~ . . the feel and spirit

and essence of Russia today

This collection of stories by and about young Russians

brings me more of the feel and spirit and essence of

Russia today than any amount of political expertise.

Here are Russian young people in their very human

Russian lives, falling in love, disappointed in their

careers, frustrated in their feelings, alienated from their

society, existing, that is, very much as young people do

all over the Western world and yet portrayed with a

sympathy and pathos which is more warm and touch-

ing than what we find in our own literature about

American young people.

There s good reading here and there s much hu-

manity. We can learn much from these lives and we

can enjoy them as well. t