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Sentimental Tales
Sentimental Tales | Mikhail Zoshchenko
4 posts | 2 read | 14 to read
Mikhail Zoshchenkos Sentimental Tales are satirical portraits of small-town characters on the fringes of Soviet society in the first decade of Bolshevik rule. The tales are narrated by one Kolenkorov, who is anything but a model Soviet author: not only is he still attached to the era of the old regime, he is also, quite simply, not a very good writer. Shaped by Zoshchenkos masterful handshe takes credit for editing the tales in a series of comic prefacesKolenkorovs prose is beautifully mangled, full of stylistic infelicities, overloaded flights of metaphor, tortured clich, and misused bureaucratese, in the tradition of Gogol. Yet beneath Kolenkorovs intrusive narration and sublime blathering, the stories are genuinely moving. They tell tales of unrequited love and amorous misadventures among down-on-their-luck musicians, provincial damsels, aspiring poets, and liberal aristocrats hopelessly out of place in the new Russia, against a backdrop of overcrowded apartments, scheming, and daydreaming. Zoshchenkos deadpan style and sly ventriloquy mask a biting critique of Soviet lifeand perhaps life in general. An original perspective on Soviet society in the 1920s and simply uproariously funny, Sentimental Tales at last shows Anglophone readers why Zoshchenko is considered among the greatest humorists of the Soviet era.
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blurb
Kshakal
Sentimental Tales | Mikhail Zoshchenko
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My niece turns 2 today... I can believe how fast it has gone... it seems like just yesterday I was holding her for the first time!! #sentimentalsunday #literarylove @vkois88 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

BookishMarginalia 💜💜💜 5y
julesG Cute! Yes, time flies. My baby girl turned 9 today. But she was a gurgling baby just yesterday. 5y
SilversReviews Adorable!! 5y
AmyG It flies! My great niece turns 5 today! 5y
44 likes4 comments
review
batsy
Sentimental Tales | Mikhail Zoshchenko
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Pickpick

Dark, bitter Russian humour, as thick & bracing as black coffee, is totally my jam. The Russians seem like the literary precursors of most things & such is the case with this collection of six tales: very postmodernist, but originally published in 1929. Through the metafictional device of an author who asserts his own opinions in every story, the actual author Zoshchenko satirises & probes the contradictions of early Bolshevik society. A delight.

Cathythoughts Impressive review 👍🏻I think the review must be as good as the book 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻❤️ 5y
Moray_Reads Sounds right up my street ❤️ 5y
erzascarletbookgasm Great review 👍 5y
See All 22 Comments
TrishB Fab review 👍🏻 5y
Trashcanman You should be a professional book reviewer. Publishers should pay you cash in thick envelopes. You have a talent. 😊 5y
batsy @Moray_Reads I love the humour and the way he sets up each story with the fictional author's sharp opinions... Hope you find it a good read if you give it a go 🙂 5y
batsy That's so nice of you @Trashcanman thank you ❤️ Loving the idea of thick envelopes filled with cash 😂 5y
saresmoore YES PLEASE 5y
RaimeyGallant What a terrific review. I'm intrigued. 5y
Moray_Reads @batsy dark Russian humour with a postmodern twist, what's not to love? 5y
batsy @saresmoore I think you'll like it :) 5y
batsy @RaimeyGallant Thank you! 5y
RohitSawant Stellar review! 🙌🏼 5y
batsy @rohit-sawant Thank you!! 5y
Ms_T Fantastic review! 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 5y
batsy Thank you, @Ms_T !! 5y
Suet624 Yum. Just my jam. 5y
batsy @Suet624 Just slightly sweet to make you forget how tart it is 😉 5y
Suet624 Hahaha 5y
RealLifeReading Heh that made me think of how some Russians like to add jam to their tea to sweeten it 5y
Faibka Stacked! Sounds like something that‘s right up my alley, as always an awesome review! 5y
96 likes12 stack adds22 comments
quote
batsy
Sentimental Tales | Mikhail Zoshchenko
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This reader chooses to believe the same. #CurmudgeonsUnite #TheFutureIsNonsenseAndRubbish #MuchLikeNow

Tanisha_A High-5! 5y
GingerAntics They‘ll have their own little trifles, but in the end it won‘t be that different at all. 5y
Leftcoastzen 😁👍 5y
LazyDays Nice. 5y
readordierachel Love the hashtags 😆 5y
79 likes1 stack add5 comments
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batsy
Sentimental Tales | Mikhail Zoshchenko
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💔

Trashcanman 7 years waiting and counting. 6y
Trashcanman Counting down that is 6y
75 likes3 comments