For August our booksellers were set the task of choosing a book with the theme of Translation. But this month we have decided to try something new and have a ‘book off’. For this, we will offer two different books, following our chosen theme, and run two book clubs around the shop. At the end, we will ask you whether you enjoyed your book and the book with the most positive votes will be the winner of our August book off.
Our first book is ‘Grey Bees’ by Andrey Kurkov.
The second book choice is the classic ‘Consolations of the Forest’ by Sylvain Tesson.
To book your place please click here and we ask that you only select one title as both book clubs will run at the same time.
These book clubs will be held in the shop and not online (where we will be practicing covid safety measures throughout the book club).
About the books~
‘Consolations of the Forest’ by Sylvain Tesson
Sylvain Tesson, found a radical solution to his need for freedom, one as ancient as the experiences of the hermits of old Russia: he decided to lock himself alone in a cabin in the middle taiga, on the shores of Baikal, for six months. Noting carefully his impressions of the silence, Sylvain Tesson shares with us an extraordinary experience.
See Jane’s Review here.
‘Grey Bees’ by Andrey Kurkov
Little Starhorodivka, a village of three streets, lies in Ukraine's Grey Zone, the no-man's-land between loyalist and separatist forces. Thanks to the lukewarm war of sporadic violence and constant propaganda that has been dragging on for years, only two residents remain: retired safety inspector turned beekeeper Sergey Sergeyich and Pashka, a "frenemy" from his schooldays. With little food and no electricity, under ever-present threat of bombardment, Sergeyich's one remaining pleasure is his bees. As spring approaches, he knows he must take them far from the Grey Zone so they can collect their pollen in peace. This simple mission on their behalf introduces him to combatants and civilians on both sides of the battle lines: loyalists, separatists, Russian occupiers and Crimean Tatars. Wherever he goes, Sergeyich's childlike simplicity and strong moral compass disarm everyone he meets. But could these qualities be manipulated to serve an unworthy cause, spelling disaster for him, his bees and his country? Grey Bees is as timely as the author's Ukraine Diaries were in 2014, but treats the unfolding crisis in a more imaginative way, with a pinch of Kurkov's signature humour.
Who better than Ukraine's most famous novelist - who writes in Russian - to illuminate and present a balanced portrait of this most bewildering of modern conflicts? Translated from the Russian by Boris DralyukBoris Dralyuk is an award-winning translator and the Executive Editor of the Los Angeles Review of Books. He taught Russian literature for a number of years at UCLA and at the University of St Andrews. He is a co-editor (with Robert Chandler and Irina Mashinski) of the Penguin Book of Russian Poetry, and has translated Isaac Babel's Red Cavalry and Odessa Stories, as well as Kurkov's The Bickford Fuse. In 2020 he received the inaugural Kukula Award for Excellence in Non-fiction Book Reviewing from the Washington Monthly. With the support of the Creative Europe Programme of the European Union