The eleventh of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin books has just been published ... and my hardback copy has just been delivered!
I have been a fan of Akunin's work ever since I read his first Fandorin book, THE WINTER QUEEN. Each book is written in a slightly different style (e.g. THE WINTER QUEEN is a conspiracy mystery, TURKISH GAMBIT is a spy story, LEVIATHAN is a closed-room mystery etc.) which makes them even more interesting to read. This novel (Its Russian title is Весь мир театр) was published in 2009, but has only just been translated and published in English. It is described as being a theatrical mystery set in 1911, and sees the 55-year-old Erast Fandorin investigating a number of strange incidents in a fashionable Moscow theatre that revolve around a beautiful actress named Eliza Altairsky-Lointaine.
I am really looking forward to reading this book, and with luck its publication marks the end of the hiatus that resulted in a break in the publication of English language editions of Akunin's work.
(It is interesting to note that when I was in St Petersburg earlier this year our guide was surprised that I had heard of Boris Akunin and that I had even read some of his books. He is a very popular writer in Russia, and four of the Fandorin novels (THE WINTER QUEEN, THE TURKISH GAMBIT, THE STATE COUNSELLOR, and THE DECORATOR) have been made into big-budget Russian films.)
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE was written by Boris Akunin and translated into English by Andrew Andrew Bromfield. The English edition was published in 2017 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (ISBN 978 1474 60440 6).
I have been a fan of Akunin's work ever since I read his first Fandorin book, THE WINTER QUEEN. Each book is written in a slightly different style (e.g. THE WINTER QUEEN is a conspiracy mystery, TURKISH GAMBIT is a spy story, LEVIATHAN is a closed-room mystery etc.) which makes them even more interesting to read. This novel (Its Russian title is Весь мир театр) was published in 2009, but has only just been translated and published in English. It is described as being a theatrical mystery set in 1911, and sees the 55-year-old Erast Fandorin investigating a number of strange incidents in a fashionable Moscow theatre that revolve around a beautiful actress named Eliza Altairsky-Lointaine.
I am really looking forward to reading this book, and with luck its publication marks the end of the hiatus that resulted in a break in the publication of English language editions of Akunin's work.
(It is interesting to note that when I was in St Petersburg earlier this year our guide was surprised that I had heard of Boris Akunin and that I had even read some of his books. He is a very popular writer in Russia, and four of the Fandorin novels (THE WINTER QUEEN, THE TURKISH GAMBIT, THE STATE COUNSELLOR, and THE DECORATOR) have been made into big-budget Russian films.)
ALL THE WORLD'S A STAGE was written by Boris Akunin and translated into English by Andrew Andrew Bromfield. The English edition was published in 2017 by Weidenfeld & Nicolson (ISBN 978 1474 60440 6).
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Read and enjoyed Turkish Gambit and the Winter Queen. I always have a sense I'm missing a lot of illusions in these books though. Never read any Russian lit (bar part of War and Peace) so maybe that's it.
ReplyDeleteTurkish Gambit is one of those books dangerous for wargamers to read as it could lead to additional spending on toys!
Nundunket,
DeleteThe more of Akunin's that I read, the more I get an understanding of Russia, both during the late nineteenth century and today.
Be warned ... watching the DVD of TURKISH GAMBIT made me give serious thought to painting up figures do that I could re-fight the Russo-Turkish War.
All the best,
Bob
Thank you for the heads up! After such a long hiatus, I had despaired of ever seeing another installment.
ReplyDeleteEd M,
DeleteIt seems like it's been a very long time since the last book was published, and I hope that English language editions of the latest books will now be published in due course.
All the best,
Bob
Hurrah! Promptly ordered.
ReplyDeleteConrad Kinch,
DeleteThere seem to be quite a few wargamers who are also fans of Boris Akunin's Erast Fandorin books, and I think that we all welcome a newly published English language edition when it appears.
All the best,
Bob
The next English translation, "The Black City", has already been announced for the fall of 2018.
ReplyDeleteBTW, despite what the publisher says, this book is NOT Fandorin #11. The 11th Fandorin book was a short story collection called "Jade Rosary Beads", which has not been translated into English. "All the World's a Stage" is Fandorin #12.
Vidor,
DeleteI have already pre-ordered the next book ... and I am looking forward to reading it.
I hope that the publishers will have the missing book translated, although going by their past record, it may not be published for some years.
All the best,
Bob