| A Double Life Contributor(s): Pavlova, Karolina (Author), Heldt, Barbara (Translator), Green, Daniel (Afterword by) |
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ISBN: 0231190794 ISBN-13: 9780231190794 Publisher: Columbia University Press OUR PRICE: $13.46 Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats Published: August 2019 |
| Additional Information |
| BISAC Categories: - Literary Collections | Russian & Former Soviet Union - Poetry | Russian & Former Soviet Union |
| Dewey: 893.713 |
| LCCN: 2018054278 |
| Series: Russian Library |
| Physical Information: 0.7" H x 5.4" W x 8.4" (0.55 lbs) 176 pages |
| Themes: - Cultural Region - Russia |
| Descriptions, Reviews, Etc. |
| Publisher Description: An unsung classic of nineteenth-century Russian literature, Karolina Pavlova's A Double Life alternates prose and poetry to offer a wry picture of Russian aristocratic society and vivid dreams of escaping its strictures. Pavlova combines rich narrative prose that details balls, tea parties, and horseback rides with poetic interludes that depict her protagonist's inner world--and biting irony that pervades a seemingly romantic description of a young woman who has everything. A Double Life tells the story of Cecily, who is being trapped into marriage by her well-meaning mother; her best friend, Olga; and Olga's mother, who means to clear the way for a wealthier suitor for her own daughter by marrying off Cecily first. Cecily's privileged upbringing makes her oblivious to the havoc that is being wreaked around her. Only in the seclusion of her bedroom is her imagination freed: each day of deception is followed by a night of dreams described in soaring verse. Pavlova subtly speaks against the limitations placed on women and especially women writers, which translator Barbara Heldt highlights in a critical introduction. Among the greatest works of literature by a Russian woman writer, A Double Life is worthy of a central place in the Russian canon. |
Contributor Bio(s): Heldt, Barbara: - Barbara heldt is Professor Emerita of Russian at the University of British Columbia. She is author of Terrible Perfection: Women and Russian Literature, translator of Karolina Pavlova, A Double Life and Kozma Prutkov: The Art of Parody, and author of numerous articles and contributions to symposia on Russian literature. |