Odoevsky, Kn. Vladimir

Deviat povestei [Nine Novelettes]

New York, NY: Chekhov Publishing House, 1954. Item #1400

273 pages. 22 cm. In original publisher’s wrappers. Wrappers show general fading and rubbing, with visible creasing and edge wear; moderate foxing throughout.

An émigré edition of selected philosophical and fantastic tales by Prince Vladimir Fedorovich Odoevsky (1803–1869), a central figure of Russian Romanticism and one of the earliest Russian writers to work in the Gothic, utopian, and speculative traditions. This edition presents a curated selection from Odoevsky’s monumental cycle Russkie nochi [Russian Nights], originally published in 1844, including “Noch pervaia” [The First Night], “Silfida” [The Sylph], “Salamandra,” “Brigadir” [The Brigadier], “Gorod bez imeni” [The City Without a Name], “Prividenie” [The Apparition], and others.

The stories explore metaphysical, philosophical, and social questions through allegorical and fantastical settings, blending European Romantic influences (notably E.T.A. Hoffmann) with Orthodox mysticism and Russian introspection. The volume is prefaced by a reprinted introduction from N.A. Kotliarevskii, drawn from his 1907 work Starinnye portrety [Old Portraits], providing important early critical context.

Price: $150.00