Thirty-Three Abominations and the Devil by Lydia Zinovieva-Annibal

Thirty-Three Abominations and the Devil Reviews

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  Yiorgos Zafeiriou

  Certainly not a masterpiece. But she wrote it with a fierceness that rivals that of her contemporaries, those fiery young men and women who made up what today is called "the Russian Silver Age". I am indeed stunned this early sapphic tale hasn't been discovered in recent years by lgbt groups, what with Russia becoming a leading force in worldwide homophobia. It's worth taking the short time to read it and marvel at the groundbreaking unapologetic tone in those erotically charged diary entries.
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  Sara

  One of the earliest works in Russian literature to discuss lesbianism: It follows a well-trod, path for one of its lovers but manages to feel more defiant than hopeless. Don't recommend it if you're tired of (spoiler alert)
  
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  dead lesbians, but her Tragic Menagerie, another unicorn of early 20th century Russian literature, is a favorite. I hope more of her work is translated in future.
  
  Note: The edition above is in Russian (I mistakenly ordered a copy and was...surprised). I was finally able to track down the only English translation in a 1970s anthology The Silver Age of Russian Literature.
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  Nott

  Это не смерть по канону голливудскому, это настоящая русская смерть.
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  BakaRena

  Very bold for its time.