Description
Book SynopsisThis book presents three tales that encapsulate Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky’s gift for creating philosophical, satirical, and lyrical phantasmagorias. It also includes excerpts from his notebooks—aphoristic glimpses of his worldview, moods, humor, and writing methods—and reminiscences of Krzhizhanovsky by his lifelong companion, Anna Bovshek.
Trade ReviewIf H. G. Wells had been a poet, if Emily Dickinson were born a Slav, and if they had teamed up to write darkly hilarious, meandering novellas of fantastic realism, they might have equaled the bleak wit of Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky. Joanne Turnbull’s deft, dazzlingly inventive translation and Caryl Emerson’s lucid and moving introduction reveal the human side of this brilliant, tragically frustrated talent. -- Muireann Maguire, author of
Stalin's Ghosts: Gothic Themes in Early Soviet LiteratureKrzhizhanovsky is unmatched for the droll humor with which he fictionalizes philosophers, from Kant to the imaginary Katafalaki. “Logic for children,” he wrote in his notebook; yes, children of the universe, old as we are, and still bewildered. I am so grateful for his gentle pathos in the face of great odds. -- Ange Mlinko, author of
Venice: PoemsSince his rediscovery in the waning days of the Soviet Union, Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky has completely overturned the canon of Russian literature. Joanne Turnbull and Nikolai Formozov’s blistering translations of these three novellas, which provoke frequent guffaws of delight and horror, show us why. -- Benjamin Paloff, author of
Lost in the Shadow of the Word: Space, Time, and Freedom in Interwar Eastern EuropeIt is now clear that Krzhizhanovsky is one of the greatest Russian writers of the last century. -- Robert Chandler,
The Financial TimesKrzhizhanovsky is often compared to Borges, Swift, Poe, Gogol, Kafka, and Beckett, yet his fiction relies on its own special mixture of heresy and logic...phantasmagoric. -- Natasha Randall,
BookforumKrzhizhanovsky takes the reader through realms of magic and science alike. It’s like little else you’ll encounter anywhere—politically resonant fables where people and places turn malleable at a moment’s notice. -- Tobias Carroll * Words Without Borders *
[A] richly rewarding read with great depths to mine for the dedicated reader. -- Axie Barclay * Seattle Book Review *
Just brilliant. -- Karen Langley * Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings *
Would Krzhizhanovsky have dared write something so esoteric if he expected to be published? There is an exhilarating sense that the deeper his obscurity ran, the wilder his intellectual frolics became. -- Sam Sacks * Wall Street Journal *
This collection of playful metaphysical tales and memoirs, by and about the Kyiv-born author Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, will delight admirers and enchant new readers. -- Muireann Maguire * Times Literary Supplement *
This lively, thought-provoking new translation represents an important step in bringing [Krzhizhanovsky’s] work into being for Anglophones. -- A. J. DeBlasio * Choice Reviews *
Table of ContentsIntroduction, by Caryl Emerson
Stravaging “Strange”
Catastrophe
Material for a Life of Gorgis Katafalaki
Krzhizhanovsky’s Notebooks and Loose-Leaf Notes
Afterword
Notes
