The lost button - irene rozdobudko - ebook (9781909156067)
Glagoslav publications ltd
The taut psychological thriller The Lost Button keeps the reader transfixed. It received first place in the Coronation of the Word competition in 2005 and subsequently was made into a feature film. The novel tells the story of young student scriptwriters encounter with a mysterious, femme fatale actress named Liza at a vacation resort in the Carpathian Mountains in Soviet Ukraine in the 1970s. Unable to let go of his love after getting lost with her in the woods for one beautiful night, the young mans fascination with the actress turns into an obsession that changes his entire life. The novel encompasses an entire era from the mid-70s of the previous century till the modern day with its geography stretching over the European region including Kiev, the Ukraines periphery, Russia and Montenegro, and at last the United States. It explores evergreen concepts of love, devotion, and betrayal and emphasizes the idea that whenever and wherever one lives, a tiny detail like a lost button has the power to set off a chain of events that would lead to either ones greatest happiness or ones greatest tragedy. It is about not looking back, but always valuing what you have today and forever.
The time of women - elena chizhova - ebook (9789081823920)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Life is not easy in the Soviet Union at mid-20th century, especially for a factory worker who becomes an unwed mother. But Antonina is lucky to get a room in a communal apartment that she and her little girl share with three old women. Glikeria is the daughter of former serfs. Ariadna comes from a wealthy family and speaks French. Yevdokia is illiterate and bitter. All have lost their families, all are deeply traditional, and all become 'sgrannies's to little Suzanna. Only they secretly name her Sofia. And just as secretly they impart to her the history of her country as they experienced it: the Revolution, the early days of the Soviet Union, the blockade and starvation of World War II. The little girl responds by drawing beautiful pictures, but she is mute. If the authorities find out she will be taken from her home and sent to an institution. When Antonina falls desperately ill, the grannies are faced with the reality of losing the little girl they love - unless a stepfather can be found before it is too late. And for that, they need a miracle. Translated by Simon Patterson Edited by Nina Chordas
A book without photographs - sergei shargunov - ebook (9781782670537)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Sergei Shargunovs A Book Without Photographs follows the young journalist and activist through selected snapshots from different periods of his remarkable life. Through memories both sharp and vague, we see scenes from Shargunovs Soviet childhood, his upbringing in the family of a priest; his experience of growing up during the fall of empire and studying journalism at Moscow State University; his trip to war-torn Chechnya and Kyrgyzstan during the revolution; his first steps towards a fledgling political career. The book reflects the vast social and cultural transformations that colour Russia'ss recent history and mirrors the experience of an entire generation of Russians whose lives and feelings are inextricably intertwined with the fate of their homeland. Shortlisted for the National Bestseller Prize and a contender for The Big Book Award, A Book Without Photographs showcases the talents of one of the countrys brightest lights; a key player in a generation at the forefront of change in contemporary Russia.
Herstories - michael m. naydan - ebook (9781909156036)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Womens prose writing has exploded on the literary scene in Ukraine just prior to and following Ukrainian independence in 1991. Over the past two decades scores of fascinating new women authors have emerged. These authors write in a wide variety of styles and genres including short stories, novels, essays, and new journalism. In the collection you will find: realism, magical realism, surrealism, the fantastic, deeply intellectual writing, newly discovered feminist perspectives, philosophical prose, psychological mysteries, confessional prose, and much more. Youll find an entire gamut of these Ukrainian women writers experiences that range from deep spirituality to candid depictions of sexuality and interpersonal relations. Youll find tragedy and humor and on occasion humor in the tragedy. Youll find urban prose, edgy, caustic, and intellectual; as well as prose harkening back to village life and profound tragedies from the Soviet past that have left marks of trauma on an entire nation. This is a collection of Ukrainian womens stories, histories that serve to tell her unique stories in English translation. Substantial excerpts from novels and translations of complete shorter works of each author will give the reader deep insight into this burgeoning phenomenon of contemporary Ukrainian womens prose.
Depeche mode - serhiy zhadan - ebook (9781909156869)
Glagoslav publications ltd
In 1993, tragic turbulence takes over Ukraine in the post-communist spin-off. As if in somnambulism, Soviet war veterans and upstart businessmen listen to an American preacher of whose type there were plenty at the time in the post-Soviet territory. In Kharkiv, the young communist headquarters is now an advertising agency, and a youth radio station brings Western music, with Depeche Mode in the lead, into homes of ordinary people. In the middle of this craze three friends, an anti-Semitic Jew Dogg Pavlov, an unfortunate entrepreneur Vasia the Communist and the narrator Zhadan, nineteen years of age and unemployed, seek to find their old pal Sasha Carburetor to tell him that his step-father shot himself dead. Characters confront elements of their reality, and, tainted with traumatic survival fever, embark on a sad, dramatic and a bit grotesque adventure.
Zakhar Prilepins novel-in-stories, Sin, has become a literary phenomenon in Russia, where it was published in 2007. It has been hailed as the epitome of the spirit of the opening decade of the 21st century, and was called the book of the decade by the prestigious Super Natsbest Award jury. Now available for the first time in English, it not only embodies the reality of post-perestroika Russia, but also shows that even in this reality, just like in any other, it is possible to maintain a positive attitude while remaining human. Zakharka is young, strong, in love with love and with life'ss random, telling moments. In the episodes of his life, presented here in non-chronological order, we see him as a little boy, a lovelorn teenager, a hard-drinking grave-digger, a nightclub bouncer, a father, and a soldier in Chechnya. He even writes poetry, and his stylistically varied verses are presented in the penultimate chapter of the book. Loving life, he looks boldly, and even with curiosity, into the face of death taking pictures of the deceased at a funeral, staring with agitation at the entrails of a just-disemboweled pig, chronicling the death of a childhood friend and values the freedom of not fearing his own end. It is family that ultimately defines happiness for Zakharka; but it is also family that makes him realize, on the desolate Chechen border, that his love for them has deprived him of this freedom. Sin offers a fascinating glimpse into the recent Russian past, as well as its present, with its unemployment, poverty, violence, and local wars social problems that may be found in many corners of the world. Zakhar Prilepin presents these realities through the eyes of Zakharka, taking us along on the life-affirming journey of his unforgettable protagonist.
A russian story - eugenia kononenko - ebook (9781783840137)
Glagoslav publications ltd
He is young, intelligent, well educated, with patriotic sentiments. But certain misunderstandings oblige him to flee from Ukraine, because in his native land he is a misfit, a superfluous man. For some reason, everything in his life builds up to a certain Russian scenario. So to what extent should one burden Ukrainians with the outcome of this Russian Story? This new book by Eugenia Kononenko deals with love and the quest for ones own identity, with the vaguely remembered circumstances rendering life nonsensical in Ukraine during the last years of the empire and the early years of independence. It considers the possibility of a mid-Atlantic meeting in todays globalised world.
White shanghai - elvira baryakina - ebook (9781782670360)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Some called the place the `Splendour of the East; others the `Whore of Asia. A melting pot of different nations, fused by war and commerce, this was the Shanghai of the 1920s. The Great Powers are greedily exploiting China for its cheap labour and reaping the cruel rewards of the opium trade. However, as a flotilla of ships carrying the remnants of the defeated White Army enters Shanghai, the uneasy balance of this frenetic international marketplace comes under threat. Among the refugees is Klim Rogov, a journalist whose life and marriage have been destroyed by the Russian Revolution all he has left are his quick wits and a keen worldliness that will serve him well in navigating the lawless jungle of Shanghai. He finds work as a reporter at a British-run newspaper, rubbing shoulders with international gangsters while defying the intrigues of sinister communist agents, clinging all the time to the hope that someday he'sll be reunited with his beloved wife, Nina. This complete English translation of Elvira Baryakina'ss White Shanghai reflects the greatest traditions of the Russian classics. Her years of research in libraries and archives around the world have engendered a rare kind of literature which, by blending a multinational cast of exotic characters against the backdrop of the turbulence and fervour of the early XXth century, sends the reader on a breathless journey of passion, politics and crime.
Metro 2034 - dmitri glukhovsky - ebook (9789491425479)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Het is 2034. De wereld ligt in puin: een kernoorlog heeft alle grote steden van de aardbodem weggevaagd, de ruïnes en het omringende land overgeleverd aan straling en gemuteerde monsters. Wat sinds de Dag des Oordeels van de mensheid over is, slijt zijn dagen in bunkers en schuilkelders. De grootste daarvan is de Moskouse metro. De stations zijn veranderd in stadsstaatjes; in de tunnels heersen duisternis en angst. Station Sebastopol weet als een klein, ondergronds Sparta alleen te overleven ten koste van zware offers. Maar op een dag raken de bewoners afgesneden van de rest van het metrostelsel en zien ze zich geconfronteerd met een levensgrote dreiging. Alleen een ware held kan hen nog redden. De cultroman 'sMetro 2034's, het langverwachte vervolg op de postapocalyptische legende 'sMetro 2033's, bereikte met de internetversie binnen een half jaar na publicatie een half miljoen lezers en is in vele landen vertaald.
The vital needs of the dead - igor sakhnovsky - ebook (9789491425523)
Glagoslav publications ltd
What needs might the dead have? Our loved ones stay with us after theyve gone. Love, death and memory breathe in unison in the first novel by Igor Sakhnovsky. A boy is growing up in a small Soviet town beyond the Urals. There is a person in his life whose unobtrusive devotion will stay with him and see him through all hardships. This semi-biographical story of `sentimental education of a young man in a Russian province chronicles his life from childhood to university years, with his first love, to an older woman, his attempt to break out of the provincial morass and the choices he has to make. The book leaves the reader sensing that there is `nothing more terrifying, beautiful and fantastical than the so-called real life. The book was highly acclaimed in Russia and firmly established Igor Sakhnovsky as one of the most interesting Russian writers of today. The novel gained Sakhnovsky the prestigious Hawthornden Fellowship (other winners have included Ian Rankin, Alasdair Gray and Hilary Spurling, among others). Translated by Julia Kent Edited by Nina Chordas
Hardly ever otherwise - maria matios - ebook (9781909156005)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Painting a tortured picture of lifes harsh brutality in the region, Maria provides an insight into the complicated history of this remote corner of the Carpathian Mountains. Against the colourful backdrop of local traditions and highlanders rites she weaves her story of love, intertwined with a heart wrenching human tragedy, not avoiding intimate details of the anatomy of relationships between men and women. Enchanted by the impeccable style of this family saga, the reader becomes baffled by the characters actions. In the words of Maria Matios the book is about peoples deeply concealed nature. When familiar passions like love and hate, joy and envy overcome them and its not in their nature to resist, consequences reach the catastrophic magnitude. Each character is flawed, detestable, but in the books finale they incite compassion as their painful past is steadily revealed. The eternal dilemma of sin and atonement pervades the pages of this book. The author does not shy away from carnal encounters and masterfully describes the psychology of lovers, accentuating peoples struggles on different levels.
Sasha Sankya Tishin, and his friends are part of a generation stuck between eras. They dont remember the Soviet Union, but they also dont believe in the promise of opportunity for all in the corrupt, capitalistic new Russia. They belong to an extremist group that wants to build a better Russia by tearing down the existing one. Sasha, alternately thoughtful and naïve, violent and tender, dispassionate and romantic, hopeful and hopeless, is torn between the dying village of his youth and the soulless capital, where he and his friends stage rowdy protests and do battle with the police. When they go too far, Sasha finds himself testing the elemental force of the protest movement in Russia and in himself. Originally published in 2006, Sankya is even more relevant today as a prism through which to view the recent large-scale actions against Vladimir Putin. It is Prilepin'ss first novel and is widely considered his best.
The hawks of peace. notes of the russian ambassador - dmitry rogozin - ebook (9781782670117)
Glagoslav publications ltd
The Hawks of Peace. Notes of the Russian Ambassador is a unique analytical edition where Russian Deputy Premier Dmitry Rogozin shares his notes on personalities and events that shaped the history of post-Communist Russia, believing that without those it would be impossible to understand the past and envisage the future of his country. Permanent Representative of Russia to NATO until recently, in his political diary Dmitry Rogozin contemplates on the complex relationship between Russia and the West. In his behind-the-scenes account, Rogozin opens up about certain mysteries of political stand-offs, military conflicts of the last two decades, terrorist acts and hostage situations. The book contains unique documents directly related to Chechen Wars, inside information from Brussels on the events in Georgia and other records that have been hidden from the public eye. The Western reader now has a rare opportunity to look at Russian current affairs through the eyes of a Russian.
Towards the end of World War II, a Belarusian soldier and an Italian girl escape from a Nazi concentration camp. The soldier wonders if he should get rid of the girl: she is a burden and is slowing him down. However, he cannot bring himself to abandon her in the snowy wilderness. Somewhere along the way, the two develop feelings for each other, but their love is not destined to grow beyond the edge of the mountains. Yet their bond cannot be denied, and in the end it proves stronger than death it self. From the master of psychological narrative whose firsthand experience with World War II enabled him to re-create the ordeal on pages of his books, Alpine Ballad is Vasil Bykau's most heartfelt story. Bykau sends a powerful message to his readers: human values can be extrapolated and in the context of war people can still uphold their humanity. An altruistic, philanthropic project of Glagoslav Publications, Alpine Ballad is coming out as a gesture of peace and a reminder to all of the human cost of wars that ransack our planet to this day. Translated from Belarusian by Mikalai Khilo. The previous translations of Alpine Ballad were based on the Soviet-censored Russian version of the original manuscript. Vasil Bykau Author Vasil Bykau (1924 - 2003) is a household name in Belarus and the most widely read Belarusian novelist outside his native country. Bykau's novels featuring World War II have been captivating minds and hearts of generations of readers in Belarus and beyond its borders. Hailing from a small Belarusian village, Bykau experienced the war as a young man and later, already a writer, transferred his memories onto pages of his literary works. After the war, Bykau quickly became actively involved in promotion of Belarusian national revival, albeit clashing with the Soviet authorities. His moral courage and strong views on many issues earned him popularity among peers and a strong following in Belarus and abroad, where he had lived for many years. Today Vasil Bykau is remembered as a prolific, outspoken and daring writer whose prominent voice continues to inspire millions worldwide.
A handful of families, several generations, more than a few wars. Moscow, Kabul, Barcelona. Anna Nemzer announces herself on the literary scene boldly and loudly with this debut novel about the insane, unspeakable nature of war, about human fears, treachery, lies, fateful coincidences and destinies during warfare, when there is no room left for love. The protagonists survived the war and are rescued from captivity. They are not able, however, to leave the experiences of the war behind them and move on with their lives. The novel explores what happens once the conflict is over, as they learn to live without the war, with all their loves, passions and weaknesses. Anna Nemzer Anna Nemzer was born in Moscow and graduated from the Historical and Philological faculty of the Russian State University for the Humanities. She worked as a journalist and an editor for the magazines 'Snob,' 'Russian Reporter' and 'Around the World.' She has also worked for the TV channel 'Kultura.' Since 2008, Nemzer has been the editor-in-chief of the magazine 'Snob'. In 2009, Nemzer wrote the first part of the novel 'Prisoner. It is not true', dedicated to the memory of the generation affected by war. 'Prisoner' was published in the journal 'Znamia' and shortlisted for the Belkin Prize. In 2011, she finished the second part of the novel. The novel 'Prisoner' is her debut in prose.
Zo gaat dat in rusland - maria konjoekova - ebook (9781909156418)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Maria Konjoekovas Zo gaat dat in Rusland, of hoe te leven tussen Russen is niet alleen een grappige, vol zelfspot geschreven handleiding voor het dagelijks leven in Rusland, het is ook een scherpzinnige en praktische gids voor het doorgronden van een land en van mensen die we vandaag de dag overal ter wereld kunnen tegenkomen. Waar komen onze meningen en vooroordelen eigenlijk vandaan? De schrijfster onderzoekt de culturele eigenaardigheden, waarvan het Russische leven doortrokken is, en geeft ook een verklaring voor de stortvloed aan ongebreidelde Russische emoties in alle mogelijke situaties. Zo rekent ze moeiteloos af met de vele misvattingen die er over de Russen bestaan en kweekt op humoristische wijze begrip voor hun, in Westerse ogen, soms onbegrijpelijke gedrag. Konjoekova wil met haar boek preken noch bekeren, ze beoogt daarentegen een brutaal, maar liefdevol inkijkje te geven in de Russische ziel. Eigenlijk is haar boek een minihandleiding voor de mens in het algemeen.
Lee Mandels historical novel Moryak revolves around the story of Lieutenant Stephen Morrison, a naval officer sent by President Theodore Roosevelt on a top-secret mission in 1905. Morrisons assignment is to work with British agent Sidney Reilly to kidnap Tsar Nicholas II and remove him from Russia before he can sabotage the upcoming Portsmouth Peace conference. The mission goes awry and Morrison is captured and sentenced to death. Through a quirk of fate, he is instead sent to the infamous Russian prison on Solovetsky Island. There, his increasingly violent nature eventually allows him to dominate the camp as Moryak (Russian for Sailor). He soon catches the attention of the Bolshevik prisoners and their growing interactions come to have devastating effects on the evolving revolution in Russia, as well as the Allied war effort as the world descends into the chaos of World War I. As events unfold and secrets are unveiled in an uncanny political intrigue, Moryak in fact tells the life story of one mans struggle for acceptance, him finding his place and finding himself.
The first edition of Khatyn was censored and the reader outside USSR never saw the original. Forty years later Glagoslav Publications releases the unaltered version of the novel as was the authors intent. Based on previously sealed war archives and rare witness records of the survivors, Khatyn is a heart wrenching story of the people who fought for their lives under the Nazi occupation during World War II. Through the prism of the retrospect perception as narrated by the novels main character Flyora a boy who matures during the war author Ales Adamovich beholds genocide and horrific crimes against humanity. The former teen partisan goes back in time and remembers atrocities of 1943. The novels pages become the stage where perished people come to life for one last time, get to say their last word, all at the backdrop of blood chilling cries of women and children being burned alive by a Nazi death squad that, accompanied by the Vlasovs unit, surges a Belarusian village. Today the book is part of Belarusian cultural heritage and its actuality is even more so apparent - having marked the zones of fire on the world map, the on-going blood baths have scarred the surface of our planet, begging mankind to never again.
Het groen van de laurier - jevgeni vodolazkin - ebook (9789491425707)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Rusland rond 1500. Grote plagen kondigen het einde van de wereld aan, terwijl grensoverschrijdende ontdekkingen Europa ongedachte perspectieven bieden. Een kruidendokter ervaart zijn eigen machteloosheid en gaat zwerven. Hij wordt een ander mens, meermalen zelfs: als heilige dwaas, pelgrim, monnik en ten slotte kluizenaar voelt hij zijn helende krachten groeien. Zijn naam verandert mee. Gaandeweg beginnen herinneringen, avonturen en visioenen, verleden, heden en toekomst in elkaar over te lopen. Taal en tijd worden vloeibaar. Tot de cirkel zich opent. Taal- en geschiedwetenschapper Jevgeni Vodolazkin speelt in deze 'ahistorische roman' een literair spel vol humor en met een vleugje magie. Jevgeni Vodolazkin Jevgeni Vodolazkin (Kiev, 1964) is gepromoveerd in de oud-Russische letterkunde en kent de kroniekschrijving van de 11e t/m de 15e eeuw als geen ander. Hij is verbonden (geweest) aan de universiteiten van Sint-Petersburg en München, heeft inmiddels ruim 100 monografieën, essays en wetenschappelijke artikelen op zijn naam en werkt mee aan diverse uitgaven en periodieken. In 2009 brak hij door als prozaschrijver met de roman Solovjov en Larionov (nog niet in het Nederlands vertaald). Met Het groen van de laurier veroverde hij zich in 2013 definitief een plaats in de Russische literatuur. Dit boek werd een sensatie en won meerdere prestigieuze nationale literatuurprijzen. Vodolazkin zelf geldt inmiddels als 'de Russische Umberto Eco' - een aanduiding die met een flinke korrel zout te nemen is, maar die wel iets zegt over de weerklank die zijn werk vindt.
The investigator - margarita khemlin - ebook (9781784379674)
Glagoslav publications ltd
The Investigator is set in the mid 20th century USSR. With Joseph Stalin at the helm the post-war Soviet society struggles to rebuild and heal the nation of its multiple wounds. Nothing comes easy. The authorities are being confronted with new and quite creative criminal structures that shatter socialist ideals. A young woman is murdered in a typical Soviet town somewhere in Ukraine. In the spirit of the era everyone is a suspect. Many theories of the crime emerge and to solve the mystery an investigator is being summoned - a strong man, former intelligence officer, tested by war. Now his purpose is in fighting malignant elements in the entrusted to him territory. But he is not the only hero in this story - there's also a plural protagonist with a loud and obnoxious voice desperate to be heard - this voice is exactly the reason why Khemlin wrote The Investigator, a striking novel about Soviet life that has never been revealed before. Margarita Khemlin Margarita Khemlin is a Jewish-Russian author and winner of the Russian Booker Prize and the Big Book Prize. Khemlin began with a modest dishwashing job in a café decades ago while working hard to fulfill her writing dream. She never gave up and many manuscripts later she is a prolific and celebrated novelist in today's Russia. Since 2012 Khemlin is also one of the jurors of The O'Henry Award in the USA.
Maria Rybakova's Gnedich captures the reader's attention in its first stanzas with a striking allusion to Homeric Greece: “The rage that killed so many/the wretched rage of Achilles/who knew that he would perish/ that he would perish young. This is a novel-in-verse about the first Russian translator of the Iliad, the romantic poet and librarian Nikolai Gnedich (1784-1833). Since Gnedich spent almost his entire life translating Homer's epic poem, Maria Rybakova has chosen verse as the most appropriate stylistic means in recreating his life. To the English-speaking world, this genre of poetic biography is best exemplified by Ruth Padel's Darwin - A Life in Poems. Like the Iliad itself, the novel consists of twelve Songs or Cantos, and covers the life of Gnedich from his childhood to his death. It depicts the lives of Gnedich and his best friend, the poet Batyushkov, who is slowly losing his sanity, and incorporates motifs from their poetry, from Homer's epics, and from Greek mythology, as well as magnificent images of imperial Russia and the Homeric world. The space of the novel covers snowy Russian villages, aristocratic St. Petersburg salons, magnificent Italian landscapes, and the austere Greece of Homer's heroes. Rybakova conjures a fittingly romantic vision of the dramatic lives of Gnedich and his best friend. A major part of the novel is the moving correspondence between the two poets. Philosophical reflections on the fate of the individual are intertwined with poignant stanzas devoted to the great but unhappy love to the tragic actress Ekaterina Semyonova that consumed Gnedich. The novel culminates in Batyushkov's final breakdown in the lunatic asylum and Gnedich's ruminations on Russia's tragic future fate. The poetic language of Gnedich is refined: it combines the clarity of Rybakova's syllabic verses and the sophistication of her metaphors with distinct, novelistic depictions of certain landscapes, people, and their interactions. The novel is spectacularly designed: Rybakova's style resembles a movie projection with stop-cards at the key moments in Gnedich's life, his long conversations with his friend, and particular striking sceneries. It creates a novelistic effect on the tale about Gnedich's life, spanning over twenty years. The narrative is often interrupted by streams of consciousness and reminiscence by its main heroes. At the same time, it continues the traditions of Russian classic literature with its attention to detail and the psychology of the characters. A significant part of the novel is dedicated to the description of Gnedich's friendship with Konstantin Batyushkov, a talented poet of the Pushkin epoch. Gnedich, disfigured by a childhood disease, was a librarian at the Imperial Library in St. Petersburg and became famous through his translation of theIlliad. Batyushkov, an officer of the Russian Imperial court who participated in military campaigns, as well as one of the best poets of the beginning of the 19th century, went through deep crisis and mental illness. The friendship between the two becomes one of the themes within the novel. Rybakova builds the novel-in-verse's plot around Gnedich's translation of the Illiad into Russian. The narrative progresses from the adult Gnedich's recollection of his childhood in a small country estate in Ukraine in the first Song, his illness and discovery of the magnificent Greek epic about the siege of the Troy that changed his life forever, to the completion of his work on his translation as a final victory over his life's circumstances. The titanic work on the translation continued for almost twenty-two years (1807-29). In some sense, Gnedich is a novel about a translator and his translation of the Illiad, shown by how the imaginary Homeric world constantly intertwines with Gnedich's thoughts. Rybakova portrays an unforgettable image of a translator: “translator,/the winds from the North and the West blow upon you,/ your thoughts have just flown to Thrace,/but now waves carry you/like a goddess on a shell/to the shore of a paper sea,/and no one recognizes you.” Gnedich's inner world is intense and clouded by constant melancholy; motifs from the Iliad invade his thoughts and transform his reality. In his imagination, even the Greek letters become meaningful symbols: “alpha, beta and gamma, delta, epsilon, zeta, eta ... phi, like a lady's exclamation, chi, like an official's chuckle, psi, the strangest of letters, and omega, the last one, which contains it all.” Trying to fall asleep during long sleepless nights, Gnedich recollects the names of the heroines of the Iliad: “Agadame, Agaue (the Nereid, it seems), Aglaea, Aegialeia, Aitha (no, Aitha must be a horse), Alcyona - no, perhaps she's a seagull, Althea and Amatheia... and all of them have Semyonova's face.” The translation becomes the major influence on Gnedich's life, capable of transforming the world around him. Rybakova also masterfully explores the literary and social life during the times of Pushkin, and includes scenes of folk life and beliefs in 19th century Russia. Starting from the first Song, the author narrates Gnedich's life through his work on the translation of the Illiad. In the text, Gnedich recollects the events from his childhood: after the illness, he became blind in one eye, and it influenced his life and thoughts profoundly. He delved into his inner world, and his alter ego - a translator of Greek - invisibly participates in events of the Illiad. A significant part of the text of the Song is the emotionally touching friendship of the two poets and their numerous conversations with Batyushkov. There also appears the unforgettable character of the actress Ekaterina Semeyonova, the famous belle of the St. Petersburg salons and the recipient of the poet's unrequited love. It is also an important plot line in the novel. The appearance of a new personage, the maid Elena, in the third Song brings comic nuance into the text. Rybakova builds this character as a stark contrast to Homer's Helen and her beauty. Elena, a simple peasant, is lacking in attractiveness, but is one of the most tragic figures in the novel-in-verse. Elena's love of Gnedich is devoid of any hope but is immense and beautiful. She spends hours in Gnedich's house cleaning and dusting, and noticing any changes in the translator's life, despite being unable to see him in person or to understand him: “Who is he, / the one you think about /and don't know, /is he a man?/is he a master?/is he God?” The novel progresses through Gnedich's trip to visit his friend in the countryside estate of Khantonovo in a Russian province in the fourth Song. It describes Gnedich's travel notes and scenes from Russian provincial villages. This Song is extremely important for understanding Batyushkov's character as a mixture of his almost childish naiveté and brave spirit with his progressing illness. The narrative develops into a dramatic discourse on the fate of the individual in a hostile world during the friends' conversation. Gnedich's return to St. Petersburg, his life there and his work at the Imperial library, the crisis in his relationship with Semyonova, and his all-consuming work on the translation constitute the content of the next few Songs. They are intertwined with reminiscences of ancient Greece and fragments of the correspondence with Batyushkov. The majestic panorama of imperial St. Petersburg as well as scenes from Batyushkov's trip to Italy is an exquisite background to the thoughts of the hero on his life and his destiny. Batyushkov's trip to Italy, as described in the ninth Song, gives an insight into both poets' attitude on the eternal questions: “I created an Italy for myself, / beautiful as a mother, so that she would embrace me in her arms. / But even here it is lonely.” In next Song, Elena discovers the manuscript of a youthful work by Gnedich, Don Corrado, written in imitation of Gothic fiction. It provides another comic touch to the text as it describes the content of the dramatic Gothic story through the eyes of simple Russian peasants. Rybakova skillfully uses changes of register in the descriptions of the peasant lingo. The narrative culminates in Batyushkov's final breakdown and his placement into the lunatic asylum in Sonnenstein in Germany. One of the most dramatic moments of the novel is his prophecy on the future events in Sonnenstein that actually happened during WWII, when “angels with ice-cold eyes,” made “half of snow and half of fire,” come and destroy the clinic. The Nazi killing of the patients at the clinic more than a hundred years later is the emotional culmination of the novel. The final Song describes Gnedich's last period of his life. The translation of The Iliad was over in 1829, and Gnedich felt that his life's purpose was fulfilled. In the book, Gnedich visits the estate of his friend Olenin and is seen through the eyes of its residents. Gnedich sums up his life and tries to find meaning in it. In a moment of bitter insight, he realizes that his life devoted to books was lacking in happiness. But there is also one of the author's most powerful statements about the constant presence of happiness in life. In the powerful circle of life where only beauty seems to attract attention, the hero has just passed on the great feeling of his non-educated and non-attractive maid Elena. Rybakova does not contemplate on it but allows readers to think about the implications. Happiness has different dimensions and the final verse describes the triumph of life.
The essential poetry - marina tsvetaeva - ebook (9781784379605)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Marina Tsvetaeva: The Essential Poetry includes translations by Michael M. Naydan and Slava I. Yastremski of lyric poetry from all of great Modernist Russian poet Marina Tsvetaeva's published collections and from all periods of her life. It also includes a translation of two of Tsvetaeva's masterpieces in the genre of the long poem, “Poem of the End” and “Poem of the Mountain.” The collection strives to present the best of Tsvetaeva's poetry in a small single volume and to give a representative overview of Tsvetaeva's high art and development of different poetic styles over the course of her creative lifetime. Also included in the volume are a guest introduction by eminent American poet Tess Gallagher, a translator's introduction and extensive endnotes. Naydan and Yastremski have previously published a well-received annotated translation of Tsvetaeva's collection After Russia with Ardis Publishers. The fourteen previously published translations from the After Russia collection have been revised for this volume. Marina Tsvetaeva A tragic figure in Russian literature, Marina Tsvetaeva is mentioned in the same heights of her distinguished contemporaries Anna Akhmatova, Osip Mandelstam and Boris Pasternak. She published her first collection of intimate lyric poetry at her own expense in 1910 under the title Evening Album, which garnered positive reactions from several prominent poets, who by happenstance reviewed it. She published her second collection Magic Lantern in 1912 and a compilation from her first two collections From Two Books in 1913. Both publications marked her early years in poetry. To follow was her mature period that was shadowed by a romantic fiasco and childbirth in Tsvetaeva's life, and social turbulence in the old Russia that impacted her family. Despite severe hardship, Tsvetaeva's creative output was on the rise during the years of the Russian Civil War from 1917-1922. Her daughter Irina died of malnutrition at age 3 in 1920, a tragedy that sparked a series of poems that came out in the following years. Typical of Tsvetaeva in that period was creating lyrical diaries that closely followed events in her life in chronological order. Having immigrated to Europe, Tsvetaeva continued writing poetry but gradually shifted to mostly writing imaginative literary essays and prose memoirs. Another major creative outlet for her comprised the extensive correspondence she had with major poets such as Boris Pasternak and Rainer Marie Rilke. While in Paris, Tsvetaeva's husband Sergei Efron became involved with a Eurasian organization that promoted the return of Russian emigrants back to the USSR. Efron, after he was implicated in a plot to kill the defector Soviet agent Ignace Reiss, fled first to Spain then back to the USSR. Tsvetaeva followed her husband back to the Soviet Union with her family, where Efron was executed as a spy and her daughter Ariadna sentenced to a lengthy prison term in Stalin's GULAG on the same charge. After being evacuated to Yelabuga from Moscow with her son Mur, Tsvetaeva hanged herself on August 31, 1941. Following her death, her son joined the Red Army and was killed in battle in 1944.
Leo tolstoy: flight from paradise - pavel basinsky - ebook (9781782671282)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Over a hundred years ago, something truly outrageous occurred at Yasnaya Polyana. Count Leo Tolstoy, a famous author aged eighty-two at the time, took off, destination unknown. Since then, the circumstances surrounding the writer's whereabouts during his final days and his eventual death have given rise to many myths and legends. In this book, popular Russian writer and reporter Pavel Basinsky delves into the archives and presents his interpretation of the situation prior to Leo Tolstoy's mysterious disappearance. Basinsky follows Leo Tolstoy throughout his life, right up to his final moments. Reconstructing the story from historical documents, he creates a visionary account of the events that led to the Tolstoys' family drama. Flight from Paradise will be of particular interest to international researchers studying Leo Tolstoy's life and works, and is highly recommended to a broader audience worldwide. Pavel Basinsky Paul Basinskiy is a well-known Russian writer and literary critic. He is a member of the Union of Russian Writers and the Academy of Russian contemporary literature. He is also an active member of the permanent jury for the Solzhenitsyn award. Basinskiy was born in 1961 in Frolovo, in the Volgograd region. In 1986 he graduated from the Literary Institute (Department of literary criticism), then applied for a PhD there and wrote a thesis on Gorky and Nietzsche. Since 1981, Paul Basinskiy has had works of literary criticism published in various magazines. He currently teaches at the Literary Institute, works as an editor at Rossiyskaya Gazeta and is a member of the jury for the Yasnaya Polyana literary award. For his book Leo Tolstoy: Flight From Paradise, Pavel Basinskiy was awarded the Big Book National Literary Prize.
From the first pages it becomes apparent that Asystole is a novel about love of life in its purest, instinctive and intimate form. It's also a novel about human faith in its existence and a desire to experience this love. Author Oleg Pavlov places his character - a boy who grows to be a man and is clearly personified by the writer's own outlook on life - in impossible and familiar circumstances, impossible not to relate to. An adult is shaped in childhood. Chaotic, anxious and at the same time withdrawn narration seems to have no direction and no resolution. Except that the life of the people, who are in fact children of a broken destiny, is real and not much needs to be said to make it our own. Laconic and 'to the point' observations of Pavlov's protagonist as he goes, are chilling at times. They pierce through flesh right to the bone - the quality only the naked truth can have. Asystole is moreover about the by-stander effect, about a disconnected and malfunctioning society and a struggle of one not to merge into the faceless mass of many. Modern, deeply thought through and heartfelt, this novel is an examination of the physics of human soul. Pavlov's Universe has a special arrangement - if it was up to him, humans wouldn't be allowed in it, for the privilege of being human requires living up to the title. Oleg Pavlov Born in Moscow in 1970, Oleg Pavlov is a critically acclaimed, award winning author who puts social and personal themes at the core of his writing. His trademark is uncovering the truth about life and the preciousness of our time on this planet. Use life wisely: live to love, but live to love humanely, with total dedication- this is the message the author sends out into the world from the pages of his novels. Pavlov has a military background: the lessons he learned during military service in some of the most inhospitable places where he witnessed heart wrenching tragedy, some of which serves as inspiration for his narrative, which is often immediate, sharp, and absolute. Being diagnosed as mentally unstable ended Pavlov's career in the army and the resulting stigma also meant the end of his prospects for a high-status career. Whilst working as a janitor, he quickly realized that his life was a palette he could draw from, and so he began to write. The implications of this epiphany came full circle in his 1994 literary debut, Captain of the Steppe, was recognized by the Russian Booker Prize committee as one of the top six novels of the year. There was more triumph to come for Pavlov following this first publication: since then, he has authored many novels, articles and essays on some of the most burning subjects in contemporary Russian society. Today, Pavlov is a celebrated member of the modern Russian canon and remains an intriguing figure as well as a literary phenomenon of the highest calibre.
To get ukraine - oleksandr shyshko - ebook (9781784379421)
Glagoslav publications ltd
Since Maidan in Kyiv and Russian presence in the Crimea, Ukraine has never been the same. In 2014, the country is deeply divided by the conflict imposed on the Ukrainians. But since nobody actually asked the nation, author Oleksandr Shyshko decided to take matters into his own hands and look for the answer to the ultimate question - who are the Ukrainians and what do they want. Shyshko spent his time researching the national identity of native Ukrainians, and as he went he stumbled on a discovery that led to yet another question - where is Ukraine going, the so-called Quo vadis? of the Ukrainian people. His findings and critical comments gave birth to this new book that is now for the first time being published in English. To Get Ukraine. Oleksandr Shyshko Oleksandr Shyshko is an oxymoron. In the past a formidable example of Homo Sovieticus, Shyshko is now an authority on the international environmental law with multiple publications on record and a successful consultant in the field of finance, credit and foreign capital. Throughout his life Shyshko never stopped learning, and the effort paid off in the form of a PhD degree in Law, another degree in Finance, and fluency in a number of European languages including English.
Having spent years in a coma, a female protagonist is anxious to lead a normal life. Her miraculous recovery is riddled with falling in and out of our time continuum - she wanders through history in her imagination as if it were her backyard. Notwithstanding her condition, her peers are going through a real change of their own echoing events that engulfed Russia in the past few decades. In Multiple Personalities, life is a masquerade and its participants are characters from classic world literature racing towards destination unknown. The question they all are asking is whether the traditional notion of time'ss flow from the past to the future is the correct one. Who has the answer? Tatyana Shcherbina Author Tatyana Shcherbina is known in Russia for her poetry and prose, as well as numerous essays and translations from French. Her early works had been self-published in the USSR to avoid censorship, and it was only in the new Russia that she gained public recognition. She recieved various literary awards and is considered one of Russia'ss most celebrated female writers.
