The Gentleman from San Francisco and Other Stories

Author Ivan Bunin
Look inside
Powerful, evocative stories from the first Russian author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

A Penguin Classic


A much neglected literary figure, Ivan Bunin is one of Russia's major writers and ranks with Tolstoy and Chekhov at the forefront of the Russian Realists. Drawing artistic inspiration from his personal experience, these stories are set in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Russia of his youth, in the countries that he visited and in France, where he spent the last thirty years of his life.

In the title story, a family's tour of fashionable European resorts comes to an unexpected end; "Late Hour" describes an old man's return to the little Russian town in the steppes that he has not seen since his early youth; "Mitya's Love" explores the darker emotional reverberations of sexual experience. Throughout his stories, there is a sense of the precariousness of existence, an omnipresent awareness of the impermanence of human aspirations and achievements.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
The Gentleman from San Francisco and Other StoriesIntroduction
The Gentleman from San Francisco
The Primer of Love
Chang's Dreams
Temir-Aksak-Khan
Long Ago
An Unknown Friend
At Sea, at Night
Graffiti
Mitya's Love
Sunstroke
Night
The Caucasus
Late Hour
Visiting Cards
Zoyka and Valeria
The Riverside Tavern
A Cold Autumn
Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin (1870–1953) was the first Russian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The texture of his poems and stories, sometimes referred to as "Bunin brocade", is one of the richest in the language. His last book of fiction, The Dark Avenues (1943), is arguably the most widely read 20th-century collection of short stories in Russia.

About

Powerful, evocative stories from the first Russian author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature

A Penguin Classic


A much neglected literary figure, Ivan Bunin is one of Russia's major writers and ranks with Tolstoy and Chekhov at the forefront of the Russian Realists. Drawing artistic inspiration from his personal experience, these stories are set in the late nineteenth- and early twentieth-century Russia of his youth, in the countries that he visited and in France, where he spent the last thirty years of his life.

In the title story, a family's tour of fashionable European resorts comes to an unexpected end; "Late Hour" describes an old man's return to the little Russian town in the steppes that he has not seen since his early youth; "Mitya's Love" explores the darker emotional reverberations of sexual experience. Throughout his stories, there is a sense of the precariousness of existence, an omnipresent awareness of the impermanence of human aspirations and achievements.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Table of Contents

The Gentleman from San Francisco and Other StoriesIntroduction
The Gentleman from San Francisco
The Primer of Love
Chang's Dreams
Temir-Aksak-Khan
Long Ago
An Unknown Friend
At Sea, at Night
Graffiti
Mitya's Love
Sunstroke
Night
The Caucasus
Late Hour
Visiting Cards
Zoyka and Valeria
The Riverside Tavern
A Cold Autumn

Author

Ivan Alekseyevich Bunin (1870–1953) was the first Russian writer to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. The texture of his poems and stories, sometimes referred to as "Bunin brocade", is one of the richest in the language. His last book of fiction, The Dark Avenues (1943), is arguably the most widely read 20th-century collection of short stories in Russia.

National Depression Education and Awareness Month

For National Depression Education and Awareness Month in October, we are sharing a collection of titles that educates and informs on depression, including personal stories from those who have experienced depression and topics that range from causes and symptoms of depression to how to develop coping mechanisms to battle depression.

Read more

Books for LGBTQIA+ History Month

For LGBTQIA+ History Month in October, we’re celebrating the shared history of individuals within the community and the importance of the activists who have fought for their rights and the rights of others. We acknowledge the varying and diverse experiences within the LGBTQIA+ community that have shaped history and have led the way for those

Read more

Books for Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month

Penguin Random House Education is proud to celebrate Latinx & Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs annually from September 15th through October 15th.  We are highlighting the works of our authors and illustrators from the Latinx and Hispanic community, whose stories and characters have a profound impact on our society. Here is a collection of titles

Read more