Apricot Jam and Other Stories (Canons) - Softcover

Solzhenitsyn, Aleksandr

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1786894238 ISBN 13: 9781786894236

Publisher: Canongate Canons, 2018

Synopsis

In this, his atmospheric final work of fiction, the Nobel Prize-winning author of One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich introduces an unforgettable set of characters whose day-to-day lives are transformed under the pressures of Soviet rule. These stories confirm Solzhenitsyn's position alongside Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky and Gogol as one of Russia's great writers.

About this title

Review:

"One of the greatest writers of his time" (Guardian)

"A remarkable human being, a visionary, a crusader in the simplest sense, who was steered in his writing, as in his actions, by a deep sense of justice" (Daily Telegraph)

"What was forgotten was how great a writer Solzhenitsyn was. But now we are reminded with these nine short stories written shortly after his return to Russia and published posthumously in an excellent translation . . . The more experimental 'binary' or two-part tales, which dominate this collection, share the qualities of Solzhenitsyn's finest prose: its precision and visual clarity; the subtle irony and humour of its tone; its moral truth; and the skilful crafting and shaping of the story for emotional effect" (The Times)

"Read these stories for a reminder of an extraordinary life, for the range of the interests they encompass and for a pugnacious moral energy that even the octogenarian writer was hard pressed to tame" (Guardian)

"In terms of the effect he has had on history, Solzhenitsyn is the dominant writer of [the twentieth] century" (David Remnick New Yorker)

"Described by scholars as ranking alongside his best work . . . one of the publishing events of the autumn" (Observer)

"In probing the relationship between action and belief during times of crisis, Solzhenitsyn is unsurpassed" (The Times)

"A great book . . . absolutely terrific" (John Carey)

"With its unapologetic moralising and blunt irony, Apricot Jam is a perfect introduction to the stories in this volume. The binary method is essentially a satirical device, designed to capture the doubleness - and double-facedness - of Russian life under communism" (New Statesman)

"As fresh as masterpieces such as Cancer Ward or Matryona's Home" (Victor Sebestyen Sunday Times)

Book Description:

The final book from the Nobel Prize-winning author Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, on the centenary of his birth

About this edition

• Publisher: Canongate Canons
• Publication date: 2018
• ISBN 10: 1786894238
• ISBN 13: 9781786894236
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 384