Description
These stories conjure a vanished Russia, where Orthodox Christianity coexists with the shapeshifters and house spirits of ancient folk belief. Celebrated for her sublime wit and graceful style, Teffi here plumbs the darker aspects of psychology, infusing tales of domestic conflict with the occult spirituality that thrived in the country of her youth. A young girl, haunted by the sinister sound of a church bell, resolves to become first a brigand, then a saint. A reluctant participant in a pilgrimage to the Solovetsky Islands has a shatteringly profound experience. A recently married couple's relationship becomes strained as they each silently nurse the fear that their maid is a witch. By turns playful and profound, solemn and drily sceptical, these tales of other worlds precisely illuminate human desires, fears and failings.
About the Author
Teffi was a phenomenally popular writer in pre-revolutionary Russia - a favourite of Tsar Nicholas II and Vladimir Lenin alike. She was born in 1872 into a prominent St Petersburg family and emigrated from Bolshevik Russia in 1919. She eventually settled in Paris, where she became an important figure in the emigre literary scene, and where she lived until her death in 1952. A master of the short form, in her lifetime Teffi published countless stories, plays and feuilletons. After her death, she was gradually forgotten, but the collapse of the Soviet Union brought about her rediscovery by Russian readers. Pushkin Press also publishes Subtly Worded, Rasputin and Other Ironies and Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea.
Reviews
'Teffi is one of the great writers of early 20th century Russia, from NicholasII's reign to the Revolution afterwards. Her writing, whether stories or reportageor memoir is witty, elegant, fantastical, yet sharp and acute andplayful' - Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Romanovs
'Heartbreaking as well as very funny. I wish she were still alive, and Icould have met her... I can't recommend her strongly enough' - Guardian
Book Information
ISBN 9781782275619
Author Robert Chandler
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Pushkin Press
Publisher Pushkin Press
About the Author
Teffi was a phenomenally popular writer in pre-revolutionary Russia - a favourite of Tsar Nicholas II and Vladimir Lenin alike. She was born in 1872 into a prominent St Petersburg family and emigrated from Bolshevik Russia in 1919. She eventually settled in Paris, where she became an important figure in the emigre literary scene, and where she lived until her death in 1952. A master of the short form, in her lifetime Teffi published countless stories, plays and feuilletons. After her death, she was gradually forgotten, but the collapse of the Soviet Union brought about her rediscovery by Russian readers. Pushkin Press also publishes Subtly Worded, Rasputin and Other Ironies and Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea.
Reviews
'Teffi is one of the great writers of early 20th century Russia, from NicholasII's reign to the Revolution afterwards. Her writing, whether stories or reportageor memoir is witty, elegant, fantastical, yet sharp and acute andplayful' - Simon Sebag Montefiore, author of The Romanovs
'Heartbreaking as well as very funny. I wish she were still alive, and Icould have met her... I can't recommend her strongly enough' - Guardian
Book Information
ISBN 9781782275619
Author Robert Chandler
Format Paperback
Page Count 304
Imprint Pushkin Press
Publisher Pushkin Press
