Description
Set in Odessa’s colorful Moldavanka district during the turbulent years surrounding the Russian Revolution, these stories follow the charismatic and formidable Benya Krik, a Jewish underworld leader whose exploits blur the boundaries between crime, legend, and survival. Through a vivid cast of gangsters, shopkeepers, dreamers, and outsiders, the collection explores identity, community, violence, loyalty, and the absurdities of history. Combining streetwise humor with lyrical intensity, the writing captures a vanished world in prose that is both sharply ironic and deeply humane. This comprehensive collection brings together the Odessa narratives that established the work as a landmark of twentieth-century Russian literature, including later stories set in the city.
Available Editions
paperback
Pushkin Press, Limited
Published Jan 1, 2016
224 pages
ISBN: 9781782271666
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Details
First Published
1931
Language
eng
Translation
Original: Одесские рассказы
From: rus
Content Warnings
Content and trigger warnings for Odessa Stories by Isaac Babel.