THE GLOOMY RIVER (Ugryum Reka)

This great Russian novel is now available in a beautiful English translation. A much-esteemed novelist V. Yu Shishkov (1873-1945), who is well known in Russia but little known in the west, wrote it. Shishkov claimed that he had been born to write this book. He was admired by Maxim Gorki and received the Order of Lenin in 1943, and, posthumously, the Stalin Prize for Literature in 1946.

First published in 1928, there were several editions, the last in 1982. A film of this book has been made.

The novel, in two books, is a realistic and gripping account of events in the early days of revolution. The story describes the development of Prokhor from the time of his youth, setting out to establish a trading base on the Ugryum River in Siberia, to his becoming a wealthy, powerful employer rapidly losing his mind. The Gloomy River includes many strands involving murder, love, villainy and facets of the strange Shaman religion.

The principal translator, Dr. Irina Henderson, nee Motchaloff, taught Russian until retirement then took a D.Phil at Oxford in the poetry of Lermontov. She won many first prizes for her translations of Russian poetry into English poetry. Some of her translations of Pushkin’s poetry are included in the series of books entitled “The Complete Works of Pushkin in English” published by Milner. Her work on The Gloomy River was not quite finished in 1999 when Irina died. Emily Justice, of Leeds University, (with a postgraduate Diploma in Russian) completed the translation most beautifully and Book 2 was produced as a limited edition as was Book 1 earlier. The two books represent years of work and are now an important piece of English literature.

Copies of these books are to be found in University libraries in Oxford, London, Glasgow, Leeds, Southhampton, Vladimir and in the Russian National Library in St. Petersburg.

Book 1 ISBN 0 903348 52 7 481 pages.
Book 2 ISBN 0 903348 55 1 456 pages.

Both in hardbacks and with artist designed jackets, they are priced at £20 each plus p.p. obtainable from Mr. H. Henderson, 17 Orchard Drive, Wye, Ashford, Kent, TN25 5AU, U.K. Phone: 01233 812386.