- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Robert Hale Ltd (31 Dec 2008)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0709080077
- ISBN-13: 978-0709080077
- Product Dimensions: 23.4 x 15.2 x 2.8 cm
- Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (1 customer review)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 311,257 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
Sherlock Holmes in Russia
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Thanks to the Sherlockian historian, George Piliev, this remarkable collection of Russian stories is now available in English for the first time, having been translated by Alex Auswaks. Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson travelled the length of Russia solving the most difficult and unimaginable cases and pursued all the while by an implacable Russian Moriarty. Whether it be the ingenious Railroad Thieves or the grim story of "The Strangler" these gripping tales will delight every fan of Sherlock Holmes.
About the Author
Alex Auswaks was born in China, is a Jerusalemite by adoption and currently lives in Jerusalem.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unusual, exotic and good,
By Roger Johnson (Chelmsford, England) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Sherlock Holmes in Russia (Hardcover)
We've long known that there was once a considerable industry in Germany and elsewhere, dedicated to creating more and increasingly outlandish adventures for Sherlock Holmes, all without the consent, and possibly without the knowledge, of Arthur Conan Doyle. What many of us didn't know is that the same sort of thing was going on in Russia in the early years of the twentieth century, but whereas the tales of the King of Detectives that were so abundantly available in Scandinavia, France, Spain and other countries were mostly translated from the German, the Russian stories were original and relevant to that mighty nation. They were also, to judge by the selection in this book, much better written, and frequently had a political point to them. In his introduction, George Piliev tells us a good deal about the popularity of Conan Doyle's creation in Russia -- as great, apparently, as among English-speaking readers -- and how these apocryphal chronicles came to be written and published during the last fifteen years of Tsarist rule, but he can't tell us, for instance, just how many such tales were published and how many writers contributed to the series, because, perhaps unsurprisingly, most of the original records no longer exist. There are two stories here by P Orlovetz and five by P Nikitin, all actually set in Russia, and all narrated by Dr Watson. So we're in a place, or a series of places (St Petersburg, Vladivostok and points between) that the authors knew well, but seen through the eyes of an intelligent and educated foreigner. It's a device that also enables the writers to mention economic and political anomalies without seeming to comment on them directly; it must have been widely used in those pre-revolutionary times. The style of the translated text is not really Watson's, but somehow that doesn't matter. It's clear and crisp, without anachronisms, and it's well suited to these exciting and ingenious accounts of Russian mysteries solved by an English detective.
Roger Johnson, Editor of "The Sherlock Holmes Journal"
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta) Amazon.com:
3.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews) 5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
INTERESTING HOLMES PASTICHES FROM RUSSIA,
By Stuart Jefferson - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sherlock Holmes in Russia (Hardcover)
This book is interesting not just for the story line or locale,but also because nothing is known of either of the two authors,P.Orlovetz and P.Nikitin. Of the seven stories in this volume,two are by Orlovetz,with the remainder by Nitikin.
In the 21 page introduction the history of Sherlock Holmes,and his adventures in Russia,is told from an historical view. This helps set the reader up for what follows. What is fascinating is that nothing is known about either writer-where they came from,where they lived and so on. About as close to any real information is that Nitikin,(who wrote novels,short stories,and childrens books) is known to have been one of the more prolific S.H. pastiche authors,whose work was done between 1907-1908. Other than that-nothing. The stories themselves are naturally heavily Russian orientated---down trodden people of differing classes and the caste system come to the fore in various stories. The dialogue is written with somewhat of a Conan Doyle style,but,at times,is either a little stiff or interesting,depending on the reader's viewpoint. These tales give an ever-so-slight look into this era of Russia,and how they viewed not only S.H.,but the Russian way of life. The crimes Holmes solves are not the usual,straight forward,but with a twist murders with mysterious surroundings that readers have come to know. Rather they involve subjects that sometimes don't come immediately to mind when thinking of Holmes and Watson,and that's what gives this book an interesting flavor. There are criminals to be sure,thefts of valuable (Nikitin's tale of the theft of a black pearl) objects,and so on but with a distinct Russian outlook. Orlovetz's story of corrupt officials from the lowest rank to the highest,involving the railroads and the "black market" in stolen goods,uses a number of Holmes devices such as disguises,Holmes disappearing for lengths of time,and using Watson as a lookout and another pair of eyes,will be familiar to Holmes readers. Keep in mind that these stories were written a hundred years ago,with then current thinking and world outlook. And that's what makes these tales interesting to read-their written with an outlook that's a bit different than western thinking. There are also descriptions of Russian landscapes throughout,which help set the scene for Holmes and Watson,and help to involve the reader in the various stories. If you're the type of reader who likes Holmes in all his different permutations,this is a fun,quick read. If you're a stricter traditionalist,you might not find these enjoyable. The four-star rating is a combination of writing style,storyline,and for the interesting overall Russian slant of these stories. For readers who enjoy reading S.H. in the pastiche form,and who like to collect different books with a slightly different slant concerning S.H. and Watson,this will fit on your shelf nicely. 1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Russian tales of Sherlock Holmes,
By Philip K. Jones - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Sherlock Holmes in Russia (Hardcover)
The Introduction, by George Piliev, explains the spurt in popularity of Sherlock Holmes tales in Russia in the first quarter of the 20th Century. Poor communications, translation problems and difficult legal barriers slowed publication of Doyle's works in Russia to the point that it failed to satisfy the clamoring the `Reading Public' which even included the Imperial family. The slow translation of Doyle's works, in conjunction with the exploding popularity of Holmes led to maniacal inclusion of Holmes in advertisements, plays, children's tales and all elements of cultural life. The `Superstar' phenomenon came early to Russia. In place of translations of Doyle's tales, a number of home-grown authors met the spiraling demand for Sherlockian stories, creating a Literary `bloom' of indigenous Sherlockian tales.
Similar `blooms' have occurred in Danish, German, Chinese and East Indian literature at various times in the last Century. This book contains a selection of seven tales from this Russian Literary `Bloom' by two different authors. The selection in this volume was made carefully by the editor/translator, with an eye toward showing off the best of the lot and displaying the characteristics most common to the Literature as a whole. The first two stories are by P. Orlovetz (details unknown) and give the commonly used rationalization for the presence of Holmes and Watson in Russia, an extended vacation. These tales are barely readable, especially to anyone familiar with the Canon. The plots are minor and lacking in any real logic and the characterizations are unrecognizable. The only strengths in these tale are in their presentation of conditions in Czarist Russia. The final five tales, credited to P. Nikitin (again, details unknown), are a definite step up in quality. There are marked improvements in plotting and some of the characters are well-drawn and interesting. Further, the events include happenings that were typical of the times and settings. Each is a reasonably entertaining mystery, set in a lively and exotic land with interesting persons and events. The real problem is that none of those persons are Sherlock Holmes or Dr. Watson. Their names are used but nothing much else is familiar. In a couple of the later tales, the hero makes a few sensible inferences from clues and local knowledge, but the instance of Holmes on `observation' is not present. The detective acts much as one would expect a Pinkerton agent to function; systematic, careful, sensible, but there are no flashes of insight and no deductions worth observing. Reviewed by: Philip K. Jones; March, 2010. |
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