The Lonely Years, 1925-1939: The Unpublished Stories and Private Correspondence

The Lonely Years, a collection of private correspondence, is essential to an understanding of Isaac Babel's life and works. Babel rose to fame in 1920s Russia for such books as Red Cavalry and Odessa Stories. But as Stalin's regime grew repressive, he found it increasingly difficult to write or publish. He was finally arrested in 1939, never to be heard from again. Alternately tender and biting, and accompanied by nine stories from the "lonely years," these letters show an i…