Parts (Russian, McGill University) brings together an international group of scholars for an analysis of the Russian short story in the twentieth century. She considers first if there is
something particular about the character Russian short story but leaves the reader to decide. The essays discuss writers well known in the West, such as Chekhov, Nabokov and Pasternak along
with those not yet recognized outside Russia: Andrei Platonov, Yury Olesha, Isaak Babel, Abram Tertz, Vasili Shukshin, Varlan Shamalov, Tatiana Tolstaia, Lyudmila Petrushevskaia, Victor
Erofeev,Andrei Bitov and Viktor Pelevin. One chapter is a translation of a story by Petrushevskaia. Some of the essays place the stories within Communist or pre-revolutionary society. Others
are seen as a reflection of universal emotions. The themes of memory, childhood and loss appear often in the stories chosen for commentary. The authors speculate on whether there is a
difference in the way these are treated by the Russian writers. This is an interesting study of both Russian writers and the form of the short story itself. Annotation 穢2010 Book News, Inc.,
Portland, OR (booknews.com)
