Thomas' acclaimed translations of Akhmatova's poems. This volume includes "Requiem", her poem of the Stalinist Terror and "Poem Without a Hero".

    On the way he bestows upon angels, fellow passengers, and the world at large a magnificent monologue on alcohol, politics, society, alcohol, philosophy, the pains of love, and, of course, alcohol.

    

    He spent his early childhood in Astrakhan where his father worked as a shipping agent, but when the boy was only five years old, his father died, and he was sent to live with his maternal grandparents. This was not a happy time for the young Gorky as conditions were poor and often violent. At the age of eight, the boy's grandfather forced him to quit school and apprenticed him to several tradesmen including a shoemaker and an icon painter. Fortunately, Gorky also worked as a dishwasher on a Volga steamer where a friendly cook taught him to read, and literature soon became his passion. At the age of twelve, Gorky ran away from home and barely survived, half starving, moving from one small job to the next. He was often beaten by his employers and seldom had enough to eat. The bitterness of these early experiences led him to choose the name Maxim Gorky (which means "the bitter one") as his pseudonym.

    In the first part of the book the author describes his growing ties in the early years of the century with the poet and author Ivan Bunin, the only Russian writer other than Pasternak to have been awarded the Nobel Prize. Most of the action is centred on Odessa during the Civil War where Katayev, a demobilized army officer, meets Bunin for a second time as a refugee fleeing from the Revolution. There is a brilliant account of the conflict in Bunin's mind which ultimately led him to emigrate from Russia. The second part consists of an account of eight years of friendship between the author and 'the futurist, innovator and trendsetter', Mayakovsky. Katayev's vivid portrait throws new light on this passionate revolutionary poet who shocked his friends and enemies alike by shooting himself.

    Shortly before the outbreak of World War II, he is sent to an obscure village with one week's ration of canned meat and orders to guard a downed plane. Apparently forgotten by his unit, Chonkin resumes his life as a peasant and passes the war tending the village postmistress's garden. Just after the German invasion, the secret police discover this mysterious soldier lurking behind the front line. Their pursuit of Chonkin and his determined resistance lead to wild skirmishes and slapstick encounters.