Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel

Isaac Emmanuilovich Babel (1894-1941), Russian writer, noted for achieving highly moving effects in brief stories. His first stories appeared in 1916, and most of his works were produced in the next 15 years. Based on his experiences and observations while serving with Russian forces in Poland in the early 1920s, Babel's tales were collected in Konarmiya (1926; Red Cavalry, 1929). Babel also wrote about Jewish life in his hometown, Odesa (Odessa), mixing objectivity and tenderness with humor, cruelty, and elements of wild fantasy. These stories were published as Odesskiye rasskazy (Odessa Tales, 1931). Babel also wrote two plays, Zakat (Sunset, 1928) and Maria (1935), which were staged by the Moscow Art Theatre.