33 Moments of Happiness: St. Petersburg Stories

33 Moments of Happiness: St. Petersburg StoriesAn intriguing, fabulously bizarre debut collection of short stories by prize winning German writer Ingo Schulze, author of Simple Stories. These thirty three macabre, often comical short pieces revolve around moments of odd bliss moments seized by characters who have found ways to conquer the bleakness of everyday life in the chaotic world of post communist Russia. Peopled by Mafia gunmen, desperate young prostitutes, bewildered foreign businessmen,

An intriguing, fabulously bizarre debut collection of short stories by prize-winning German writer Ingo Schulze, author of Simple Stories.

These thirty-three macabre, often comical short pieces revolve around moments of odd bliss-moments seized by characters who have found ways to conquer the bleakness of everyday life in the chaotic world of post-communist Russia.

Peopled by Mafia gunmen, desperate young prostitutes, bewildered foreign businessmen, and even a trio of hungry devils, the stories are by turns tragic and bleakly funny. From a sly retelling of the legend of St. Nicholas featuring a rich American named Nick, to a lavish gourmet feast in which the young female cook ends up as the main dish, these stories are above all playful and even surreal-and many of them are masterful tributes to Russian writers from Gogol to Nabokov.

Translated by John E. Woods.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Vintage
Published: 06/05/2001
ISBN: 9780375700040
Pages: 320
Weight: 0.76lbs
Size: 8.05h x 5.23w x 0.75d

Review Citations: Time 07/14/2008 pg. 68