Lyubka the Cossack (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Isaac Babel
- First Published: 1924
- Type of Plot: Symbolist
- Time of Work: About 1914
- Setting: Odessa, Russia
- Principal Characters: Lyubka Shneiveis (the Cossack), Tsudechkis, Little Dave, Mr. Trottyburn, The unnamed narrator
- Genres: Short fiction
- Subjects: Mothers, Parents and children, Jews or Jewish life, Hotels, motels, or inns, Russia or Russian people, Blasphemy, Irony
- Locales: Russia, Odessa, Ukraine
The Story
“Lyubka the Cossack” is set in Moldavanka, the thieves’ district of Odessa, the city where Isaac Babel lived after 1905. Although the narrator could be equated with the author, he plays no role in the action. His manner of storytelling, however, is highly colorful, so that the reader is continually reminded of his presence. The narrator becomes a separate, quaintly jocular persona who in fact acts as a substitute for the author. This special persona is to be found in all the stories, of which “Lyubka the Cossack” is one, making up the collection Odesskie...
[The entire page is 1512 words long]
