REVIEWS OF IVAN BUNIN NIGHT OF DENIAL
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By Paul E. Richardson VINE VOICE on October 17, 2008
Format: Paperback
Some months ago, I praised Graham Hettlinger's superb translations of Bunin (The Elagin Affair and Other Stories). This new collection, translated by Robert Bowie, is equally astonishing. And a much broader collection of the Nobel laureate's work to boot. As if that were not enough, there are nearly 200 pages at the end of the volume with copious notes on the stories, a biographical afterword by Bowie, and a fun chapter, "On Translating Bunin." (Reviewed in Russian Life)
Some months ago, I praised Graham Hettlinger's superb translations of Bunin (The Elagin Affair and Other Stories). This new collection, translated by Robert Bowie, is equally astonishing. And a much broader collection of the Nobel laureate's work to boot. As if that were not enough, there are nearly 200 pages at the end of the volume with copious notes on the stories, a biographical afterword by Bowie, and a fun chapter, "On Translating Bunin." (Reviewed in Russian Life)
By Dale W. Boyer on May 6, 2010
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
I had never heard of Bunin before I stumbled across this book, but Bunin is a major find - kind of a bridge between Chekhov and Nabokov (whom he obviously influenced), but with a sensibility all his own. The Consecration of Love is one of the best evocations of first love's irrational, insatiable, jealous nature I've ever come across. It's written in the kind of ornate, painterly language that will drive some crazy, but will make other fellow writers jealous. There are a number of gems here, including Drydale and The Gentleman from San Francisco. But it is in The Consecration of Love that Bunin and his translator reach their artistic peak. Robert Bowie's translations are impeccable: as careful and gorgeous as Dmitri Nabokov's of his father Vladimir's work. That is, they are some of the finest things ever written in the English language.
I had never heard of Bunin before I stumbled across this book, but Bunin is a major find - kind of a bridge between Chekhov and Nabokov (whom he obviously influenced), but with a sensibility all his own. The Consecration of Love is one of the best evocations of first love's irrational, insatiable, jealous nature I've ever come across. It's written in the kind of ornate, painterly language that will drive some crazy, but will make other fellow writers jealous. There are a number of gems here, including Drydale and The Gentleman from San Francisco. But it is in The Consecration of Love that Bunin and his translator reach their artistic peak. Robert Bowie's translations are impeccable: as careful and gorgeous as Dmitri Nabokov's of his father Vladimir's work. That is, they are some of the finest things ever written in the English language.
By Claudia Etheridge on April 29, 2013
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Talented both in poetry and prose, Ivan Bunin (1870-1953) - author of "Night of Denial" - was the first Russian to be awarded a Nobel Prize for literature.
Described as an "archaist innovator" (by scholar Oleg Mikhaylov), Bunin carried on the classical Russian traditions, with a language - sometimes referred to as the "Bunin brocade" - that is very rich in verbal expression. His literary style forms a link between the realistic approach of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) and Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), and the modern form of Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977).
Along with the autobiographical novel "The Life of Arseniev", Bunin is best known for his short stories, 40 of which - written largely between 1900 and 1945 - are collected in "Night of Denial". The stories vary in length from two to over seventy pages, the longer ones - for example, Drydale, The Gentleman from San Francisco and The Consecration of Love - being comparable to actual independent novels. The stories are all dated, but not presented in accurate chronological order. The title - "Night of Denial" - is also the title of the last short story.
In addition to the stories, also included at the end of the book are: Notes, providing interesting details and other information on the stories themselves; an extended Afterword (sic), including abundant data on the author and his work; a section On Translating Bunin and the Acknowledgements, all by the translator Robert Bowie.
Very attractive, in the stories, and usually bright, are the descriptions of nature, which extend from the fine details of a small flower to the vast spectacular extensions of the Russian landscape.
Talented both in poetry and prose, Ivan Bunin (1870-1953) - author of "Night of Denial" - was the first Russian to be awarded a Nobel Prize for literature.
Described as an "archaist innovator" (by scholar Oleg Mikhaylov), Bunin carried on the classical Russian traditions, with a language - sometimes referred to as the "Bunin brocade" - that is very rich in verbal expression. His literary style forms a link between the realistic approach of Leo Tolstoy (1828-1910) and Anton Chekhov (1860-1904), and the modern form of Vladimir Nabokov (1899-1977).
Along with the autobiographical novel "The Life of Arseniev", Bunin is best known for his short stories, 40 of which - written largely between 1900 and 1945 - are collected in "Night of Denial". The stories vary in length from two to over seventy pages, the longer ones - for example, Drydale, The Gentleman from San Francisco and The Consecration of Love - being comparable to actual independent novels. The stories are all dated, but not presented in accurate chronological order. The title - "Night of Denial" - is also the title of the last short story.
In addition to the stories, also included at the end of the book are: Notes, providing interesting details and other information on the stories themselves; an extended Afterword (sic), including abundant data on the author and his work; a section On Translating Bunin and the Acknowledgements, all by the translator Robert Bowie.
Very attractive, in the stories, and usually bright, are the descriptions of nature, which extend from the fine details of a small flower to the vast spectacular extensions of the Russian landscape.
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