21: Russian Short Prose from the Odd Century(Cultural Syllabus)

This collection of Russian short stories from the 21st century includes works by famous writers and young talents alike, representing a diversity of generational, gender, ethnic and national identities. Their authors live not only in Russia, but also in Europe and the US. Short stories in this volume display a vast spectrum of subgenres, from grotesque absurdist stories to lyrical essays, from realistic narratives to fantastic parables. Taken together, they display rich and complex cultural and intellectual reality of contemporary Russia, in which political, social, and ethnic conflicts of today coexist with themes and characters resonating with classical literature, albeit invariably twisted and transformed in an unpredictable way. Most of texts in this volume appear in English for the first time. 21 may be useful for college courses but will also provide exciting reading for anyone interested in contemporary Russia.

Table of Contents:
Nikolai Baitov Solovyov’s Trick Silentium Translated by Maya Vinokour. Evgeny Shklovsky The Street Translated by Jason Cieply. Vladimir Sorokin Smirnov Translated by Maya Vinokour. Nikolai Kononov Evgenia’s Genius Translated by Simon Schuchat. Leonid Kostyukov Verkhovsky and Son Translated by Maya Vinokour. Sergei Soloukh A Search Translated by Margarita Vaysman and Angus Balkham. Margarita Khemlin Shady Business Translated by Maya Vinokour. Elena Dolgopyat The Victim Translated by Jason Cieply. Kirill Kobrin Amadeus Translated by Veronika Lakotová. Pavel Pepperstein Tongue Translated by Bradley Gorski Aleksandr Ilichevsky The Sparrow Translated by Bradley Gorski Stanislav Lvovsky Roaming Translated by Bradley Gorski Valery Votrin Alkonost Translated by Maya Vinokour. Linor Goralik A Little Stick; 1:38 A.M.; No Such Thing Come On, It’s Funny; The Foundling; We Can’t Even Imagine Heights Like That; Cyst Translated by Maya Vinokour. Aleksey Tsvetkov Jr Priceart Translated by Sofya Khagi. Lara Vapnyar Salad Olivier Polina Barskova Reaper of Leaves Translated by Catherine Ciepiela. Arkady Babchenko Argun Translated by Nicholas Allen. Denis Osokin Ludo Logar, or Duck Throat; The New Shoes Translated by Simon Schuchat. Maria Boteva Where the Truth Is Translated by Jason Cieply. Marianna Geide Ivan Grigoriev Translated by Simon Schuchat.

About the Author :
Mark Lipovetskyis Professor of Russian at Columbia University. He is the author of ten monographs and more than a hundred articles. He also coedited more than twenty volumes on various aspects of modern Russian literature and culture, including Charms of the Cynical Reason: The Trickster's Transformation in Soviet and Post-Soviet Culture (2011), Postmodern Crises: From Lolita to Pussy Riot(2017), 50 Writers: An Anthology of 20th Century Russian Short Stories (coedited with Valentina Brougher and Frank Miller, 2011), and Late and Post-Soviet Russian Literature: A Reader, Volumes I & II (co-edited with Lisa Wakamiya, 2014 & 2015).

Review :
"21: Russian Short Prose from the Odd Century gathers together marvelous examples of the diversity and richness of Russian writing in the contemporary moment. Its authors are drawn from distinct generations, live in countries scattered across the globe, and work in a broad range of styles and genres, from more traditional stories to sketches, essays, fairy tales, and 'the uncategorizable.' Its editor and crack team of translators have produced excellent, polished English versions. In short, for the general readership, as well as for college and school courses, this book provides a brilliant overview of Russian literature today." --Kevin M.F. Platt, Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor in the Humanities, University of Pennsylvania "Cleverly selected and impeccably translated, 21 introduces its readers to some of the best Russian writers of our time." -- Eliot Borenstein, Professor of Russian and Slavic Studies, Collegiate Professor, New York University