Description
The first biography of one of Russia's most celebrated authors
About the Author
Edythe Haber is Professor Emerita at the University of Massachusetts Boston and a Center Associate at the Davis Center for Russian and Eurasian Studies at Harvard University, USA. She is the author of an acclaimed book on Mikhail Bulgakov's early years and of many publications on Bulgakov, Teffi, and Nabokov. She wrote the introduction to Teffi's Memories: From Moscow to the Black Sea (2016), which in 2017 was awarded Pushkin House's "Special Award for Best Book in Translation," and has been researching and enjoying Teffi's work for more than 40 years.
Reviews
Haber is a scrupulous scholar and she has been researching Teffi's life and work for 40 years. She takes nothing for granted and backs all her assertions with definite evidence ... an exemplary biographer. * Robert Chandler, Los Angeles Review of Books *
A masterful and overdue biography... meticulously researched and engagingly narrated. * CHOICE *
[Haber's] biography is a masterpiece of sober and diligent scholarship. * The Observer *
[Haber's] analysis of Teffi's methods - for instance, the observation that 'the absurdity of the situation makes a tragic end more inappropriate, laughter more suitable' - can be illuminating. * The Spectator *
[Haber's] longstanding scholarly interest in Teffi has equipped this biography with an encyclopedic level of detail on every feuilleton and flirtation - two genres in which Teffi was prolific. * Times Literary Supplement *
It is Teffi's puckish wit and formidable spirit that defines Edythe Haber's engaging biography as much as her travails ... Haber has pulled off a difficult job with great skill in writing Teffi's life story ... [she] quotes astutely from Teffi's work, much of which is still untranslated and unpublished since first appearing in print, and has a keen ear for her word-games and zingers; Teffi's wit remains unputdownable. * The Oldie *
This biography is fair and surefooted. It offers, but does not impose, interpretations. * Literary Review *
Thanks to Haber's extremely meticulous research on Teffi's encounters with Tolstoy, Rasputin, and others, English speakers can finally get a glimpse into a remarkable life. * Meduza *
Edythe Haber has done a splendid job of drawing together all the information about Teffi's life that is currently known to exist - perhaps all that does exist. * East-West Review *
Book Information
ISBN 9781788312585
Author Edythe Haber
Format Hardback
Page Count 304
Imprint I.B. Tauris
Publisher Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Weight(grams) 640g