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Description edit see section history

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of its original publication, here is the only paperback edition now available of the classic story of the life and loves of a poet/physician during the turmoil of the Russian Revolution.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Oh, how one wishes sometimes to escape from the meaningless dullness of human eloquence, from all those sublime phrases, to take refuge in nature, apparently so inarticulate, or in the wordlessness of long, grinding labor, of sound sleep, of true music, or of a human understanding rendered speechless by emotion!”
  • “A dark muffled figure will open the door, and the promise of her nearness, unowned by anyone in the world and guarded and cold as a white northern night, will reach him like the first wave of the sea as you run down over the sandy beach in the dark.”

First Sentence edit see section history

On they went, singing "Eternal Memory," and whenever they stopped, the sound of their feet, the horses, and the gusts of wind seemed to carry on their singing.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Chapter 1: The Five O'Clock Express

Chapter 2: A Girl from a Different World

Chapter 3: Christmas Party at the Sventitskys

Chapter 4: The Advent of the Inevitable

Chapter 5: Farewell to the Past

Chapter 6: Moscow Bivouac

Chapter 7: The Journey

Chapter 8: Arrival

Chapter 9: Varykino

Chapters 10-11: The Highway and Forest Brotherhood

Chapter 12: Iced Rowanberries

Chapter 13: Opposite the House of Caryatids

Chapter 14: Again Varykino

Chapter 15: Conclusion

Chapter 16: Epilogue

Series & Lists edit see section history

This is book 486 of 1271 in 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Pnin, and followed by The Wonderful O.

This book is in Readers Digest Press. (edition-based publisher list)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This book is in School Library (Школьная Библиотека). (edition-based publisher list)
This is book 54 of 96 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Perfume, and followed by Gormenghast.

This is book 1 of 11 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels in 1958. (authoritative list)

Followed by Anatomy of a Murder.

This is book 2 of 10 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels in 1959. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Exodus, and followed by Hawaii.

This is book 38 of 100 in The hundred most influential books since the war. (community list)

Preceded by The Captive Mind, and followed by The Lonely Crowd.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Boris Pasternak (Author)

Other Contributors:

  1. Max Hayward (Translator) - The first translator of the book along with Manya Harari
  2. Manya Harari (Translator) - The first translator of the book along with Max Hayward
  3. Angela Livingstone
  4. B. V. Sokolov

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: Russian
Publisher: Feltrinelli
Country: Italy
Publication Date: 1957
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 592

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PG3476.P27
  • Dewey: 891.7342

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Add the suggested reading level for this book.

A good gift to a child. They may not understand some potion. However, it portrays the revolutionary period in graphic detail

Movie Connections edit see section history


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