I’m continuing on into March with another indie book, and it struck me as I was reading this one just how valuable independent presses are in bringing neglected authors to a wider reading public. Today’s book is a case in point; the author is a completely new name to me, and his life and work are both fascinating. Interestingly, the publisher is Columbia University Press, responsible for the Russian Library imprint which often features on the Ramblings. However, they also publish more widely and although the author of today’s book hails from Ukraine, he had a fascinating and peripatetic life, as well as producing some inventive and memorable writing. His name is Vasily Eroshenko and the book is “The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales”, translated from the Japanese and Esperanto by Adam Kuplowsky.
The excellent introduction by Kuplowsky explores Eroshenko’s life; born in 1890 he was blinded at the age of 4 due to complications from measles. However, despite difficult times at a school for the blind, he made a career as a violinist in an orchestra of the blind, then travelled to London, Paris, then back to Moscow before leaving for Japan in 1914. Having learned Esperanto early, he had access to a global network of Esperantist, and travelled through many Asian and European countries, always preaching his left wing and anarchist views. I imagine he was not a comfortable guest in many places, particularly against the backdrop of the First World War, the Russian Revolution and the subsequent unrest in so many countries. However, he continued to work, write and agitate all through his life until his death in 1952 in Obukhivka, his birthplace.
“The Narrow Cage” collects together a range of Eroshenko’s fables and fairytales, some written in Japanese and some in Esperanto. His fables are, of course, grounded in political satire, using animals as stand ins for humans and their terrible actions. So a fish will suffer from religious confusion; a paper lantern will be riddled with jealousy; a captive tiger will attempt to free all of his fellow imprisoned animals; and a scholarly young mouse will suffer from not recognising the dangers of real life. It’s not difficult to deduce the kind of humans and their beliefs being satirised here. However, there are fascinating subtexts to his writing, as Eroshenko obviously cares deeply for the creatures he writes about, and is happy to sling criticism at humans and the mess they make of the planet (prescient for the early 20th century if nothing else!) He decries the human tendency to enslave and use animals as a product for their own ends, and I would say at times he’s edging close to a Buddhist attitude – which may well stem from his time in Japan.
…man has always derived his strength from the oppression of those who are weaker than himself, and having never known true freedom, has always lived in misery. What an unfortunate creature is man! And yet is it not man who claims dominion over every creeping thing? How ironic!
However, his basic viewpoint is one of wanting equality for all living creatures, and in his real life he constantly agitated for this. His fables were obviously an extension of his political activism, a way of trying to point out the stupidity of modern life, of the enslavement of certain parts of humanity by others, and of preaching equality and freedom. But I must say these tales are never dull or dusty; each story is a little gem in its own right, a pleasure to read and often very moving, and even if you don’t want to take on the political message, you can still enjoy each fable simply for the story it tells. And the political message is again a global one, that we are all confined in a narrow cage of some kind, and that narrow cage can indeed be an allegory of life itself.
The CUP volume is a brilliant introduction to Eroshenko’s work, because not only does it contain a good and representative selection of his fictions, it also contains extracts from his autobiographical writings, including a piece about his childhood in the school for the blind, and also a memoir of his expulsion from Japan, an event which obviously affected him greatly. All of these enhance his stories, and added to the introduction give a wonderful all-round portrait of the man and his work.
#ReadIndies was a great way to discover new authors, and I’m so glad that my continued focus on indie presses is continuing to do this. Eroshenko was a fascinating character, a powerful author and lived such an inspiring life with all the odds stacked against him. The tales in this collection are unforgettable, populated as they are with humans and animals trying to navigating a cruel world to ensure they not only survive but also try to create freedom for all. A marvellous read and highly recommended!
Review copy kindly provided by the publisher, for which many thanks. “The Narrow Cage” is published today.
MarinaSofia
Mar 07, 2023 @ 07:06:54
What a fascinating character I’d never heard of previously!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 09:30:49
He really was! Such a fascinating and eventful life, and I loved his writing. Deceptively simple, but very effective and affecting!
Elle
Mar 07, 2023 @ 09:47:13
The fables sound really lovely (I like the religiously confused fish and the scholarly mouse in particular)!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 11:48:51
They are – and you can read them just as fables in their own right, but I do enjoy the political edge!
A Life in Books
Mar 07, 2023 @ 10:09:11
What an interesting man! I remember being enchanted by the idea of Esperanto when I was a teenager. I can see why it would appeal to him.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 11:48:29
He was obviously a fascinating character. And yes, the idea of Esperanto and being able to communicate with everyone is very appealing!
Tony
Mar 07, 2023 @ 10:50:08
Glad you enjoyed it, too 🙂
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 11:47:48
I did, though I do agree it would have been nice to have more of the autobiographical writings!
Margot Kinberg
Mar 07, 2023 @ 12:10:41
Oh, I’ve heard of this one, but haven’t read it yet. It seems I definitely should. He really does sound interesting as a person – why do these people get forgotten, if that’s the word? – and it’s good to have a solid introduction to him. It’s fascinating the way fables and other tales can be used to show us ourselves. Also, I couldn’t agree more about indie presses.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 16:02:59
It’s a fascinating book, Margot, and really presents a good range of his writings. I can’t imagine why he’s not better known, having led such a fascinating life. And yes – the fables are very effective, taking a clever look at human behaviour. Definitely recommend this!
RussophileReads
Mar 07, 2023 @ 12:45:19
I had never heard of him before — he (and his life) does sound fascinating! I’m impressed with his resiliency in the face of so many challenges. And also . . . how cool is that book cover?!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 16:01:57
Yes, the cover is rather wonderful. And his writing is so interesting, as is his life. I’m surprised he isn’t better known, although he does sound a little bit of a misfit in life – and I guess finding someone who can translate from both Japanese and Esperanto is quite an ask, so kudos to the translator here!!
JacquiWine
Mar 07, 2023 @ 13:56:53
A completely new author to me, so thank you for such an interesting introduction. I can totally understand why the fables appealed to you, especially given the various layers. It’s so satisfying when something can be read on different levels (which seems to be the case here).
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 15:57:34
Most welcome Jacqui! He’s new to me, but such a fascinating author. I do love a piece of writing with a subtext, and that’s definitely present. I’d like to read more about his life too, as the autobiographical pieces were really interesting.
Julé Cunningham
Mar 07, 2023 @ 14:21:43
Seeing this book on Columbia’s website my eye was first caught by the cover design, and then the book and Eroshenko’s life sounded so intriguing, good to have your take on it! I look forward to reading about the religiously confused fish and the jealous paper lantern. Sounds like an interesting selection of his writings has been included here giving a nice taste of his thinking and life.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 15:56:47
It’s a fascinating work, and the fables are so entertaining but with a lovely bite to them. And the autobiographical pieces add balance. I’d like to read more of him!
Calmgrove
Mar 07, 2023 @ 19:20:57
You do point us towards some really fascinating titles, and the backstory to the author’s life and beliefs and to the languages the fables were translated from – Esperanto! Is this a first for you‽ – is almost as intriguing as the mode Eroshenko chooses to narrate in.
And I love the cover, gorgeous!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 07, 2023 @ 20:08:25
Yes, I’m pretty sure I’ve never read anything from Esperanto so that’s fascinating. The book itself is a wonderful read, too, and the author’s life so eventul. So glad CUP decided to bring this out!
madamebibilophile
Mar 07, 2023 @ 20:26:18
The author sounds remarkable and this collection truly unique! What a lovely edition too.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 08, 2023 @ 11:47:42
It’s an excellent edition, very pretty and with a lovely variety of writings. A fascinating discovery for me!
heavenali
Mar 07, 2023 @ 20:28:57
These tales sound entertaining. What a fascinating man Eroshenko sounds too, not often you see translated from Japanese and Esperanto on a book cover.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 08, 2023 @ 11:46:46
It really was interesting, and the book gave a lovely overview of his life and work. And yes – Japanese and Esperanto are an unusual combination, particularly from an author born in Ukraine!!
mallikabooks15
Mar 08, 2023 @ 11:01:32
This is certainly something I would like to read since that is a viewpoint I incline towards as well; If humans are (as they claim) superior forms of life, then how is it that bravery for instance is defined in terms of ‘hunting’ and torturing other forms of life, or likewise causing harm to them for our own ends. If life has value, then all forms should. What an interesting combination in terms of languages too.
Interestingly, and on a tangent, I just noticed Pushkin is bringing out an Essential Stories of Tanizaki which had me thinking of you!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 08, 2023 @ 11:45:55
I totally agree, and his sympathy with the natural world is clear. As for the languages – just fascinating!
And thanks for the heads up re the Tanizaki – I’ll have to take a look at that!!
Liz Dexter
Mar 14, 2023 @ 19:54:45
Wow, have you read something translated from the Esperanto before? Decades ago, I really wanted to learn Esperanto and even have a Teach Yourself book (and tape!) somewhere!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Mar 15, 2023 @ 08:15:31
No, I’m pretty sure this is a first for me, and so very exciting! I think the theory of having a universal language is a good one, but I don’t know that you’d ever persuade everyone to give up their mother tongues!!
Marianne Maurer
Apr 27, 2023 @ 11:25:35
Highly interesting. Thanks for the link, Karen.
As I already mentioned to you, I never met anyone who doesn’t speak Esperanto and came across a book by an Esperanto speaker. I have never heard of this one but that doesn’t surprise me, there are so many authors. He is well known in the Esperanto literary world, though.
In any case, before the world went global, it was a lot easier to travel through Esperanto than any other way. I did it myself and was always more than welcome at the homes of many people. It was sort of an early idea of couchsurfing (and still functions wonderfully in the Esperanto world).
Even though I am not a fan of short stories (and that’s probably one of the reasons why I never heard of the author), this sounds totally fascinating and I will have to try and find a copy in Esperanto. Thanks!
kaggsysbookishramblings
Apr 27, 2023 @ 13:59:40
Most welcome, Marianne. I was pointed at this book by the publisher, Columbia University Press, who release a lot of excellent translated fiction (usually from the Russian) and I was intrigued. I’ve not come across anything translated from Esperanto before, but I did find that aspect interesting. That element of an international community came across strongly in the book and I think you would find it very interesting, particularly the autobiographical parts of the book.
Marianne Maurer
Apr 30, 2023 @ 10:54:43
Thanks for that, Karen. I have put it on my wishlist and will include it in my next Esperanto order.
kaggsysbookishramblings
Apr 30, 2023 @ 12:00:39
Excellent! 😀