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Calligraphy Lesson: The Collected Stories
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About Calligraphy Lesson: The Collected Stories
Product Description "A welcome volume of stories from Russia’s finest contemporary fiction writer, Mikhail Shishkin, full of his typical fusing of mysticism and modernist experimentation." Sam Sacks, Wall Street Journal The first English-language collection of short stories by Russia's greatest contemporary author, Mikhail Shishkin, the only author to win all three of Russia's most prestigious literary awards. Often included in discussions of Nobel Prize contenders, Shishkin is a master prose writer in the breathtakingly beautiful style of the greatest Russian authors, known for complex, allusive novels about universal and emotional themes. Shishkin's stories read like modern versions of the eternal literature written by his greatest inspirations: Boris Pasternak, Ivan Bunin, Leo Tolstoy, and Mikhail Bulgakov. Shishkin's short fiction is the perfect introduction to his breathtaking oeuvre, his stories touch on the same big themes as his novels, spanning discussions of love and loss, death and eternal life, emigration and exile. Calligraphy Lesson spans Shishkin's entire writing career, including his first published story, the 1993 Debut Prizewinning "Calligraphy Lesson," and his most recent story "Nabokov's Inkblot," which was written for a dramatic adaptation performed in Zurich in 2013. Mikhail Shishkin (b. 1961 in Moscow) is one of the most prominent names in contemporary Russian literature. A former interpreter for refugees in Switzerland, Shishkin divides his time between Moscow, Switzerland, and Germany. Review World Literature Today Editor's Pick: Summer Reads (2015) “Shishkin tends not to be sentimental or idealistic― indeed, he is usually quite the opposite―and this gives the more positive or transcendent moments extra punch." ― Sibelan Forrester, The Slavic Review "Shishkin is virtuosic, his subjects move through others' stories in dizzying/awe-inspiring ways. Incredible!" ― Maaza Mengiste, author of Beneath the Lion's Gaze "Though the stories in CALLIGRAPHY LESSON are steeped in Russian history and have a distinctly Russian tone, many of the philosophical quandaries they engage extend beyond language and borders ― they are universal problems, and this translation boldly and successfully takes them on." ― Caroline North, Dallas Observer "Shishkin is fantastically, magically talented." ― Julie Hersh, Music & Literature "Compact, and at times riveting to read, this collection delivers a well-rounded portrait of Russian’s most acclaimed contemporary writer." ― Lucy Renner Jones, Words Without Borders "An ideal introduction to Shishkin and his work." ― Michael Orthofer, Complete Review "Nothing I read about [Shishkin], however, quite prepared me for the desperate urgency of CALLIGRAPHY LESSON, as if its lyricism were only a last match struck against the darkness. His prose breathes life – doesn’t breathe it, gasps it, aware of the perishability of words, of worlds dying in each instant, and us dying with them, as life is beaten out of us second by second." ― Cynthia Haven, The Book Haven "Characters with great pathos navigate a distinctly post-Soviet bedlam . . . The collection consists of artfully constructed, empathetic tales of people living in the midst cyclonic time." ― Jacob Kiernan, New Orleans Review "I highly recommend Calligraphy Lesson for the beautiful language, moving stories and the emotional characters." ― The Book Binder's Daughter "Complex and allusive . . . juxtaposed with autobiographical – and at times overtly politicised – narratives . . . [the final story] takes us beyond fiction and into the realm of the philosophical essay . . . the collection stands at the nexus between Shishkin’s novelistic output and his increasingly outspoken forays into the political arena . . .In CALLIGRAPHY LESSON, he celebrates art’s – and, more specifically, language’s – capacity to elevate us to the time-annihilating plateau." ― Leo Shtutin, Open Democracy "Shishkin’s life-affirming language po
