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Average customer rating:

A great version of Bulba
Great masculine fun!
That violence and that mentality are still with us
A Romantic Rhapsody
Barbarians Abound

Taras Bulba
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
Manufacturer: Hard Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
Similar Items:

The Cossacks (Modern Library Classics)
The Collected Tales of Nikolai Gogol
The 47 Ronin Story
The Poem of the Cid
A Hero of Our Time

ASIN: 1406946168
Release Date: 2006-11-03

Book Description

The First New Translation in Forty Years

Set sometime between the mid-sixteenth and early-seventeenth century, Gogol’s epic tale recounts both a bloody Cossack revolt against the Poles (led by the bold Taras Bulba of Ukrainian folk mythology) and the trials of Taras Bulba’s two sons.

As Robert Kaplan writes in his Introduction, “[Taras Bulba] has a Kiplingesque gusto . . . that makes it a pleasure to read, but central to its theme is an unredemptive, darkly evil violence that is far beyond anything that Kipling ever touched on. We need more works like Taras Bulba to better understand the emotional wellsprings of the threat we face today in places like the Middle East and Central Asia.” And the critic John Cournos has noted, “A clue to all Russian realism may be found in a Russian critic’s observation about Gogol: ‘Seldom has nature created a man so romantic in bent, yet so masterly in portraying all that is unromantic in life.’ But this statement does not cover the whole ground, for it is easy to see in almost all of Gogol’s work his ‘free Cossack soul’ trying to break through the shell of sordid today like some ancient demon, essentially Dionysian. So that his works, true though they are to our life, are at once a reproach, a protest, and a challenge, ever calling for joy, ancient joy, that is no more with us. And they have all the joy and sadness of the Ukrainian songs he loved so much.”

Customer Reviews:

A great version of Bulba.......2007-01-18

Peter Constantine's translation of Nikolai Gogol's Taras Bulba is the best I've read (although being the first translation of Taras Bulba I've read I may be a little biased) in that all previous translations seem to be lacking in verve and energy.

Constantine's version of Taras Bulba seems to differ also from other translations in that Constantine translates Taras Bulba's sons as sporting 'chub', a scalplock on an otherwise shaven head. All other translations (at least the ones I've read) translate 'chub' as sidelocks or "... long locks of hair on the temples...", much like the jewish peyots. Considering that 'chub' in Ukrainian means 'crest' it seems Constantine has got it right.

Anyway, I digress...

I recommend this version of Gogol's Taras Bulba to anyone interested in those land-pirates, the Cossacks, Ukrainian history and storytelling, and to anyone who doesn't believe religion can be made an excuse for thuggery and war.

Great masculine fun!.......2006-11-07

This is probably the most unabashedly masculine novel I've ever read, chock full of bloodshed, adventure, drinking, feasting, carousing, bravery, horsemanship, swordplay and all manner of derring do, with hardly a woman in the entire story. Gogol depicts the harsh and brutal brotherhood of the Russian Cossacks with a romantic splendor that is fun and easy to read.

The book also serves as a great commentary on the lengths to which religious fervor and vengence will drive man.

If you're a teacher, beware of studying this novel, as it reads like a primer on prejudice, anti-semitism and even misogyny, and surely many parents will want to challenge your choice.

But that doesn't have to stop average readers from enjoying a great, old-fashioned adventure story.

That violence and that mentality are still with us.......2006-07-14

"Taras Bulba" is a magnificent story which portraits the life of the Ucrainian Cossacks who lived by the river Dnieper in the XVI Century. Taras Bulba is an old and hardened warrior who feels a little rusty by the lack of action. When his two sons return from school at Kiev, he eagerly takes them to the "setch", the camping and training island of the Cossacks. There they spend their time drinking and remembering old glories. It happens that the Cossacks are going through an uneasy truce with their Turkish hegemones and the Tartar horsemen. Taras Bulba, always the warmonger, harangues the Cossacks, engineers a change in leadership and leads them to attack the Catholic Poles (with religious arguments and some information that the Poles have shut down Orthodox churches and vexated priests). The Cossacks ride West, razing down everything they meet with extraordinary brutality, and they set siege on a walled city. It is there where the drama surfaces: Andrew, Taras's younger son, finds out the woman he loves is inside the city, and through her maid he learns that they are starving. He goes into deep agony, a moral dilemma, and finds himself in an impossible situation. I won't spoil the rest for you, but believe me this is one of the cruellest and bloodiest tales you'll ever read. It brings to life religious and racial hatred in all its crudity and absurdity. It reminds you of Tolstoi's story about the old Chechenian warrior, Hadji Murad (especially now that Shamil Basayev was killed). But even for all its brutality and sadness, it is masterful.

A Romantic Rhapsody.......2005-04-04

Gogol gives us in this little book a romantic snapshot from Russian history. Essential reading for all lovers of Russian literature.

Barbarians Abound.......2004-09-02

I love Gogol. I love him when he is funny and I love him when he is sad. After reading Taras Bulba, I also love his "adventure" story. The book is decidedly anti-Semitic in tone but I think this is mostly a reflection of the subject matter. I see it as a kind of a show the demon for what it is. Russian society and especially the Cossacks were not the friendliest place for Jewish people. As is obvious in Taras Bulba, they also had little love for the Poles, the Turks and the Tartars. At this crossroads of the world, hatred was abundant. The fact that Gogol pulled no punches with his descriptions illustrates his honesty. Unfortunately, the Cossack mentality of either being with me or against me seems to inform the modern world as well.

What is really interesting for me is the comparison of Taras Bulba with And Quiet Flows the Don and Tolstoy's Cossacks. All three are very different illustrations of Cossack life, from bias but honorable villains in Gogol to stories of heroes in Tolstoy to Sholokov's sad demise of a way of life. Any way you look at it, the Cossacks are an interesting subject matter. So, that all being said, I suggest you read this book. It is short and fast and works on multiple levels.

Taras Bulba and Other Tales, Large-Print Edition

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Taras Bulba and Other Tales, Large-Print Edition
Nikolai Vasilievich Gogol
Manufacturer: Waking Lion Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Poetry & Short Stories | Large Print | Formats | Books
ASIN: 1600964788
Release Date: 2006-08-03

Book Description

Taras Bulba is a magnificent story portraying the life of the Ukrainian Cossacks who lived by the Dnieper River in the sixteenth century. Taras Bulba is an old and hardened warrior who feels a little rusty from lack of action. When his two sons return from school at Kiev, he eagerly takes them to the "setch," the camping and training island of the Cossacks. There they spend their time drinking and remembering old glories. It happens, however, that the Cossacks are going through an uneasy truce with their Turkish hegemones and the Tartar horsemen. Taras Bulba, always the warmonger, harangues the Cossacks, engineers a change in leadership, and leads them to attack the Catholic Poles. The Cossacks ride West, destroying everything they meet with extraordinary brutality. Finally, they lay siege to a walled city, but Andrew, Taras's younger son, discovers that the woman he loves is inside. A masterful and brutal story of the horrors of war. Newly designed and typeset in a modern 6-by-9-inch format by Waking Lion Press.

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Taras Bulba A Tale of the Cossacks
Nicolai V. Gogol
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing, LLC
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Literary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1417905433

Book Description

1915. With an introduction. Gogol is recognized as one of the greatest writers in Russian literature from the point of view of the imaginativeness and stylistic richness of his work. No Russian author has handled the wealth of the Russian language so well and his choice of everyday life as the basis of much of his work had a profound effect on the future of Russian literature. Taras Bulba is one of the character creations, full of life and vitality, that can speak for itself. See other titles by this author available from Kessinger Publishing.

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Marauders
Tara Bulba- Cossack Glory

Taras Bulba And Other Tales
Nikolai Vasilevich Gogol
Manufacturer: Kessinger Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Classics | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

All three horsemen rode in silence. Old Taras's thoughts were far away: before him passed his youth, his years--the swift-flying years, over which the Cossack always weeps, wishing that his life might be all youth. He wondered whom of his former comrades he should meet at the Setch. He reckoned up how many had already died, how many were still alive.

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Customer Reviews:

Marauders.......2003-11-12

The Bulbas were an old Cossack family. Ostap and Andrei, sons of Taras Bulba, attended the Kiev Seminary. Taras leads his sons to the Cossack encampment for them to become warriors. It is sort of their fate. The headman says he has promised the sultan there would be no war. Taras arranges for the election of a new headman. Soon all of southwest Poland is prey to a fear that the Cossacks are coming.

It is wonderful to enter into the minds and intentions of the marauders. The Cossacks had been inflamed to be warlike under reports of other religious groups failing to respect Eastern Orthodoxy.

Andrei runs into the servant of a woman he saw and fell in love with at the Seminary and becomes concerned that she is starving and that the harsh rations of his group are unsuitable fare for her. The sight of peopole starving is awful to Andrei. In the girl's presence, Andrei feels uncouth. He has spent his life in the Seminary and on the steppes.

The Cossacks are beseiging the city. Suddenly an army breaks through and Andrei is lost to Taras and the others. It is reported that Andrei has gone over to the other side under his own free will.

Ostrap Bulba is elected a chief. Part of the Cossack forces follow the Tartars out of the city to retrieve their prisoners, and the rest remain in the vicinity of the city for the same purpose, to retrieve the Cossack prisoners taken by the Poles. Ostap and Taras stay to confront the Poles. They are surprised to encounter Andrei. Taras kills Andrei.

Ostap is taken prisoner and transported to Warsaw. Taras seeks out Yankel to hide him and take him to Warsaw. Through the arrogant will of the Polish aristocracy, the captured Cossacks are tortured, Ostap included. Taras is a witness to the scene.

A Cossack Army 120,000 strong is massed on the border of the Ukraine. Among all the regiments, the crack regiment is led by Taras Bulba. The Russian Orthodox clergy go out to meet the Cossacks. Taras's exploits go well beyond ordinary raids.

The story is colorful and excellent.

Tara Bulba- Cossack Glory.......2003-06-01

I read this book in my youth and loved it then. Revisiting it hasn't diminished the richness of its style or the quality of its impact. I love it still. Taras Bulba captures the wildness of spirit of the Cossacks and their role in the early Russia. It shows the magnificence of the qualities of love, loyalty and bravery. It also shows the opposite side of the human psyche mainly cruelty and despair in the face of overwhelming force.

There are always two values in Russian literature and music a high booming note and a low resonating note. This triumph of Gogol exhibits both in true Russian style. In a way this illuminates the components of Russian character.

It is by no means easy critiquing a work by the great Gogol but to advise readers to sample this great work I feel is a duty and a privilege.

By all means read this book, it goes to the heart of the Cossack and Russian soul. It will answer the basic question about the Russian people's love of motherland which has echoed throughout Russian history.

Taras Bulba
Average customer rating:
Taras Bulba
Nicolai Gogol
Manufacturer: Prestige Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
ASIN: B000CSYWCM

The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories: The Nose; The Carriage; The Overcoat; Taras Bulba (Signet Classics)
Average customer rating:

A nice change of pace

If you shine my nose, then I will eat your nose..

Short stories from the Russian heartland.

Gogol classic

Definately worth knowing

The Diary of a Madman and Other Stories: The Nose; The Carriage; The Overcoat; Taras Bulba (Signet Classics)
Nikolai Gogol
Manufacturer: Signet Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Contemporary | General | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
General | Short Stories | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Gogol, Nikolai | ( G ) | Authors, A-Z | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
Russian | Foreign Language Fiction | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books
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Similar Items:

A Hero of Our Time

Dead Souls: A Novel

Eugene Onegin (Penguin Classics)

Fathers and Sons

The Brothers Karamazov (Signet Classics)

ASIN: 0451524039

Book Description

Gogol's characters are common people and his stories are rooted in commonplace events, but his realism is simply the doorway to a weird world of broad comedy and lunacy. "Diary of a Madman" recounts one man's struggle to be noticed by the woman he loved. His diary records his gradual slide into insanity, where he finally achieves the greatness that has eluded him in real life.

Gogol's fascination with the demonic and the irrational ultimately contributed to his own death. While he was on an extended fast, his over-zealous doctors applied leeches to his face in an attempt to alleviate his condition. But the reports show that the only effect of this treatment was to hasten the untimely and somewhat grotesque demise of this most unorthodox playwright.

Produced at the state of the art recording studios of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation with sound effects and music.

Adapted by Elliott Hayes

Performed by Stephen Ouimette

Directed by Richard Monette

Duration Approximately 1 hour

Customer Reviews:

A nice change of pace.......2005-03-23

Modern American readers will probably find a lot of distance between themselves and Gogol, who writes with an observational comedy about the world he sees around him. But since the themes are timeless, his work will be pleasing, and often very funny, to most discerning readers.

If you shine my nose, then I will eat your nose.........2004-08-06

Gogol is out of this world.. Every story in this collection defies description. The phrase 'couldn't put it down' gets thrown around alot, but my reading of this honestly interrupted a major school project that i put off for a while. The Overcoat is my one of my favorite stories ever, and everything else was first rate. If you have a half an hour to kill, pick up this book, please.

Short stories from the Russian heartland........2004-06-02

I am not as enamored of these Russian short stories as some of the other reviewers are. The last story about Bulba depicted Jews in a very demeaning way, and you can see the stereotypes of the Eastern European Jew written into a very interesting story.
Gogol was one of the great Russian writers, but the inclusion of this shows him to be an anti-Semite. Otherwise the stories are interesting and humorous of the Tsarist times. The story of the Russian bureaucrat pretending to be Fernando VIII of Spain starts out this book and is by far the best. The others are silly stories, and the last one about Bulba shows the Polish occupation of the Ukraine in medieval times. The first and last stories are by far the best, if you can stomach the anti-Semite tone in the latter story.
Overall, an interesting and slightly humorous read. This book gives you a picture of Russia in the times of the Tsar.

Gogol classic.......2003-12-20

Gogol has the uncanny ability to write deep, beautiful and simultaneously hilarious stories. "Diary of a Madman and Other Stories" is a great example of Gogol's style of writing to anyone interested in a premier in Gogol's literary style.

Caution: don't read this book at night when everyone is asleep; you'll wake them up as you laugh outloud!

Definately worth knowing.......2003-07-24

I actually read another collection of Gogol stories but I have read "Diary of a Madman", "The Nose", and "The Overcoat". The book is worth buying for Diary of a Madman or the Nose alone. These are both great stories that really show the uniqueness and talent of Gogol which seems even more amazing when thinking he was writing in the 19th Century. The Overcoat is a good story but the other two are classics and unbelieveable works of fantasy and social commentary that still seems relevant today.

Average customer rating:

Taras Bulba
Robert W. Krepps
Manufacturer: Gold Medal Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q75KCA

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Taras Bulba. Vii. (audiokniga Mp3)
Gogol Nikolai.
Manufacturer: Media-kniga
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD
ASIN: B000QG798Y

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Taras Bulba
Nikolaus Gogol
Manufacturer: Risola Verlag
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000LF1SJQ

Taras Bulba and The Lost Letter, The Fearful Vengeance

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Taras Bulba and The Lost Letter, The Fearful Vengeance
Nikolai Gogol
Manufacturer: New American Library
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000L3QPCS

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