Stories and Memories: A Collection

This collection presents selected works by Nadezhda Alexandrovna Teffi, recognized as the "queen of Russian humor." In her stories, she remarkably combined brilliant wit and quiet sadness, ironically describing the absurdities of life and seeing the hidden mystery of existence behind them. The writer's memories hold a special place in the book, reflecting the troubled years of 1918–1919. During this time, Teffi traveled through Russian cities—her keen observations of life in "turbulent Russia" form the main content of the memoirs. Above all, it is a kaleidoscope of fates and faces—friends, acquaintances, random companions, equally caught up in the whirl of events, losing the meaning of existence or, conversely, desperately seeking a way out of the surrounding chaos. Among them are historical figures such as the poet Leonid Kannegiser, journalist Vlas Doroshevich, and artist Mamont Dalsky, as well as ordinary people whose lives were forever changed by the revolution. From the multitude of details seen through a perceptive, ironic, yet bittersweet and compassionate gaze, a deeply personal and at the same time almost epic picture of the disintegration of the familiar world emerges—funny and frightening, as is characteristic of Teffi's stories. The book opens with a foreword by B. V. Averin.