Natalya Baranskaya
Encyclopedia
Natalya Vladimirovna Baranskaya was a Soviet writer of short stories or novellas. She was born in 1908 in Russia, and graduated in 1929 from Moscow State University
with degrees in philology
and ethnology
. After the war, while she raised two children alone since her husband was killed in 1943, she also attended post-graduate school part-time and earned yet another degree. She spent eight year of her life working at the Pushkin Museum
in Moscow and did not begin the majority of her writing career until after her retirements in 1966.
Published in Novy Mir
in 1969.
Not published in English until 1990.
The International Literature Series of Seattle's Seal Press has offered writing by women from Norway, Zimbabwe, Grenada and many other countries. Now, the first American edition of a collection of Natalya Baranskaya's fiction provides intimate views of life in the Soviet Union.
Her experiences are reflected in her interest in working women with children - it's a recurring theme in these stories, which were first published from 1969 to 1986. Baranskaya's focus jumps from character to character, and her stories develop slowly, through action and detail, though they are less tightly structured than American short fiction. The Petunin Affair, told from a man's point of view, reveals the petty side of Soviet bureaucrats, while Lubka traces the reformation of a juvenile delinquent.
By far the strongest piece is the title novella, which details Olga Voronkova's normal week as both full-time research scientist and mother of two. Her days begin at 6 a.m., end after midnight and are so busy she can't find time to sew a hook on a skirt all week. Olga is efficient at work, supportive at home, and yet. . . A flashback to her honeymoon gives both Olga and her readers a breather. The narrator makes no judgments, but shows one woman's daily difficulties and rewards clearly.
Memorable Quotes
"We've done an enormous amount to liberate women, and there is absolutely no reason not to believe in the desire and will to do more." –Maria Matveyevna.
"I've lost seventy-eight days, almost a third of my whole working time, in sick days and certificates. And all because of the children. Everybody copies out their days and so can see what everybody else has got. I don’t understand why I feel so awkward, even ashamed. I shrink, avoid looking at people. Why? I’m not guilty of anything." –Olya
"As I pass by I say loudly: 'Incidentally, I've got a degree as well, you know, I'm just as highly trained as you are.'
'Congratulations,' Dima Replies."
Moscow State University
Lomonosov Moscow State University , previously known as Lomonosov University or MSU , is the largest university in Russia. Founded in 1755, it also claims to be one of the oldest university in Russia and to have the tallest educational building in the world. Its current rector is Viktor Sadovnichiy...
with degrees in philology
Philology
Philology is the study of language in written historical sources; it is a combination of literary studies, history and linguistics.Classical philology is the philology of Greek and Classical Latin...
and ethnology
Ethnology
Ethnology is the branch of anthropology that compares and analyzes the origins, distribution, technology, religion, language, and social structure of the ethnic, racial, and/or national divisions of humanity.-Scientific discipline:Compared to ethnography, the study of single groups through direct...
. After the war, while she raised two children alone since her husband was killed in 1943, she also attended post-graduate school part-time and earned yet another degree. She spent eight year of her life working at the Pushkin Museum
Pushkin Museum
The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts is the largest museum of European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour....
in Moscow and did not begin the majority of her writing career until after her retirements in 1966.
Published works
"A Week Like Any Other" (1968)Published in Novy Mir
Novy Mir
Novy Mir is a Russian language literary magazine that has been published in Moscow since January 1925. It was supposed to be modelled on the popular pre-Soviet literary magazine Mir Bozhy , which was published from 1892 to 1906, and its follow-up, Sovremenny Mir , which was published 1906-1917...
in 1969.
Not published in English until 1990.
The International Literature Series of Seattle's Seal Press has offered writing by women from Norway, Zimbabwe, Grenada and many other countries. Now, the first American edition of a collection of Natalya Baranskaya's fiction provides intimate views of life in the Soviet Union.
Her experiences are reflected in her interest in working women with children - it's a recurring theme in these stories, which were first published from 1969 to 1986. Baranskaya's focus jumps from character to character, and her stories develop slowly, through action and detail, though they are less tightly structured than American short fiction. The Petunin Affair, told from a man's point of view, reveals the petty side of Soviet bureaucrats, while Lubka traces the reformation of a juvenile delinquent.
By far the strongest piece is the title novella, which details Olga Voronkova's normal week as both full-time research scientist and mother of two. Her days begin at 6 a.m., end after midnight and are so busy she can't find time to sew a hook on a skirt all week. Olga is efficient at work, supportive at home, and yet. . . A flashback to her honeymoon gives both Olga and her readers a breather. The narrator makes no judgments, but shows one woman's daily difficulties and rewards clearly.
Memorable Quotes
"We've done an enormous amount to liberate women, and there is absolutely no reason not to believe in the desire and will to do more." –Maria Matveyevna.
"I've lost seventy-eight days, almost a third of my whole working time, in sick days and certificates. And all because of the children. Everybody copies out their days and so can see what everybody else has got. I don’t understand why I feel so awkward, even ashamed. I shrink, avoid looking at people. Why? I’m not guilty of anything." –Olya
"As I pass by I say loudly: 'Incidentally, I've got a degree as well, you know, I'm just as highly trained as you are.'
'Congratulations,' Dima Replies."