. I found the prose very lyrical and easy to read. The themes contained in his stories are still relevant in today's world and age. I will say this: I found him a great writer but I would probably not have wanted to have a chat with him.
I would also like to comment on the translation. While I have never read the tales in their original languages so I cannot say how good the translation is I got the sense that there was a lot of hard work behind this. I think Kuplowsky really managed to get the lyricism and tone of the writing.
October 16, 2022
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc!
the narrow cage and other modern fairy tales is a collection of short stories that are beautiful to read. they almost reminded me of some of kafka's short stories as they were both parts whimsical and a little scary. eroshenko writes mainly about humanity - albeit through a little bit of cynical lense. most of his stories are narrated through the voice of animals or inanimate objects, and from these narrators we see a harder, colder version of humankind - one that is heavily critiqued by eroshenko thoughout. however, there are many instances of hope within these stories, coming mainly in the form of the youth. this collection was a pleasure to read and has really made me want to expand my reading range!
the narrow cage and other modern fairy tales is a collection of short stories that are beautiful to read. they almost reminded me of some of kafka's short stories as they were both parts whimsical and a little scary. eroshenko writes mainly about humanity - albeit through a little bit of cynical lense. most of his stories are narrated through the voice of animals or inanimate objects, and from these narrators we see a harder, colder version of humankind - one that is heavily critiqued by eroshenko thoughout. however, there are many instances of hope within these stories, coming mainly in the form of the youth. this collection was a pleasure to read and has really made me want to expand my reading range!
March 4, 2023
thank you to netgalley for providing me with an arc!
the narrow cage and other modern fairy tales is a collection of short stories that are beautiful to read. they almost reminded me of some of kafka's short stories as they were both parts whimsical and a little scary. eroshenko writes mainly about humanity - albeit through a little bit of cynical lense. most of his stories are narrated through the voice of animals or inanimate objects, and from these narrators we see a harder, colder version of humankind - one that is heavily critiqued by eroshenko thoughout. however, there are many instances of hope within these stories, coming mainly in the form of the youth. this collection was a pleasure to read and has really made me want to expand my reading range!
the narrow cage and other modern fairy tales is a collection of short stories that are beautiful to read. they almost reminded me of some of kafka's short stories as they were both parts whimsical and a little scary. eroshenko writes mainly about humanity - albeit through a little bit of cynical lense. most of his stories are narrated through the voice of animals or inanimate objects, and from these narrators we see a harder, colder version of humankind - one that is heavily critiqued by eroshenko thoughout. however, there are many instances of hope within these stories, coming mainly in the form of the youth. this collection was a pleasure to read and has really made me want to expand my reading range!
November 15, 2022
*I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Thanks for the free book!*
What a fascinating collection of poems that a blind, Russian born, Esperanto / Japanese writing author, linguist, and teacher wrote when in Japan / China and inspired by the places. The stories are easy to get into, some have quite the exciting twist, others are more conventional or maybe I just didn't get them. Jack Zipes' foreword was also incredibly informative and the entire backstory was fascinating. Eroshenko lived quite the life!
4 stars
What a fascinating collection of poems that a blind, Russian born, Esperanto / Japanese writing author, linguist, and teacher wrote when in Japan / China and inspired by the places. The stories are easy to get into, some have quite the exciting twist, others are more conventional or maybe I just didn't get them. Jack Zipes' foreword was also incredibly informative and the entire backstory was fascinating. Eroshenko lived quite the life!
4 stars
January 16, 2026
Mostly very depressing (ie clear-sighted) texts, no happy endings. Extensive introduction, some non-fairy tale works added at the end. When I was buying the book, it took a long time to locate the only copy the shop had, because the book is so hard to pigeonhole - the author, a blind Ukrainian from Russia, lived in England, Japan and China, writing in Esperanto and Japanese, and was known for his anarchist/socialist politics (I think the book was eventually tracked down by the translator's name).
June 4, 2023
I admit I knew nothing of this author before reading the summary and was pleasantly surprised with the stories and the lessons and observations embedded in them. Tinged with cynicism and pessimism, most are a critique of humanity and humankind, but many offer hope in the future. My favorites were "For the Sake of Mankind" and "The Death of the Canary" because they were relatable and timely and socially relevant.
Equally as interesting as the stories is the author’s life itself – the forward provided insight about him that informed the origins and influence behind the stories. Highly recommended for those who want a socially-inspired slant on fairy tales that shine a light on the human condition and questions our morals.
Thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.
Equally as interesting as the stories is the author’s life itself – the forward provided insight about him that informed the origins and influence behind the stories. Highly recommended for those who want a socially-inspired slant on fairy tales that shine a light on the human condition and questions our morals.
Thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the opportunity to review.
September 4, 2023
Classique moral tales that will transport readers into an old Japan, folklore and the charm of a different area... the fact animals are the main characters of most of those short fables gives it a very specific charm, reminiscent of the children stories of Oscar Wilde. I really enjoyed the stories in this book, especially because I am very familiar with Japanese culture, and because the life of the writer is quite extraordinary. Those are translated tales, from Esperento, writen between 1915 and 1920 by a blind Ukrainian artist living in Japan and China. They have a gentleness and cunning which is rare. If you are a fan of children stories in the classic sense, the ones that were meant to give a view on the world,. hold a twist that reveals a knowledge you should hold for your future, symbolism and the likes, I highly recommend this read. Eroshenko should be a known author and it is remarkable that it is finally translated.
Read
April 30, 2023Many thanks to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for giving me an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I've always been fond of fairy tales, especially those that stray from the Western canon to surface the anxieties and the joys of other cultures. Browsing for a collection to satisfy this particular inclination, Eroshenko's The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales stood out, despite the author being relatively unknown to me at the time, because it boasted of East Asian stories from a Ukrainian writer. The conflation intrigued me. I went into it knowing nothing but the bare bones of what I was getting into, and didn't even think to try and make sense of how I was going to engage with it.
Vasily Eroshenko (or Vasyl Yeroshenko, the introduction kindly supplies, as it is pronounced in Ukrainian) was a colorful figure: left blind after a childhood illness, proponent of Esperanto, at turns beloved and turned away by the countries he'd called home for being too much or too little of a political darling. His writing is infused with the life he lived, his politics coded into dialogue. This collection of fairy tales, translated by Adam Kuplowsky, are rich with his views on disability, society, and humanity. The first, in particular, is an unforgiving lens: he is all too aware of how humans are capable of such cruelty, both to each other and to the world we live in. That is to say, most—if not all—of these stories lean heavy, the way fairy tales do. Props must be given to Kuplowsky, whose translation retains not only the rhythm and the cadence of a fairy tale but also its distinct Asian-ness. (A caveat: I'm only slightly more familiar with Japanese literature, which the first half of this collection focuses on, and can only speak to that specific narrative accent. Levels of translation exist here, but I do feel that the translator has more or less remained loyal to the spirit of the work.) These are easy to read at a technical level, which seems intentional: in the introduction, the form is an ideological apparatus, meant for children new to the workings of the world.
In particular, I was drawn to how Eroshenko writes of disability in this fairy tale universe. Stories like "The Paper Lantern," "Little Pine," and, "For the Sake of Mankind"—though they vary in tone—testify to how the world treats people living with disabilities. From the lack of accessibility at a systemic level, to the way they are treated as something less than human, these stories, told in this way, are a biting critique of things we—as able-bodied folk—take for granted.
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales, a collection translated to English for the first time, is a very strong work, both as a work of translation, but also in general. At the most basic level, its stories are entertaining and thought-provoking. It has heart. It works for children and adults alike. In that sense alone, it has succeeded in bringing Eroshenko to greater readership and public debate.
As a personal aside, I do think that some stories work better than others. For example, "For the Sake of Mankind" (mentioned above) and "The Death of the Canary" have stayed with me since I read them. The inclusion of "Easter," too, was a very welcome addition. The others, I checked off the reading list and not thought of since. I recognize this is my own personal taste, but that said, this isn't a collection that everyone will get into, despite any overarching interest in fairy tales. This is better recommended to those with more of a general interest in broadening their reading. My rating, then, is more a reflection of the strength of the collection as a whole, including all supplementary texts and the translation work.
I've always been fond of fairy tales, especially those that stray from the Western canon to surface the anxieties and the joys of other cultures. Browsing for a collection to satisfy this particular inclination, Eroshenko's The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales stood out, despite the author being relatively unknown to me at the time, because it boasted of East Asian stories from a Ukrainian writer. The conflation intrigued me. I went into it knowing nothing but the bare bones of what I was getting into, and didn't even think to try and make sense of how I was going to engage with it.
Vasily Eroshenko (or Vasyl Yeroshenko, the introduction kindly supplies, as it is pronounced in Ukrainian) was a colorful figure: left blind after a childhood illness, proponent of Esperanto, at turns beloved and turned away by the countries he'd called home for being too much or too little of a political darling. His writing is infused with the life he lived, his politics coded into dialogue. This collection of fairy tales, translated by Adam Kuplowsky, are rich with his views on disability, society, and humanity. The first, in particular, is an unforgiving lens: he is all too aware of how humans are capable of such cruelty, both to each other and to the world we live in. That is to say, most—if not all—of these stories lean heavy, the way fairy tales do. Props must be given to Kuplowsky, whose translation retains not only the rhythm and the cadence of a fairy tale but also its distinct Asian-ness. (A caveat: I'm only slightly more familiar with Japanese literature, which the first half of this collection focuses on, and can only speak to that specific narrative accent. Levels of translation exist here, but I do feel that the translator has more or less remained loyal to the spirit of the work.) These are easy to read at a technical level, which seems intentional: in the introduction, the form is an ideological apparatus, meant for children new to the workings of the world.
In particular, I was drawn to how Eroshenko writes of disability in this fairy tale universe. Stories like "The Paper Lantern," "Little Pine," and, "For the Sake of Mankind"—though they vary in tone—testify to how the world treats people living with disabilities. From the lack of accessibility at a systemic level, to the way they are treated as something less than human, these stories, told in this way, are a biting critique of things we—as able-bodied folk—take for granted.
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales, a collection translated to English for the first time, is a very strong work, both as a work of translation, but also in general. At the most basic level, its stories are entertaining and thought-provoking. It has heart. It works for children and adults alike. In that sense alone, it has succeeded in bringing Eroshenko to greater readership and public debate.
As a personal aside, I do think that some stories work better than others. For example, "For the Sake of Mankind" (mentioned above) and "The Death of the Canary" have stayed with me since I read them. The inclusion of "Easter," too, was a very welcome addition. The others, I checked off the reading list and not thought of since. I recognize this is my own personal taste, but that said, this isn't a collection that everyone will get into, despite any overarching interest in fairy tales. This is better recommended to those with more of a general interest in broadening their reading. My rating, then, is more a reflection of the strength of the collection as a whole, including all supplementary texts and the translation work.
March 14, 2024
*Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for granting me access to an early copy of this book*
Why I Requested This: Mostly this was a curiosity for me, a random selection based on a quick first impression. What initially caught my interest was the fact that this was a translated book of a blind author's writing. Not only that but these works were written in the early 20th century, a time of epic changes in the world but in particular the East. Due to the author's background and date of these stories, it seemed like a good combination to produce interesting political fables.
Overall Thoughts: I reread all but one story to refresh my thoughts on each story and to see if I felt the same about the collection overall (the one I skipped involved animal torture which is deeply triggering to me). Reading it a second time I found that much of the magic was lost, but as fables they continue to work. The stories are similar to each other in terms themes and structure so I will not be reviewing each one individually but rather the collection as a whole, though for anyone interested my favorites were Spring Night's Dream, The Martyr, and Father Time. If there was one theme that defines this narrative it would be oppression and how it is justified and delivered to different people. As a result this collection was depressing because almost every single story ends in tragedy, with the death of an innocent (usually animals but occasionally human children). I would almost call Eroshenko an anarchist because of his heavy skepticism toward of any sort of governing body or system (at least based on the stories alone), but he's not entirely wrong in his criticisms. There is oppression present in many forms of government and religion due to their hierarchal nature but each one tries to portray each other as correct and superior based only on what they believe. As a result many characters in Eroshenko's stories are ignorant and hypocritical (if not outright cruel or helpless), and this is portrayed best in The Narrow Cage and The Death of a Canary. While this doesn't make for light reading, it does make for thought provoking reading (which I prefer) and despite being about 100 years old it has aged decently.
Another thing of a note was the cultural mixing. While there are same elements that are coincidently the same in Eastern European and East Asian culture (like Death being a female figure, I think) many were from distinct cultures, such as religious structures and deities. Perhaps this was done intentionally to emphasize both the changing times as global travel became more common but also to emphasize the universality of the themes. To end this review I do want to point out a few things that speak to Eroshenko as a person more so than a writer. He was blind and this is portrayed in a few protagonists but what is interesting is that there tended to be an element of romance in those stories. The other thing is that the last four stories were from his time in China, and according to the introduction he did not like being in China, and I definitely got that vibe in those stories (especially the first one). To wrap things up, I wouldn't go so far as to call this a masterpiece but it is worthwhile reading because of the perspective it is coming from and the relevance of its themes. I am glad it was translated and that I took a chance on it.
Why I Requested This: Mostly this was a curiosity for me, a random selection based on a quick first impression. What initially caught my interest was the fact that this was a translated book of a blind author's writing. Not only that but these works were written in the early 20th century, a time of epic changes in the world but in particular the East. Due to the author's background and date of these stories, it seemed like a good combination to produce interesting political fables.
Overall Thoughts: I reread all but one story to refresh my thoughts on each story and to see if I felt the same about the collection overall (the one I skipped involved animal torture which is deeply triggering to me). Reading it a second time I found that much of the magic was lost, but as fables they continue to work. The stories are similar to each other in terms themes and structure so I will not be reviewing each one individually but rather the collection as a whole, though for anyone interested my favorites were Spring Night's Dream, The Martyr, and Father Time. If there was one theme that defines this narrative it would be oppression and how it is justified and delivered to different people. As a result this collection was depressing because almost every single story ends in tragedy, with the death of an innocent (usually animals but occasionally human children). I would almost call Eroshenko an anarchist because of his heavy skepticism toward of any sort of governing body or system (at least based on the stories alone), but he's not entirely wrong in his criticisms. There is oppression present in many forms of government and religion due to their hierarchal nature but each one tries to portray each other as correct and superior based only on what they believe. As a result many characters in Eroshenko's stories are ignorant and hypocritical (if not outright cruel or helpless), and this is portrayed best in The Narrow Cage and The Death of a Canary. While this doesn't make for light reading, it does make for thought provoking reading (which I prefer) and despite being about 100 years old it has aged decently.
Another thing of a note was the cultural mixing. While there are same elements that are coincidently the same in Eastern European and East Asian culture (like Death being a female figure, I think) many were from distinct cultures, such as religious structures and deities. Perhaps this was done intentionally to emphasize both the changing times as global travel became more common but also to emphasize the universality of the themes. To end this review I do want to point out a few things that speak to Eroshenko as a person more so than a writer. He was blind and this is portrayed in a few protagonists but what is interesting is that there tended to be an element of romance in those stories. The other thing is that the last four stories were from his time in China, and according to the introduction he did not like being in China, and I definitely got that vibe in those stories (especially the first one). To wrap things up, I wouldn't go so far as to call this a masterpiece but it is worthwhile reading because of the perspective it is coming from and the relevance of its themes. I am glad it was translated and that I took a chance on it.
October 30, 2022
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is a beautiful collection of stories written by a social activist who urges radical transformation. Vasily Eroshenko was a blind Ukrainian writer who adopted Japan and China as his home during the political turbulence of the early 20th century. Renowned fairy tale scholar Jack Zipes explains in his foreword that Eroshenko uses an experimental prose style to expose the racism and hypocrisy at the core of western civilization. Taken together, the fairy tales in this collection provide a message of hope and transformation.
I loved this collection of fairy tales. The writer, who lost his sight during his childhood, fills the tales with beautiful images like gold and silver butterflies and a setting sun that looks like “a purple shipwreck on the horizon”. The collection, which is divided into Japanese and Chinese tales, is permeated with characters who are physically or metaphorically blind, and many of the stories feature characters who try to escape the cages which confine them. In the title story, a tiger dreams of freeing animals who are fenced into pastures and people who are imprisoned in palaces, but each is a slave of man and is afraid of freedom. Other stories illustrate the common fate of the rich and poor who wait while Death, “drunk on the fragrance of spring”, stalks the halls of the hospital wearing her long white veil.
My favorite stories explore the depths of true love. One features a goldfish and firefly who fall deeply in love and sacrifice their coveted scales and wings for one another when they are captured and placed into a bowl and a cage. Another, “The Tale of the Paper Lantern”, reads “she lit me with her love and lined me with the words I love you only. Indeed, her love was life itself, and brightly did I shine by it”.
The collection is also full of sadness; a scholarly young mouse who reads the books lining a politician’s shelves meets a terrible fate at the hands of a cat, a woman raises a baby she finds abandoned in a grove of pines, and a tree stands witness to human joy and pain as its young leaves sing hymns to the sun, the night, and the stars. Beneath this heart wrenching melancholy is a strain of hope that beautiful stories can save the world. The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is the kind of collection that can be read over and over. It is a wonderful complement to traditional fairy tales. Highly recommend to all who are interested in the power and beauty of storytelling!
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.
I loved this collection of fairy tales. The writer, who lost his sight during his childhood, fills the tales with beautiful images like gold and silver butterflies and a setting sun that looks like “a purple shipwreck on the horizon”. The collection, which is divided into Japanese and Chinese tales, is permeated with characters who are physically or metaphorically blind, and many of the stories feature characters who try to escape the cages which confine them. In the title story, a tiger dreams of freeing animals who are fenced into pastures and people who are imprisoned in palaces, but each is a slave of man and is afraid of freedom. Other stories illustrate the common fate of the rich and poor who wait while Death, “drunk on the fragrance of spring”, stalks the halls of the hospital wearing her long white veil.
My favorite stories explore the depths of true love. One features a goldfish and firefly who fall deeply in love and sacrifice their coveted scales and wings for one another when they are captured and placed into a bowl and a cage. Another, “The Tale of the Paper Lantern”, reads “she lit me with her love and lined me with the words I love you only. Indeed, her love was life itself, and brightly did I shine by it”.
The collection is also full of sadness; a scholarly young mouse who reads the books lining a politician’s shelves meets a terrible fate at the hands of a cat, a woman raises a baby she finds abandoned in a grove of pines, and a tree stands witness to human joy and pain as its young leaves sing hymns to the sun, the night, and the stars. Beneath this heart wrenching melancholy is a strain of hope that beautiful stories can save the world. The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is the kind of collection that can be read over and over. It is a wonderful complement to traditional fairy tales. Highly recommend to all who are interested in the power and beauty of storytelling!
Thank you to NetGalley for a free copy of the book in exchange for a fair review.
October 5, 2022
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales, by Vasily Eroshenko, translated by Adam Kuplowsky
Vasily Eroshenko (1890- 1952) was a Ukrainian writer, humanist and revolutionary who not only wrote political fairy tales—he lived them. The most interesting part of this collection of 17 of Eroshenko’s stories, written between 1915 and 1923 when the author lived in Japan and China, is the fascinating introduction by Adam Kuplowsky. In it, some of the highlights of Eroshenko’s tumultuous life are recounted.
Blinded by childhood measles, Eroshenko was sent to Moscow as a boy to study. After graduation he joins a blind orchestra, and also learns Esperanto, a synthetic language that was espoused by progressives of the day. The language will become his ticket to travel around the world. He studies in London, where he learns that in Japan, blind people are respected as masseurs and acupuncturists. In 1914 he travels across Siberia to Japan. Always dressed in a Ukrainian peasant blouse and carrying a balalaika, in Tokyo he is drawn into socialist and anarchist circles. He gets deported from Japan and winds up, after travelling throughout Southeast Asia, lecturing at Beijing University.
The stories themselves are more fables than fairy tales, usually with animal protagonists, with clear political messages. They are interesting if only because they reflect the political and social issues of the time. Suffragists are both lauded and mocked in the satirical The Death of the Canary, where a caged canary escapes to freedom. But when he wants to learn about socialism, he’s bullied and eventually killed, leaving the Housewife to conclude that monogamy, not free love, is the way to restructure the family unit.
In the rather grim For the Sake of Mankind a human researcher dissects animals to learn more about the human nervous system—and eventually kills both his son and wife in his research.
Eroshenko was Aesop with a difference. None of the stories, though well crafted, resonated with me, but Eroshenko does deserve to be better known, as a disability activist and a man who helped provoke and move others to action. This book will be of interest to anyone who enjoys fables (there’s a foreword by Jack Zipes!) and fairy tales.
Many thanks to Net Galley for an advanced review of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Vasily Eroshenko (1890- 1952) was a Ukrainian writer, humanist and revolutionary who not only wrote political fairy tales—he lived them. The most interesting part of this collection of 17 of Eroshenko’s stories, written between 1915 and 1923 when the author lived in Japan and China, is the fascinating introduction by Adam Kuplowsky. In it, some of the highlights of Eroshenko’s tumultuous life are recounted.
Blinded by childhood measles, Eroshenko was sent to Moscow as a boy to study. After graduation he joins a blind orchestra, and also learns Esperanto, a synthetic language that was espoused by progressives of the day. The language will become his ticket to travel around the world. He studies in London, where he learns that in Japan, blind people are respected as masseurs and acupuncturists. In 1914 he travels across Siberia to Japan. Always dressed in a Ukrainian peasant blouse and carrying a balalaika, in Tokyo he is drawn into socialist and anarchist circles. He gets deported from Japan and winds up, after travelling throughout Southeast Asia, lecturing at Beijing University.
The stories themselves are more fables than fairy tales, usually with animal protagonists, with clear political messages. They are interesting if only because they reflect the political and social issues of the time. Suffragists are both lauded and mocked in the satirical The Death of the Canary, where a caged canary escapes to freedom. But when he wants to learn about socialism, he’s bullied and eventually killed, leaving the Housewife to conclude that monogamy, not free love, is the way to restructure the family unit.
In the rather grim For the Sake of Mankind a human researcher dissects animals to learn more about the human nervous system—and eventually kills both his son and wife in his research.
Eroshenko was Aesop with a difference. None of the stories, though well crafted, resonated with me, but Eroshenko does deserve to be better known, as a disability activist and a man who helped provoke and move others to action. This book will be of interest to anyone who enjoys fables (there’s a foreword by Jack Zipes!) and fairy tales.
Many thanks to Net Galley for an advanced review of this book in exchange for an honest review.
November 12, 2022
For once I kind of stepped away from reviewing these admittedly academe-bound books from my humble general browser point of view, and looked at things from another angle. For over the past year I have become a keen spoken word storyteller, and found the idea of semi-lost, political fairy tales from the 1920s right up my street. The fact I only found one work here worth cribbing from is a personal disappointment, but at the same time I think the general browser would likewise not particularly regret her or his time with this, but not find too much to love.
The best story here, for one, is that of the author – blinded due to measles as a four year old, he became a multi-nationalist and socialist, hating the authority his blind school forced on him that he could so easily see through, learnt Esperanto – as many people of the time did, apparently, for its woke, anti-colonialist global vocab, tried his best at being a musician, then became a teacher and literature specialist – while dropping into one or two competitive blind players' chess tournaments. That and a couple of times when he was deported made his biography a rich thing indeed.
We get that from a nicely spoiler-free introduction, before the stories. And they certainly start out as fairy tales, although not specifically for young audiences whatsoever. Sometimes the politics are drummed into you, others – such as the tale I told publicly, of eagle princes swapped for human children – it's more gentle. But the majority of cases are not exactly the Brothers Grimm, and many are too obtuse, weird and wacky for general populist approval.
I know, these books are not seeking populist approval, but the genre here would gain more attention than most in this imprint, and as long as I can see them I will consider them alongside all I can give them – a blokey, populist look. And the later chunks of this, featuring some inherently skippable fairy tales, and more autobiographical, showing-the-range-of-the-man pieces, remain readable and yet essential reading in very few minds. While this contains the type of story very, very few people will have encountered before these pages, their general reading appeal is debatable. The academic attributes this volume has, and its filling in a gap for a long-forgotten author, are once again most admirable.
The best story here, for one, is that of the author – blinded due to measles as a four year old, he became a multi-nationalist and socialist, hating the authority his blind school forced on him that he could so easily see through, learnt Esperanto – as many people of the time did, apparently, for its woke, anti-colonialist global vocab, tried his best at being a musician, then became a teacher and literature specialist – while dropping into one or two competitive blind players' chess tournaments. That and a couple of times when he was deported made his biography a rich thing indeed.
We get that from a nicely spoiler-free introduction, before the stories. And they certainly start out as fairy tales, although not specifically for young audiences whatsoever. Sometimes the politics are drummed into you, others – such as the tale I told publicly, of eagle princes swapped for human children – it's more gentle. But the majority of cases are not exactly the Brothers Grimm, and many are too obtuse, weird and wacky for general populist approval.
I know, these books are not seeking populist approval, but the genre here would gain more attention than most in this imprint, and as long as I can see them I will consider them alongside all I can give them – a blokey, populist look. And the later chunks of this, featuring some inherently skippable fairy tales, and more autobiographical, showing-the-range-of-the-man pieces, remain readable and yet essential reading in very few minds. While this contains the type of story very, very few people will have encountered before these pages, their general reading appeal is debatable. The academic attributes this volume has, and its filling in a gap for a long-forgotten author, are once again most admirable.
August 5, 2025
Another great random pull from my library's new release shelf! I was drawn in by the gorgeous cover, and then by the description of the author, who was "a blind multilingual Esperantist from Ukraine who joined left-wing circles in Japan and befriended the famous modernist writer Lu Xun in China." (From GR.)
If possible, avoid the foreword. I can't believe that there is such a cringy, ableist beginning to Eroshenko's writing. He needs to take a big step back, because his foreword is downright embarrassing and offensive: "How can a blind storyteller see the world more clearly than most people who have their sight? Or, do we really have our sight? Are we born only to be blinded by commodified screens and rosy glasses? Do we need a blind storyteller to awaken us to the conditions that tend to blind us? Are some so-called fairy tales too dark to bear?"
The introduction by Adam Kuplowsky, meanwhile, should absolutely not be skipped. He introduces Eroshenko as "an esperantist. A humanist. An egoist. A partisan. An anarchist. A 'red' Russian. A 'white' Russian. A Ukrainian. […] As a social activist and writer of political fairytales, he sought to critique the oppressive institutions and conditions that incite violence and conflict around the world, and he urged people, young and old, to radically transform their societies."
Although Eroshenko became relatively famous/infamous in Japan and China, he and his writing remains relatively unknown to the rest of the world. This collection combines 17 of his fairytales, plus 5 more stories in the appendix that aren't quite fairytales, and to me seemed a lot like critiques, journal entries, or stories written as a release.
As in all collections, there is a wide variety of stories that I liked and disliked. The best one, by far, is "The Sad Little Fish," in which the belief that all things are the property of man is criticized.
Other standouts include
- A Spring Night's Dream
- The Mad Cat
- The Narrow Cage
- My Expulsion from Japan
This is an interesting case where the author was more interesting than his stories. I would have loved a collection that was half biography and half collective works—but as it is I really appreciated what I've learned and read here!
If possible, avoid the foreword. I can't believe that there is such a cringy, ableist beginning to Eroshenko's writing. He needs to take a big step back, because his foreword is downright embarrassing and offensive: "How can a blind storyteller see the world more clearly than most people who have their sight? Or, do we really have our sight? Are we born only to be blinded by commodified screens and rosy glasses? Do we need a blind storyteller to awaken us to the conditions that tend to blind us? Are some so-called fairy tales too dark to bear?"
The introduction by Adam Kuplowsky, meanwhile, should absolutely not be skipped. He introduces Eroshenko as "an esperantist. A humanist. An egoist. A partisan. An anarchist. A 'red' Russian. A 'white' Russian. A Ukrainian. […] As a social activist and writer of political fairytales, he sought to critique the oppressive institutions and conditions that incite violence and conflict around the world, and he urged people, young and old, to radically transform their societies."
Although Eroshenko became relatively famous/infamous in Japan and China, he and his writing remains relatively unknown to the rest of the world. This collection combines 17 of his fairytales, plus 5 more stories in the appendix that aren't quite fairytales, and to me seemed a lot like critiques, journal entries, or stories written as a release.
As in all collections, there is a wide variety of stories that I liked and disliked. The best one, by far, is "The Sad Little Fish," in which the belief that all things are the property of man is criticized.
Other standouts include
- A Spring Night's Dream
- The Mad Cat
- The Narrow Cage
- My Expulsion from Japan
This is an interesting case where the author was more interesting than his stories. I would have loved a collection that was half biography and half collective works—but as it is I really appreciated what I've learned and read here!
January 17, 2023
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales was a collection of stories for sure, but it was also a small biography of a very interesting author.
I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to Columbia University Press and Netgalley for the opportunity.
I have my own blog now, so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)
Release date: 7th of March 2023.
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I requested this book, or collection thinking that I'll be reading a few stories and that will be all that I take away with me. But, given the interesting addition of the biography, in a way, of Vasily Eroshenko, I find that his life is the one that got me to stay till the end.
It's not easy writing a book, collection or story as an able-bodied individual, but to be able to come up with several of them while being blind and going through the things that he did? That's just impressive. And easily, the main reason why I continued reading till the end.
I do know that my way of writing, may sound on the disappointed side, but that was not the case for the most part.
In clearer words, when an entire collection is written by the same person, it tends to mesh together for me after the first few. It happened in the anthology I read earlier this year by Sam J. Miller, and it has happened here again.
That in itself, is not something I consider bad given that my perception is going to be different to others, but I do consider it something that I like to avoid when reading anything. The silver lining here however, is that the stories are still very relevant and the pseudo fairy tale way they're being told can make it pretty accessible to most adults.
The few that stuck the most for me, were The Sad Little Fish, The Death of the Canary and The Narrow Cage. Although I still consider his life story, to be the best The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales has to offer. I wouldn't have found out about him without this book however and that in itself, makes this collection of stories a very deserving read.
I have received this book in exchange of an honest review, thank you to Columbia University Press and Netgalley for the opportunity.
I have my own blog now, so please do give it a visit if you're interested in my other reviews :)
Release date: 7th of March 2023.
───────────────────
I requested this book, or collection thinking that I'll be reading a few stories and that will be all that I take away with me. But, given the interesting addition of the biography, in a way, of Vasily Eroshenko, I find that his life is the one that got me to stay till the end.
It's not easy writing a book, collection or story as an able-bodied individual, but to be able to come up with several of them while being blind and going through the things that he did? That's just impressive. And easily, the main reason why I continued reading till the end.
I do know that my way of writing, may sound on the disappointed side, but that was not the case for the most part.
In clearer words, when an entire collection is written by the same person, it tends to mesh together for me after the first few. It happened in the anthology I read earlier this year by Sam J. Miller, and it has happened here again.
That in itself, is not something I consider bad given that my perception is going to be different to others, but I do consider it something that I like to avoid when reading anything. The silver lining here however, is that the stories are still very relevant and the pseudo fairy tale way they're being told can make it pretty accessible to most adults.
The few that stuck the most for me, were The Sad Little Fish, The Death of the Canary and The Narrow Cage. Although I still consider his life story, to be the best The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales has to offer. I wouldn't have found out about him without this book however and that in itself, makes this collection of stories a very deserving read.
September 20, 2022
How do you describe with words a book that made you feel like a child again? But at the same time, it made you feel more empathetic as an adult?
Reading Vasily Eroshenko's work, was like reading again Aesop's Fables. As an avid fan of Japanese folklore, this book was a pleasant journey. I liked the fact that this book contained both Japanese and Chinese Tales, but also some personal experiences of the writer.
I honestly can't chose which one was my favorite, it is impossible. Of the Japanese Tales I really liked "An Eagle's Heart", but also "Little Pine" and "Two Little Deaths". All three stories were sad, but all three of them taught me something. "An Eagle's Heart" 's gist was that pride and hope are of utmost importance, and once they're crushed, a person can be changed inside and out. "Little Pine" made me so emotional and it emphasized how much fragile life is. Finally, "Two Little Deaths" underlined the power of humility, and how Death is equal to all, regardless of social status or economic standing. On the other hand, what pleasantly surprised me was the totality of Chinese Tales. The one that will stay with me though is definitely"Father Time", and I think that this story would be beautiful in an audiobook form.
I also liked the writer's stories from his own life, as a student in school for blind cildren, how they saw the world with the rest of their senses and the way they were perceived as from their entourage. How growing up his work and his circle impacted his life.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book is out on March 7 2023!
Reading Vasily Eroshenko's work, was like reading again Aesop's Fables. As an avid fan of Japanese folklore, this book was a pleasant journey. I liked the fact that this book contained both Japanese and Chinese Tales, but also some personal experiences of the writer.
I honestly can't chose which one was my favorite, it is impossible. Of the Japanese Tales I really liked "An Eagle's Heart", but also "Little Pine" and "Two Little Deaths". All three stories were sad, but all three of them taught me something. "An Eagle's Heart" 's gist was that pride and hope are of utmost importance, and once they're crushed, a person can be changed inside and out. "Little Pine" made me so emotional and it emphasized how much fragile life is. Finally, "Two Little Deaths" underlined the power of humility, and how Death is equal to all, regardless of social status or economic standing. On the other hand, what pleasantly surprised me was the totality of Chinese Tales. The one that will stay with me though is definitely"Father Time", and I think that this story would be beautiful in an audiobook form.
I also liked the writer's stories from his own life, as a student in school for blind cildren, how they saw the world with the rest of their senses and the way they were perceived as from their entourage. How growing up his work and his circle impacted his life.
Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book is out on March 7 2023!
November 23, 2022
NETGALLEY ARC
Writing Style: 4
Cover: 4
Enjoyment: 4
Buyable/Re-readable?: Yeah, I think so.
4.5 ★
Uh, why am I just now learning about this gem of a writer? This collection at times reminded me of 'After the Romanovs' book I read earlier this year, with the displacement/diaspora/exile. There are fables and the like in the first portion, and then we're treated to some tales from him directly in first person, covering experiences in China, Japan, and Russia. Strong messages in every piece, some of which didn't translate well for me, which was fine. I still enjoyed this; thoroughly. I would discuss it aloud with my husband whilst reading.
NOTES -
⇉ He chose a mosquito??? D; (In a tale titled 'The Martyr' and the little insect is just so endearing that I instantly loved them.)
⇉ Ch. 9 ; I'm not crying, you're crying.
⇉ Ch. 16 ; Seems akin to the oppression of religion and those rising up to defy it, despite warnings (ex: homosexuality means Hell even though, supposedly, "God loves all").
Writing Style: 4
Cover: 4
Enjoyment: 4
Buyable/Re-readable?: Yeah, I think so.
4.5 ★
"The present collection is intended to provide an overview of Eroshenko’s engagement with the fairy-tale form, with particular emphasis given to tales in which he employed subversive techniques and experimental prose styles to provoke and raise the political consciousness of his readers. Each tale has been selected for the various social and political injustices they highlight, the experimental techniques they exhibit, and the value they have as biographical or historical commentary."
Uh, why am I just now learning about this gem of a writer? This collection at times reminded me of 'After the Romanovs' book I read earlier this year, with the displacement/diaspora/exile. There are fables and the like in the first portion, and then we're treated to some tales from him directly in first person, covering experiences in China, Japan, and Russia. Strong messages in every piece, some of which didn't translate well for me, which was fine. I still enjoyed this; thoroughly. I would discuss it aloud with my husband whilst reading.
NOTES -
⇉ He chose a mosquito??? D; (In a tale titled 'The Martyr' and the little insect is just so endearing that I instantly loved them.)
⇉ Ch. 9 ; I'm not crying, you're crying.
⇉ Ch. 16 ; Seems akin to the oppression of religion and those rising up to defy it, despite warnings (ex: homosexuality means Hell even though, supposedly, "God loves all").
July 29, 2022
The collection of stories here are a delightfully curious bunch. They are clearly modeled in classical fairy tale style, especially with their primarily non-human casts and frequent fantastical elements, but their intended lessons are clearly not the same as the you’d find in say, a Hans Christian Anderson collection. Some of them clearly jumped out at me, like a tale about a young fish and its thinly failed-stab at religion, but admittedly there are quite a few of them whose leftist themes I still haven’t figured out yet. However, that’s not meant as a criticism. These tales were clearly written for a particular context in history, and so far I’ve actually quite enjoyed the time spent reflecting and trying to discern their greater meaning and to see just how potentially applicable I find them today.
To be perfectly honest though, I think I would have just enjoyed this for the forward alone and for the opportunity to learn about Vasily Eronshenko, creator of these fairy tales. A blind man who spoke many languages but was strongly involved in the Esperanto movement, lived all around Europe, China, and particularly in Japan, and whose extensive resume included massage therapist, lecturer, musician, left-wing activist, and lecturer. To put it succinctly, the life he lived was a fascinating one, and I enjoyed being able to follow it in greater detail in the short biography that starts off his collection. And between that and the stories themselves, The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales has been making for a delightfully unique reading experience.
To be perfectly honest though, I think I would have just enjoyed this for the forward alone and for the opportunity to learn about Vasily Eronshenko, creator of these fairy tales. A blind man who spoke many languages but was strongly involved in the Esperanto movement, lived all around Europe, China, and particularly in Japan, and whose extensive resume included massage therapist, lecturer, musician, left-wing activist, and lecturer. To put it succinctly, the life he lived was a fascinating one, and I enjoyed being able to follow it in greater detail in the short biography that starts off his collection. And between that and the stories themselves, The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales has been making for a delightfully unique reading experience.
July 30, 2022
Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review!
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales by Vasily Eroshenko is an amazing collection of political fairy tales that have been translated from Esperanto and Japanese. According to the description, the author of these fairy tales was a "blind multilingual Esperantist from Ukraine who joined left-wing circles in Japan and befriended the famous modernist writer Lu Xun in China". He was well-known for his politics, which can be seen in the fairy tales. They reminded me of Aesop's Fables or the fairy tales of Oscar Wilde.
Overall, The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is a wonderful collection of fairy tales that would be perfect for classroom use. It would be great to see if students can find the political beliefs hidden in the fairy tales. Here are some of my favorites. The fairy tale "The Sad Little Fish" has hidden messages about how humans treat the animal kingdom. "A Spring Night's Dream" is about an elf and a nymph who want a goldfish's scales and dragonfly's wings. Lastly, in "For the Sake of Mankind," a human boy puts on a dogskin and becomes a dog. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I wish I knew why the translator, Adam Kuplowsky, said some of the poet's tales were not fit to read and didn't include them in the collection. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fairy tales, you can check out this book when it comes out in March!
The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales by Vasily Eroshenko is an amazing collection of political fairy tales that have been translated from Esperanto and Japanese. According to the description, the author of these fairy tales was a "blind multilingual Esperantist from Ukraine who joined left-wing circles in Japan and befriended the famous modernist writer Lu Xun in China". He was well-known for his politics, which can be seen in the fairy tales. They reminded me of Aesop's Fables or the fairy tales of Oscar Wilde.
Overall, The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is a wonderful collection of fairy tales that would be perfect for classroom use. It would be great to see if students can find the political beliefs hidden in the fairy tales. Here are some of my favorites. The fairy tale "The Sad Little Fish" has hidden messages about how humans treat the animal kingdom. "A Spring Night's Dream" is about an elf and a nymph who want a goldfish's scales and dragonfly's wings. Lastly, in "For the Sake of Mankind," a human boy puts on a dogskin and becomes a dog. If I had to complain about 1 thing, I wish I knew why the translator, Adam Kuplowsky, said some of the poet's tales were not fit to read and didn't include them in the collection. If you're intrigued by the excerpt above, or if you're a fan of fairy tales, you can check out this book when it comes out in March!
November 13, 2023
Mi ne vidas recenzojn de esperantistoj ĉi tie, do se vi (kiel mi) interesiĝis pri la libro pro tio, espereble mia recenzo helpemas.
I bought the book as an Esperantist, knowing Eroshenko in the context of his Esperanto activity. The foreword did a great job (despite a few issues on the Esperanto history side) giving an overview of his life which I really enjoyed.
The fairy tales themselves fell a bit flat for me. I know the point is that they subvert traditional expectations, but in practice that doesn't mean there is a different message, just no message at all. For example, there might be a creature who is on a quest for justice, and instead of being succesful, they accidentaly get killed along the way. After the first story where this happened, that approach slightly lost its novelty.
Generally I feel Esperanto wasn't featured enough in the book. The foreword does its due diligence, but although the author says he translated several of the works from Esperanto, but beyond him telling you that, there is no evidence of it. I get the impression that he primarily translated the works from Chinese and Japanese, with the Esperanto being more of a "in case of doubt check that translation too". Would have been nice for explanations and context of each story to have been peppered throughout in that sense.
I bought the book as an Esperantist, knowing Eroshenko in the context of his Esperanto activity. The foreword did a great job (despite a few issues on the Esperanto history side) giving an overview of his life which I really enjoyed.
The fairy tales themselves fell a bit flat for me. I know the point is that they subvert traditional expectations, but in practice that doesn't mean there is a different message, just no message at all. For example, there might be a creature who is on a quest for justice, and instead of being succesful, they accidentaly get killed along the way. After the first story where this happened, that approach slightly lost its novelty.
Generally I feel Esperanto wasn't featured enough in the book. The foreword does its due diligence, but although the author says he translated several of the works from Esperanto, but beyond him telling you that, there is no evidence of it. I get the impression that he primarily translated the works from Chinese and Japanese, with the Esperanto being more of a "in case of doubt check that translation too". Would have been nice for explanations and context of each story to have been peppered throughout in that sense.
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