Accompanist - Hardcover

Berberova, Nina

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0002231603 ISBN 13: 9780002231602

Publisher: Harpercollins Publisher, 1987

Synopsis

A spellbinding short novel set in post-revolutionary Russia about a young girl's jealousy.

The fifth book of Nina Berberova to be published by New Directions, The Accompanist, written in 1936, proved to be a literary phenomenon in Europe where it was first published. A spellbinding, short novel set in post-revolutionary RussiaThe Accompanist portrays with extraordinary sensitivity the entangled relationships of three intriguing characters.

Sonechka is a talented but shy young pianist hired by a beautiful soprano (Maria Nikolaevna) and her devoted, bourgeois husband. Maria is everything Sonechka is not—glamorous and flamboyant. Her voice brings with it "something immortal and indisputable, something which gives reality to the human being's dream of having wings." Doomed to live in her mentor's shadow, the young girl secretly schemes to expose the singer's infidelities. But as she awaits her chance, the diva's husband takes matters into his own hands, bringing events to a surprising resolution.

This intense and beautiful little novel was published in America almost fifty years after it was written; sadly out of print for a number of years, it is a wonderfully compelling and crucial addition to Nina Berberova's growing number of published fictional works.

About this title

About the Author:

Nina Berberova was born in Russia. In 1922, when she emigrated to Berlin and then to Paris, where she lived until 1950. In 1950, she moved to the US with virtually no money and no knowledge of English. In 1963, she moved to Princeton and became professor of Russian literature. She was honored as a Chevalier of the French Order of Arts & Letters.

Language Notes:

Text: English, Russian (translation)

About this edition

• Publisher: Harpercollins Publisher
• Publication date: 1987
• ISBN 10: 0002231603
• ISBN 13: 9780002231602
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1