Photograph of Mikhail Zoshchenko by Boris Ignatovich, 1923
Releasing a book into the wild is both a joyous and an agonizing experience: I’m always glad to see the creature in its natural habitat, on bookstore shelves, but I also know that predators roam the aisles… The first week is full of anxiety. Will others treat the book kindly? Will they even notice its existence?
I’m pleased to report that, like Elsa the Lioness, my newly freed translation of Mikhail Zoshchenko’s Sentimental Tales is off to a roaring start! Karen Langley — whom I and so many booklovers out there also know as Kaggsy of Kaggsy’s Bookish Ramblings — greeted the collection with a wonderfully sharp-eyed and open-hearted review for Shiny New Books, ending with the perfect description of its overall effect: “Humorous, profound, multi-faceted and tragic, these Sentimental Tales will have you laughing and crying at the same time.”
And other bloggers I admire have been just as receptive! The Opinionated Reader, Adventures with Words, and A Bookish Type have all offered thoughtful, sensitive appraisals of the book. The reception at Goodreads and NetGalley is also deeply encouraging. Which reminds me! My warmest thanks to the Goodreader named Calzean J., who made my day with this spot-on pop cultural comparison: “It reminds me of a series of Seinfeld episodes with George Costanza appearing as various characters.”
Kirkus and Foreword Reviews were also marvelously generous. And to cap it all off, in a big way, yesterday’s issue of The Economist carried a review that couldn’t have been nicer had I written it myself. Yes, I know the journal’s reviewers are anonymous, but I assure you: I didn’t write this one! In fact, I can’t even bring myself to quote it… If you’re interested, read it here.
Boris Dralyuk 
Thank you so much for the mention. You gave us a treasure to be cherished forever through the words of Mikhail Zoshchenko.
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That’s so very kind of you! I will treasure YOUR words!
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Congratulations, Boris! I have my copy and can’t wait to read it.
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Thank you, Melissa! I very much hope you enjoy it!
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Thank you so much for your kind words, Boris! I’m just so pleased the book is being so well received – Zoshchenko, Kolenkorov and of course yourself deserve all the kudos! 😀
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For Kolenkorov’s sake, how could I not acknowledge your glorious review? ALL the thanks go to you!
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Whenever I see a negative reference to Marxist ideology in The Economist, I’m reminded of the number of times Marx quoted them in his topical works as (paraphrased) “and The Economist gets it wrong, AGAIN,” and I am amused.
Congratulations on the book release! The Kindle app recommended it to me in whatever the phone equivalent of a pop-up is (probably because I have 1917 on Kindle). Have nabbed a copy, though I don’t usually enjoy satire, because the bits quoted in the Economist review are hilarious.
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Maya, I find great comfort in the ongoing Marx-Economist squabble! Old Man Karl is certainly holding his own from beyond the grave… And thank you very, very much for taking a chance on the book — let’s hope it keeps you laughing through to the end!
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Finally finished reading Sentimental Tales and that was a riotous journey from start to finish! Particularly loved the narrative voice, and I was constantly turning to my girlfriend to point out some hilarious sentence or other….now she wants to read it, too!
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Maya, you can’t imagine how delighted I am to hear that Kolenkorov won you over — and that your girlfriend’s hooked too! Zoshchenko deserves to be read and loved, and I’m so gratified to have brought him another living reader.
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