Dead at the age of thirty-three, Vsevolod Garshin had by that time already established himself as one of RussiaÕs finest short fiction writers. His known stories are included in this volume. Many are powerful accounts of war, influenced by his direct experience of army life, having volunteered to serve in the Russo-Turkish war of 1877-8. GarshinÕs literary output includes poignant and phantastique renderings of the fairy tale, as well as a supreme example of the Russian tradition of asylum horror ÔThe Scarlet Blossom,Õ perhaps his most well-known story. With great sensitivity, GarshinÕs fiction displays the uneasy contradictions of human nature. His determinedly individual voice ensures the stories retain a resonance contemporary to any time. This collection contains GarshinÕs fiction as translated by Captain Rowland Siddons SmithÊOBE, and commentary by Sergius Stepniak, men of note in their own right, and a brief biography of both is included.
