{"product_id":"pu-239-and-other-russian-fantasies-ken-kalfus-9781571310293","title":"Pu-239 and Other Russian Fantasies: A Novella and Stories","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe acclaimed short story and novella collection by \"a virtuoso of the dismal comedy of Soviet life\"--and the basis for the HBO film \u003cem\u003ePU-239\u003c\/em\u003e (\u003cem\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/em\u003e). A PEN\/Faulkner Award Finalist. \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eKen Kalfus traverses a century of Russian history in tales that range from hair-raising to comic to fabulous. The astonishing title story follows a doomed nuclear power plant worker as he attempts to hawk plutonium in Moscow's black market. In \"Budyonnovsk,\" a young man hopes that the takeover of his town by Chechen rebels will somehow save his marriage. \"Salt\" is an economic fairy tale, featuring kings, princesses, and swiftly melting currencies. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSet in the 1920s, \"Birobidzhan\" is the bittersweet story of a Jewish couple journeying to the Soviet Far East, where they intend to establish the modern world's first Jewish state. The novella, \"Peredelkino,\" which closes the book, traces the fortunes of a 1960s literary apparatchik whose romantic intrigues inadvertently become political.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eTogether, these works of fiction capture the famously enigmatic Russian psyche. They display Kalfus' ability to imagine a variety of believable yet wholly singular characters whose lives percolate against a backdrop of momentous events.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Ken Kalfus\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 1571310290\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9781571310293\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Milkweed Editions\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 08\/18\/1999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 272\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.17lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 8.74h x 5.74w x 1.09d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAward:\u003c\/b\u003e PEN\/Faulkner Award - Nominee\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReview Citation(s): \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/12\/1999 pg. 72\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e 07\/15\/1999 pg. 1074\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/1999 pg. 144\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e 08\/01\/1999 pg. 2027\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eMother Jones\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/01\/1999 pg. 79\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 09\/26\/1999 pg. 10\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew Yorker (The)\u003c\/i\u003e 11\/22\/1999 pg. 202\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eBooklist Editors Choice\/Adult\u003c\/i\u003e 01\/01\/2000 pg. 817\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e 12\/05\/1999 pg. 77","brand":"Ken Kalfus","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43985168007423,"sku":"9781571310293","price":22.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_8b85a7ca-fc6b-4785-a576-5732ca90b27f.jpg?v=1683275953","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/pu-239-and-other-russian-fantasies-ken-kalfus-9781571310293","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}