What do you think?
Rate this book
Russian Émigré Short Stories from Bunin to Yanovsky
A landmark anthology that will introduce many extraordinary, unknown Russian writers to an English-language readership for the first time
Fleeing Russia amid the chaos of the Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War, many writers went on to settle in Paris, Berlin and elsewhere and forged new lives in exile. Much of their subsequent work, published in Russian language magazines and books, is entirely unknown in the West and has only been recently discovered in Russia itself. As well as including stories by the most famous émigré writers, Vladimir Nabokov and Ivan Bunin, this collection introduces many lesser known Yuri Felzen, known as "the Russian Proust", Nadezhda Teffi, the hugely popular and funny story writer, and Georgy Ivanov, whose work of poetic prose "The Atom Explodes" is a brilliant, haunting response to the upheaval and trauma of emigration. Exploring themes of displacement, nostalgia, loss and new beginnings, this anthology will transform the Anglophone world's understanding of Russian émigré writing in the twentieth century.
Fleeing Russia amid the chaos of the Russian Revolution and subsequent Civil War, many writers went on to settle in Paris, Berlin and elsewhere and forged new lives in exile. Much of their subsequent work, published in Russian language magazines and books, is entirely unknown in the West and has only been recently discovered in Russia itself. As well as including stories by the most famous émigré writers, Vladimir Nabokov and Ivan Bunin, this collection introduces many lesser known Yuri Felzen, known as "the Russian Proust", Nadezhda Teffi, the hugely popular and funny story writer, and Georgy Ivanov, whose work of poetic prose "The Atom Explodes" is a brilliant, haunting response to the upheaval and trauma of emigration. Exploring themes of displacement, nostalgia, loss and new beginnings, this anthology will transform the Anglophone world's understanding of Russian émigré writing in the twentieth century.
400 pages, Paperback
First published April 27, 2017
25 people are currently reading
385 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
September 1, 2017
The only writer I was familiar with in this collection was Nabokov. So the other stories were kind of like blind dates.
In reading the author's mini bio in the back of the book you see that many didn't have solid lives after immigrating. Many of them passed away from illnesses such as Tuberculosis. And the most heart wrenching ends were the ones who died alone and forgotten in hospitals in foreign countries.
The authors in this collection who stood out to me the most were Teffi, Nina Berberova, and Gaito Gazdanov. I already have one of Bererova's books in my collection that I found by chance at a charity shop.
I hope this Penguin anthology helps generate intrest in these writers and causes more of their works to be published.
In reading the author's mini bio in the back of the book you see that many didn't have solid lives after immigrating. Many of them passed away from illnesses such as Tuberculosis. And the most heart wrenching ends were the ones who died alone and forgotten in hospitals in foreign countries.
The authors in this collection who stood out to me the most were Teffi, Nina Berberova, and Gaito Gazdanov. I already have one of Bererova's books in my collection that I found by chance at a charity shop.
I hope this Penguin anthology helps generate intrest in these writers and causes more of their works to be published.
February 26, 2018
20 authors. 35 short stories. Reading anything in translation can be hit or miss, but in terms of scope this collection captures a diverse range of styles. Here international literary giants like Vladimir Nabokov and Ivan Bunin share the stage with (and receive as much or little stage time as) lesser known émigré writers, such as Sasha Chorny and Vladislav Khodasevich (who both contain glowing commendations from Nabokov in their author biographies... 'He left only a few books, and a quiet, beauteous shadow'). The editor's introduction sets the stage for the stories to follow; artists in exile, dreams of alienation and of home. The chosen stories too mostly focus on alienation, exile and Russia. The styles are reminiscient of other European authors of the period, and the schools of literature that followed. While not every author may leave the same lasting impact on your mind, the collection as a whole does bring together a diverse range of voices, perhaps never before heard in such succession in an English edition.
January 9, 2023
Finally finished this gorgeous collection after FIVE years! I originally bought it at Shakespeare and Company on my first trip to Paris in 2017 (I even still have the original bookmark it came with) and have been reading it on and off since then. I like the idea of reading a book like this over a long span of time — I only wish I'd scribbled down a few notes about each story to look back on because I've forgotten so many of them... guess I'll just have to read them all over again.
I also want to note what an expertly compiled collection this is (though Penguin collections usually are!). It's arranged chronologically by the writers' lifespans and includes copious details about the publication of each story, the authors' biographies, and plenty of footnotes expounding upon the historical context, literary references, etc. Any Russian lit fan will adore it; the beautiful cover design is just the cherry on top.
I also want to note what an expertly compiled collection this is (though Penguin collections usually are!). It's arranged chronologically by the writers' lifespans and includes copious details about the publication of each story, the authors' biographies, and plenty of footnotes expounding upon the historical context, literary references, etc. Any Russian lit fan will adore it; the beautiful cover design is just the cherry on top.
May 13, 2018
First, this is the first time I actually brought a thick physical copy book on a trip, and finished it during the trip. Partly because connectivity in the country I went to wasn't great.
Anyway, it's quite a noteworthy book as there haven't been many extensive compilations of emigre short stories before this. While the stories were interesting, not all were easy to understand. A lot of the value of this book is in the introduction and background to the context of many of the stories and their authors, and also the very informative profiles of the authors at the back, together with the footnotes which provide quite some historical insights. So read the author profile and footnotes carefully as they're really worth it.
Anyway, it's quite a noteworthy book as there haven't been many extensive compilations of emigre short stories before this. While the stories were interesting, not all were easy to understand. A lot of the value of this book is in the introduction and background to the context of many of the stories and their authors, and also the very informative profiles of the authors at the back, together with the footnotes which provide quite some historical insights. So read the author profile and footnotes carefully as they're really worth it.
November 29, 2018
some stories were great, others did not stand out so much. but my favourite was definitely Black Swans!
February 21, 2019
I read this as a follow-up to Gazdanov's fascinating Night Roads. I didn't like all the stories, but the ones I did I loved. A revelation of a world I knew next to nothing about.
November 20, 2019
I really enjoyed the other Penguin Russian anthologies but I couldn’t get into a lot of this. I like Bunin and Teffi but much of the rest bored and confused me.
July 18, 2023
An indonesian telepath, the power of positive thinking, double agents - sometimes the concerns are exactly like those of today, sometimes they are strange and unrelatable. In both cases there's plenty of vodka.
Nabakov is the star, but there's a few hidden gems as well. The russians of this period weren't afraid of expression though, so you get a kind of ironic, overwrought emotional tone that's hard to find elsewhere. Even though the literature was serious in theme, it felt more 'fun' than equivelant books.
Nabakov is the star, but there's a few hidden gems as well. The russians of this period weren't afraid of expression though, so you get a kind of ironic, overwrought emotional tone that's hard to find elsewhere. Even though the literature was serious in theme, it felt more 'fun' than equivelant books.
May 14, 2017
Excellent and comprehensive collection of short stories by Russian émigré writers from the most famous such as Nabokov to the more obscure such as Sasha Chorny and others whom I had never heard of in spite of my deep interest in Russian literature. Obviously, as in any collection, the quality of the individual stories varies, but from a literary history point of view this volume is essential reading for all Russophiles.
April 4, 2020
A fascinating collection of Russian Emigre short stories, varying in style and voice. Highlights include stories by Bunin, Nabokov and Gazdanov. Recommended for fans of Russian writing or short story lovers.
July 11, 2021
So beautiful to read - after having read this series, in addition to Ivan Morris' collection of Japanese short stories earlier this year, I've decided that I really need to start reading more short story anthologies!
April 28, 2023
A few great short stories and quite a few duds.
May 26, 2025
Had to write an essay, and this book helped me a lot.
February 6, 2022
Russian short story seems like an oxymoron to me, and they pretty are just one long descriptive sentence. I like to read collections of short stories to find new authors. My favorite from this group is Teffi (one word name like Sting or Cher). She was a journalist that was considered humorous for her time period, and a Russian humorist also sounds like a oxymoron.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews