Studies in Russian literature and theory

"Notes on Fishing was Sergei Aksakov's first book, and Russia's first angling treatise. Notes, which has been compared to Izaak Walton's The Compleat Angler, presents a Russian gentleman's affectionate observations on the fishing tackle, angling techniques, and fish species he came to know during five decades of adventure-filled fishing in the vast Russian steppe and environs of Moscow.". "Notes on Fishing, however, goes beyond more discourse on angling; it offers a rich multitude of viewpoints: philosophical, literary, linguistic, ethnographic, biological, and conservationist. Aksakov has imbued his notes with a deep fondness for the Russian land and an expertly conveyed atmosphere of personal and national nostalgia."--BOOK JACKET.

"Written in 1937, more than two decades after Leo Tolstoy's death, The Liberation of Tolstoy - equal parts biography, memoir, and literary study - serves as a dialogue between two great writers on the proklyatye voprosy, or "damned questions," of life.". "Bunin conveys the drama of Tolstoy's last days; his early love and eventual hatred of his wife, Sofya; his relationship with his eccentric family; his difficulties with the Russian Orthodox Church and his embrace of Buddhism; and the politics and events surrounding his funeral. At the same time, this work reflects the drama of Bunin's own difficult circumstances and his search for spiritual deliverance."--BOOK JACKET.