One of the most powerful short-story writers of the twentieth century,
Isaac Babel expressed his sense of inner conflict through disturbing
tales that explored the contradictions of Russian society. Whether
reflecting on anti-Semitism in stories such as "Story of My
Dovecote" and "First Love," or depicting Jewish gangsters in his
native Odessa, Babel's eye for the comical laid bare the ironies of
history. His masterpiece, "Red Cavalry," set in the Soviet-Polish
war, is one of the classics of modern fiction. By turns flamboyant and
restrained, this collection of Babel's best-known stories vividly
expresses the horrors of his age. This translation is based on the
complete, original text taken from an unexpurgated Russian edition.
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