SKU: 85924945134

The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them

Sale price$14.53 Regular price$16.15
Save 10%

Pay in installments of $4.04 with ShopPay, AfterPay and Klarna

Shipping Estimate
USA
  • USA
  • CAN

Ships within 48 hours · Estimated delivery Jul 20 - Jul 25

Promo Codes Available:

For Your Every Summer RSVP, with Code: SUMMER15

Description

The Possessed: Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read ThemOne of The Economist's 2011 Books of the Year THE TRUE BUT UNLIKELY STORIES OF LIVES DEVOTED ABSURDLY MELANCHOLICALLY BEAUTIFULLY TO THE RUSSIAN CLASSICS No one who read Elif Batuman's first article (in the journal n+1) will ever forget it. "Babel in California" told the true story of various human destinies intersecting at Stanford University during a conference about the enigmatic writer Isaac Babel. Over the course of several pages, Batuman managed

One of The Economist's 2011 Books of the Year


THE TRUE BUT UNLIKELY STORIES OF LIVES DEVOTED--ABSURDLY MELANCHOLICALLY BEAUTIFULLY --TO THE RUSSIAN CLASSICS

No one who read Elif Batuman's first article (in the journal n+1) will ever forget it. "Babel in California" told the true story of various human destinies intersecting at Stanford University during a conference about the enigmatic writer Isaac Babel. Over the course of several pages, Batuman managed to misplace Babel's last living relatives at the San Francisco airport, uncover Babel's secret influence on the making of King Kong, and introduce her readers to a new voice that was unpredictable, comic, humane, ironic, charming, poignant, and completely, unpretentiously full of love for literature.

Batuman's subsequent pieces--for The New Yorker, Harper's Magazine, and the London Review of Books-- have made her one of the most sought-after and admired writers of her generation, and its best traveling companion. In The Possessed we watch her investigate a possible murder at Tolstoy's ancestral estate. We go with her to Stanford, Switzerland, and St. Petersburg; retrace Pushkin's wanderings in the Caucasus; learn why Old Uzbek has one hundred different words for crying; and see an eighteenth-century ice palace reconstructed on the Neva.

Love and the novel, the individual in history, the existential plight of the graduate student: all find their place in The Possessed. Literally and metaphorically following the footsteps of her favorite authors, Batuman searches for the answers to the big questions in the details of lived experience, combining fresh readings of the great Russians, from Pushkin to Platonov, with the sad and funny stories of the lives they continue to influence--including her own.



Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Farrar Straus Giroux
Published: 02/16/2010
ISBN: 9780374532185
Pages: 296
Weight: 0.59lbs
Size: 8.22h x 5.60w x 0.81d
Award: National Book Critics Circle Award - Finalist
Award: Literary Award - Runner-Up

Review Citations: Library Journal Prepub Alert 10/15/2009 pg. 57
Publishers Weekly 11/02/2009 pg. 43
Library Journal 11/15/2009 pg. 64
Booklist 02/15/2010 pg. 21
New York Times Book Review 03/21/2010 pg. 13
New York Times Book Review 03/28/2010 pg. 20
NY Times Notable Bks of Year 12/05/2010 pg. 30
Entertainment Weekly 01/07/2011 pg. 74
Publishers Weekly Best Books 11/08/2010 pg. 28
Shipping Notes
  • Free Standard Shipping on $100+ Orders to the USA.
  • Except Preorder products are shipped in 48 hours.
  • Delivery to the USA:
  1. Standard Shipping : 3-10 business days
  • If time is of the essence, please consider selecting expedited delivery for faster service.
Exchange/Return Notes
  • We offer a 30-day return/exchange service after receiving.
  • Final sale items are not eligible for returns or exchanges.
  • To process your return/exchange, please contact us at [email protected]
  • Please click here for more details>>> Return & Exchange Policy
SKU: 85924945134

Discover Niche Categories That Outsell

Top-Converting Item to Boost Your Average Order

4.2 ★★★★★
Based on 13 reviews
Sort
Highest Rating
Newest First
Oldest First
Product Reviews
C
Verified Purchase
Charles E
Massapequa, US
★★★★★ 5
Good looking shirt
Size: X-Large, Color: Brown
I like it. Nice material, it's warm, and it looks good. The shoulders are a little broad but that's what I get for having narrow shoulders.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2026
S
Verified Purchase
sewjudy
Boise, US
★★★★★ 5
Great fit, good golf sweater
Great fit, nice for chilly mornings on the golf course
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2026
W
Verified Purchase
Wendee Carpenter
Fort Morgan, US
★★★★★ 1
Someone's trash is someone's treasure.
Size: XX-Large, Color: Mottle Grey
Have you ever thought to yourself, "This t-shirt needs long sleeves, a zipper, and a collar?" Me neither, but someone did and here we are. If that is your fit, you have found your treasure.
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2026
A
Verified Purchase
Amanda Nieves
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 3
Wish it was offered in a smaller size
Size: Medium, Color: Brown
Looks fabulous but they need to make a smaller size
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on March 15, 2026
M
Verified Purchase
Massmama
Louisville, US
★★★★★ 5
Very attractive and good fit
Size: X-Large, Color: White
My son loves it!
WAS THIS REVIEW HELPFUL?YesReportShare
Reviewed in the United States on April 24, 2026

recommand products