The Three Fat Men / A novel for children.
Moscow: Foreign Languages Publishing House, 1964/ 1928 in Russian, first edition and printing in English; translated by Fainna Glagoleva, designed by V. Goryaev, tan cloth boards with stamped black, blue, and white illustration of three men fast asleep in a heap; pale green endpapers, yellow top edge; green ribbon, black and white drawings and blue and brown toned plates in text; 6.5x8.5", 190 pp. Juvenile hardback.
An intriguing fairy tale that mixes violent oppression and revolution with passages of lyrical writing, accessible to an older child. Lovely colour plates and spirited, skilled sketches. Scarce in first edition. Yuri Olesha (1899 - 1960): "Writer, journalist, and playwright, whose best-known novel, Zavist' (1927, Envy) painted a prophetic picture of the clashing values in the early years of the Soviet Russia. Writing in expressionistic style, Olesha's work differed radically from the school of the Socialist Realism. When the authorities realized that Olesha was more ambiguous than was permissible, he fell from favor. After Stalin's death, Olesha was rehabilitated." Archive of website was published by Petri Liukkonen.
CONDITION: Very Good; on front endpaper a long, interesting Christmas inscription to a child about history and a small woodblock print and tiny collector initials, tan cloth very lightly foxed, boards a bit skewed, stamped illustration very bright and clear, light margin wrinkles on some pages, very clean, plates nice, binding tight. Item #21794
Price: $175.00