by Isaak Babel
Since I read “Vast Emotions & Imperfect Thoughts” by Rubem Fonseca I wanted to read Isaak Babel. See my previous comments. A friend bought “The Odessa Tales” as preparation for our trip to the Ukraine with our final destination Odessa. The edition in hand was a compilation of the original “Tales of Odessa” and some selected autobiographical stories.
First, he writes short and perfect sentences. Second, I do not know what kind of man he is. Sometimes it seems that he wants to leave behind everything what has to to with his Jewish heritage. He writes really disrespectful about the Jewish life in Odessa. But I am not sure since there are also moments of great tenderness. Actually, terror and tragedy shine through every story I read so far. For example, he writes about the gift he received because he managed to pass the exam for the secondary school. His grandfather Shojl crafts that gift: a dove cage. When he went to the market to buy the doves the year 1905 pogrom in Odessa starts to unfold. One of the victims is his grandfather. With a few sentences he describes how normal people turn into blood-thirsty beasts for a few hours. But this horror is embedded into a totally different main story. This seems to be his technique. Another recurrent main character of these stories is Benya Krik a Jewish gangster. He is one of those example where Jews are not depicted as victims as so often in modern literature.
In summary: I need to read his main work: “The Red Cavalry”. These small stories made me hungry for more.
First, he writes short and perfect sentences. Second, I do not know what kind of man he is. Sometimes it seems that he wants to leave behind everything what has to to with his Jewish heritage. He writes really disrespectful about the Jewish life in Odessa. But I am not sure since there are also moments of great tenderness. Actually, terror and tragedy shine through every story I read so far. For example, he writes about the gift he received because he managed to pass the exam for the secondary school. His grandfather Shojl crafts that gift: a dove cage. When he went to the market to buy the doves the year 1905 pogrom in Odessa starts to unfold. One of the victims is his grandfather. With a few sentences he describes how normal people turn into blood-thirsty beasts for a few hours. But this horror is embedded into a totally different main story. This seems to be his technique. Another recurrent main character of these stories is Benya Krik a Jewish gangster. He is one of those example where Jews are not depicted as victims as so often in modern literature.
In summary: I need to read his main work: “The Red Cavalry”. These small stories made me hungry for more.
Facts:
English title: The Odessa Tales
Original title: Одесские рассказы
Published: 1931
