The Galosh: And Other Stories
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Book Overview
The Galosh and Other Stories features 65 luminous satirical tales, from a writer who recorded, "with unfailing style and wit, an era's troubles and a people's voice" (Los Angeles Times).
Translated from the Russian by Jeremy Hicks
In his prime, satirist Mikhail Zoshchenko was more widely read in the Soviet Union than either Pasternak or Solzhenitsyn. His stories give expression to the experience of the ordinary Soviet citizen struggling to survive in the 1920s and '30s, beset by an acute housing shortage, ubiquitous theft and corruption, and the impenetrable new language of the Soviet state. Written in the semi-educated talk of the man or woman on the street, these stories enshrine one of the greatest achievements of the people of the Soviet Union--their gallows humor.
In The Galosh, Zoshchenko, the self-described temporary substitute for the proletarian writer, combines wicked satire with an earthy empathy and a brilliance that places him squarely in the classic Russian comic tradition.
"A very important book for anyone who loves Russian literature . . . This slender volume fills a huge gap in our understanding of Soviet life and art." --Buffalo News
Translated from the Russian by Jeremy Hicks
In his prime, satirist Mikhail Zoshchenko was more widely read in the Soviet Union than either Pasternak or Solzhenitsyn. His stories give expression to the experience of the ordinary Soviet citizen struggling to survive in the 1920s and '30s, beset by an acute housing shortage, ubiquitous theft and corruption, and the impenetrable new language of the Soviet state. Written in the semi-educated talk of the man or woman on the street, these stories enshrine one of the greatest achievements of the people of the Soviet Union--their gallows humor.
In The Galosh, Zoshchenko, the self-described temporary substitute for the proletarian writer, combines wicked satire with an earthy empathy and a brilliance that places him squarely in the classic Russian comic tradition.
"A very important book for anyone who loves Russian literature . . . This slender volume fills a huge gap in our understanding of Soviet life and art." --Buffalo News
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:1590202112
ISBN13:9781590202111
Release Date:May 2009
Publisher:Overlook Press
Length:208 Pages
Weight:0.50 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 5.4" x 7.8"
Age Range:18 years and up
Grade Range:Grade 12 and higher
Customer Reviews
1 rating
The more things change.....
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
This book of very, very short stories is delightful and does indeed bring to mind the old saying "the more things change, the more they stay the same". These stories written over eighty years ago are a window into life in the new "Soviet Union" of the 1920's and perhaps a window into life in modern day Russia as well. With black humor Zoshchenko describes the trials of living in an uncertain world which just might not be an improvement on the lost world of the czars. Loved this book.
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