Scan barcode
A review by hannahgadbois
The Collected Stories of Isaac Babel by Isaac Babel
4.0
"With confused, poet's brains I was digesting the class struggle, when Galin came up to me with his gleaming wall-eyes.
'Galin,' I said, overcome by self-pity and loneliness, 'I'm ill, it's clear that my end has come, Galin, and I'm tired of living in the Cavalry Army...'
'You're a driveller,' Galin replied, and the watch on his thin wrist showed one o'clock in the morning. 'You're a driveller and it's our bad luck to have to put up with you drivellers. The whole Party is wearing aprons that are smeared with blood and shit, we peel the shell from the kernel for you; after a little time has passed you will see that shelled kernel, and then you will take your finger out of your nose and sing the glories of the new life in remarkable prose; but for the moment sit quiet, driveller, and don't whine in our way."
'Galin,' I said, overcome by self-pity and loneliness, 'I'm ill, it's clear that my end has come, Galin, and I'm tired of living in the Cavalry Army...'
'You're a driveller,' Galin replied, and the watch on his thin wrist showed one o'clock in the morning. 'You're a driveller and it's our bad luck to have to put up with you drivellers. The whole Party is wearing aprons that are smeared with blood and shit, we peel the shell from the kernel for you; after a little time has passed you will see that shelled kernel, and then you will take your finger out of your nose and sing the glories of the new life in remarkable prose; but for the moment sit quiet, driveller, and don't whine in our way."