Short Stories of Gogol, Chekhov, and Babel
featuring Jennifer Flaherty, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Slavic & Eurasian Studies, Duke University
About the book from Dr. Flaherty:
Gogol, Chekhov, and Babel are all masters of the short form in different periods of Russian literary history. Before the Great Russian Novel came to be, Gogol spun tales from 2-sentence anecdotes; Chekhov condensed the anguish and the big social questions, spilt across 500+ pages during the age of the novel, into tightly packaged short stories with no clear moral lesson; Babel introduces the Soviet period with painterly strokes that suggest more than they say. The three writers show, in different ways, what the short form is and what it can do. Just as a few lines of poetry can conceal as much, or sometimes more, creative labor than 500 pages, short stories are all about structure. There may be less that is said, but each word needs to be carefully considered. Gogol shows us satire; Chekhov shows us snapshots of human life, unresolved; Babel shows us something similar, but with a just-under-the-surface dramatic sense of violence and sometimes equally dramatic sense of hope that the short form can also express.
DETAILS
Dates & Times: Tuesdays, June 10, 17, and 24 |10:00 am-12:00 pm
Cost: $55, includes a course packet shipped to your home.
Location: Flyleaf Books
Space is limited, so reserve your spot early! A very limited number of virtual seats are available on a first come, first served basis.
Register Here
Due to the nature of the reading groups, refunds are not available.
