I must admit that I had never heard of Soviet writer Mikhail Zoshchenko (1894-1958) prior to coming across this book on NetGalley. I may be forgiven for this, given the dearth of translation of his works into English. It turns out that Zoshchenko’s short stories made him very popular with the public in the 1920s, but their peculiar brand of humour rendered their politics too ambiguous for the tastes of the regime. He weathered the frowns of the authorities for several years until he was expelled from the Soviet Writers’ Union in 1946 – a blow to his reputation and his health.

Mikhail Zoshchenko’s Sentimental Tales resorts to a technique which had been used by other Russian authors, including Gogol and Pushkin in works such as [b:Tales of Belkin|6697972|Tales of Belkin|Alexander Pushkin|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1320559853s/6697972.jpg|50747166] and "A History of the Village of Goryukhino”. In a meta-fictional approach which seems to foreshadow postmodern techniques, the stories are allegedly written by one Kolenkorov, a mediocre writer who strives, with limited success, to conform to the ideals of a “model Soviet artist”. As a result, the narration is deliberately clunky, replete with irrelevant details, overblown metaphors and inconsequential asides. This provides much of the humour, but it also serves as a cover for Zoshchenko. Melodramatic tales of tragic, unrequited love – which otherwise might have been considered too “sentimental” – are camouflaged by this comedic approach. More importantly, the farcical elements allow Zoshchenko to get away with biting social satire.

Such works need a sensitive translator to do them justice – hats off to Boris Dralyuk (who has already shown his mettle in other challenging translations for Penguin, Maclehouse Press and Pushkin Press amongst others). He manages to transpose the particular wit of Zoshchenko into English, making it accessible to us despite the differences in language and culture. ( )

This prime virtue of this book is its hilarious voice. The somewhat-priggish narrator is constantly arguing with himself, doubling back, making assumptions, and telling you all about the stories he _isn't_ writing (it's a little like Tristram Shandy in this way). However, this voice is also the prime drawback. At times I got tired of the voice and just wanted to get to the story! One of the stories I skipped because it seemed all voice and no events. After awhile I got the sense of the narrator's outlook and of what the collection had to offer, and I became less interested in the individual stories.

Problematically, the first story is by far the best! So that if you read to the end, you'll always be expecting that flash of humanity--the flash of something deeper beneath the satire--that never comes. He's clearly strongly influenced by Tolstoy, and many of the stories feel a little like the Death of Ivan Ilyich or like War and Peace (he has exactly that same sort of authoritative, all-encompassing voice), but sometimes I felt like the moral force was lacking.

Of course, partly this was due to the era. He wrote and published many of these stories during the terror of the 1930s, and he not only survived, he was at times rewarded! It's exactly this ambiguity about where he stands that makes the stories so intriguing. Definitely worth the time of any lover of Russian literature. ( )

‘’What do you think, Auntie, does man have a soul?’’

Mikhail Zoshchenko is considered one of the greatest Russian satirists, a genre that flourished in the country, especially during the Soviet era. The six stories of the collection are set during the first decade of the Bolshevik era but have very little to do with politics or the Revolution. Instead, characters tangible and familiar, with hopes, fears and regrets we all face, are the heart of each story. Zoshchenko uses the technique of the detached narrator-author, called Kolenkorov, who is our guide to the adventures and sentimental misfortunes and a slightly nostalgic lover of old Russia.

‘’What - is there a shortage of good facts in our lives?’’

The most beautiful tales are always the ones which narrate the hope of approval, love and understanding. This collection is no exception to this rule. The characters are primarily artists. Musicians, authors, poets, ballerinas mingle with members of the former upper-class that represent a world which has lost every privilege once taken for granted. The political and social upheaval is referred to in a subtle, cleverly satirical manner. Obviously, it is there, influencing the choices of the characters, shaping wealth and poverty (more often) and prospects but if we come to think about it, in the end it makes little difference to the women and men of the stories. For these are primarily tales of emotion and sentimental behaviour and these aren’t easily influenced by any political or social status quo. In addition, the author often draws an amusing, satirical comparison between Western and Russian Literature without any trace of malice or cynicism but with many valid observations.

My favourite story in the collection is called Apollo and Tamara. A talented pianist leaves to join the fight during the First World War. He returns only to find that the life he knew exists no more. This is a sad tale. Sad and unfair but beautiful.

Needless to say, this collection is highly recommended to every lover of Russian Literature.

‘’And in that case, he might as well jump under a tram.’’

Many thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. ( )