The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales is a selection of short stories written by Ukraine-born Vasily Eroshenko,( “A BLIND poet. An Esperantist. A humanist. An egoist. A partisan. An anarchist. A “red” Russian. A “white” Russian. A Ukrainian. A child-like dreamer. A harborer of dangerous thoughts . . .”) translated from Japanese and Esperanto by Adam Kuplowsky.

A bit of perspective on the author- his life and times- are of vital importance to fully appreciate these tales. I would urge readers to not skip the Foreword (by Jack Zipes) and the detailed Introduction ( by Adam Kuplowsky.) which give us insight into Eroshenko’s life - from his early days to his life and times in Western Europe and Central Asia, Esperantism, his activism and his political leanings for which he was constantly under watchful eyes.

Heavy in metaphors and political messages, the tone of these stories tends toward melancholic, dark and depressing. The tales feature interactions between humans, nature and animals (anthropomorphism is a common feature in these stories as in most fables). A few stories feature characters who are blind but rarely is the disability the central focus of the story.

Of the thirteen stories from the Japanese Tales ( written between 1915-1921), my favorites were “The Tale of the Paper Lantern”, a story that inspired the author’s experiences as a blind man (He lost his eyesight when he was four years old); “An Eagle’s Heart” and “Spring Night’s Dream”. Of the four Chinese tales ( written between 1921 -1923) I found “Father Time” and excerpts From “Tales of a Withered Leaf” particularly moving. Toward the end of the book, we also find a few autobiographical stories from the author’s life. The stories include excerpts from his experiences during his school days and his deportation and journey from Japan back to his homeland in 1921. The book concludes with “A Chukchi Story” (1933), inspired by the folklore of the indigenous population of north-eastern Siberia.

Eroshenko’s writing is poetic and profoundly insightful. These deceptively simple stories cannot be considered light reading and are more like fables with political and philosophical undertones. Overall this is an exceptional collection of tales that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Many thanks to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for the digital review copy of this collection of stories. All opinions expressed in this review are my own. This book is due to be published on March 07, 2023.

How do you describe with words a book that made you feel like a child again? But at the same time, it made you feel more empathetic as an adult?

Reading Vasily Eroshenko's work, was like reading again Aesop's Fables. As an avid fan of Japanese folklore, this book was a pleasant journey. I liked the fact that this book contained both Japanese and Chinese Tales, but also some personal experiences of the writer.

I honestly can't chose which one was my favorite, it is impossible. Of the Japanese Tales I really liked "An Eagle's Heart", but also "Little Pine" and "Two Little Deaths". All three stories were sad, but all three of them taught me something. "An Eagle's Heart" 's gist was that pride and hope are of utmost importance, and once they're crushed, a person can be changed inside and out. "Little Pine" made me so emotional and it emphasized how much fragile life is. Finally, "Two Little Deaths" underlined the power of humility, and how Death is equal to all, regardless of social status or economic standing. On the other hand, what pleasantly surprised me was the totality of Chinese Tales. The one that will stay with me though is definitely"Father Time", and I think that this story would be beautiful in an audiobook form.

I also liked the writer's stories from his own life, as a student in school for blind cildren, how they saw the world with the rest of their senses and the way they were perceived as from their entourage. How growing up his work and his circle impacted his life.

Thank you NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! This book is out on March 7 2023!

I went into The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales knowing nothing about the author. I’m really glad this edition of fairytales included (a quite long) forward and introduction about Vasily Eroshenko. Ukrainian born, Eroshenko lost his sight during childhood. He attended a school for the blind and became known for his poetry and political activism. Later exiled for his anarchism - really cool guy!

Asides from being an insanely fascinating person, Eroshenko’s writing is like poetry. I adore fairytales and believe that fairytales are for all ages. His fairytales transcend age and time, offering moralistic takes, having political undertones and philosophical musings.

They are dark and gruesome tales, written during his time in Japan and China. You can see the influence of Japan and China in his writing which really added a special touch to the tales.

The best thing about this book is the cover art. I did not like any of the fairy tales and could not finish the book.

Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for this ARC

I loved this book, although it took me some time to really get into it.

I’d never heard of this author before and I was really curious about his writing. I’m very sad I didn’t know about him until now but I will keep recommending him because I feel like he was a very interesting person and I think he deserves more recognition. The way the fairy tales were written, So lyrical and so effortless to follow but so hard to swallow( understand and think about them).

Although I have found the tales a bit depressing at times, I think they are a pleasant read that gives you something to think about. It’s wonderful to put the tales in perspective and incorporate them into today’s society and think about it.

What I also liked was his introductions and “Some pages from my school days” in which they discuss mainly race and it’s so interesting, considering the historical period this was written in.

I hope I will read more from Vasily Eroshenko and I will keep recommending this book :)
https://app.thestorygraph.com/reviews/84806c3c-89a1-48d9-877b-e05340a7fc29

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4923136997

Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for this ARC

Reading the foreword made me want to read a whole book just on Eroshenko's life. It's a rich story in and of itself and provided plenty of context for the actual fairy tales.

Adam Kuplowsky's translation preserved the lyricism of Eroshenko's work very well, which I greatly appreciate. The stories flowed and from the start I was transported back to college and my mind immediately jumped to analyzing the content. Fairy tales are not really a genre I'm reading for fun in my adult days and so my mind attempted an academic approach. This however was quickly thwarted by me going 'hey, this is a little on the nose' about the leftist, anarchist themes and I realized I was reading fairy tales and that's... kinda the point. So I relaxed and very much enjoyed these stories. Some made me gut wrenchingly sad, some made me laugh (the mosquito Jesus being the winner), some were... prett disturbing and some I'm still thinking about and what messages they're sending.

All in all, a great read that made me excited to know about this little corner of history and this fascinating man.

The Narrow Cage is a well-crafted translation and an arrangement of multiple titles to (re)introduce a fascinating literary voice.

This wonderful collection of tales by the worldly Vasily Eroshenko starts off with a forward by Jack Zipes that is frustratingly bad, boring, and useless. I was shocked to see that his work is rather well regarded - seems he mailed this one in, because I was embarrassed for him reading it. It felt like a hastily put together book summery by a high-schooler failing English. That being said, you'll notice that I gave this book 5 stars, and a big reason for it was the wonderful introduction by Adam Kuplowsky, without which I don't think I would have even continued on to the stories themselves. His short but impactful summary of the life of Vasily Eroshenko was informative, well written, and left me eager for a full-length biography of the enigmatic expat.

The stories are all wonderful - I didn't dislike a single one. Not since reading Kafka in my youth have I come across a writer who makes so much with so little, each word seemingly in the right place, nothing extraneous, nothing left out. These are stories that I'll read again regularly, and recommend with pleasure.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the digital review copy used for this review.

Thank you net galley for providing me with an free copy of the narrow cage and other modern fairy tails on exchange for a honest review.


The simplicity of the writing in comparison with the gloomy context of the tails make this an irresistible to put down read. I enjoyed most of the tales however some of them I found to be a bit too long and repetitive.

Vasily Eroshenko's life is just as fascinating as his writing. Born in a small Ukrainian village in imperial Russia, he was blinded at a young age by complications from measles. He became a social activist, storyteller and world-traveller in Japan and China, where he discovered and mastered a universal secondary language called Esperanto, a simple, repetitive but direct language which modern fairytales are primarily associated with.

This collection of Eroshenko's stories are thought-provoking and imaginative, albeit very dry at times. Though written primarily during his years in Japan and China, it feels very Eastern European - bleak and depressing, frequent moments of thinly-veiled anger, life sucks then you die. They're fairytales that blend realism and fantasy and tackle themes of political unrest/anarchy, religion/agnosticism, love/loss. Yes, there's cute, talking animals, but this isn't the kind of fairytale you should read to your kids unless you want to spend hours answering questions about what socialism and communism are.

Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia University Press for the eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Pub date: March 7, 2023

Thank you to NetGalley and Columbia Publishing for this ARC.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started this collection of stories by Vasily Eroshenko but the lengthy introduction and foreward were so interesting and I would read an entire story just about Eroshenko's life and philosophies. It provided a lot of context that I found helpful in understanding the stories themselves.

The stories were similar to traditional fables with lessons woven into short vignettes set in gardens and among animals. I really enjoyed thinking through a set of fairy tales that were new to me with new context and a more modern voice. They were truly beautifully written and very lyrically translated.

4/5 stars

I had never heard of Vasily Eroshenko until I read the summary and I ended up finding his life so interesting that I just had to read this. In The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales we are presented with a selection of tales from the author translated into English. There's a diverse mix of tales and autobiographical stories, all of them clearly showing Eroshenko's political leanings and ideals.

I enjoyed most of what I read. I found the prose very lyrical and easy to read. The themes contained in his stories are still relevant in today's world and age. I will say this: I found him a great writer but I would probably not have wanted to have a chat with him.

I would also like to comment on the translation. While I have never read the tales in their original languages so I cannot say how good the translation is I got the sense that there was a lot of hard work behind this. I think Kuplowsky really managed to get the lyricism and tone of the writing.

Really lovely and heartbreaking collection of fairy tales. I was not previously familiar with Vasily Eroshenko or Adam Kuplowsky, but I will be looking for more of their works.

Thank you so much to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing me with an e-ARC; it is greatly appreciated.

I would read a book on Eroshenko's life in a second. Just wow. I could not imagine living such a fascinating life. I like that there is an extended intro to really give us at least the basics about Eroshenko. This really helps at the end of the book to give more context about what Eroshenko is writing about.

The tales themselves are some of the most depressing stories I have ever read. I am a fan of horror and dark writing, but these are so real they crawl under your skin and sit with you. The tone can also be quite jarring. These are written as if you are reciting a story to a child, yet the content is quite adult. There's such a sense of simplicity with his writing, yet what he's saying leaves you breathless.

Due to this I took quite awhile to finish this book. I would read only one or two stories a day, and maybe not touch the book itself for several days at a time either. I feel like this book really lends itself to be read slowly and savored.

*This review has been scheduled to be published at clearsummers.wordpress.com on February 7*

“There is, according to Eroshenko, no remedy to a world that has denied freedom to everyone, from insects to eagles, from children to adults.”

The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales by Vasily Eroshenko is a wonderful introduction to Eroshenko’s works and the ways in which he views the world. His history, adeptly told in the foreword, is fascinating and it’s interesting to see the ways in which his anti-capitalist and revolutionary zeal seeped into his fairy tales.

I greatly enjoyed the tales he wrote when in Japan; those stories are creative, humorous, and varied. Eroshenko’s feelings about capitalism and authority are strongly at the forefront of many of these, and, by giving many of the animals in his tales voices, he points about the ridiculous ways in which human society operates. In comparison to these animals, humans are so trapped. Some of these tales are much more light-hearted as the humans and animals find common ground, discovering the importance of communication and empathy. Others are dark and full of despair.

I lost some interest when we moved into Eroshenko’s writings when in China. They are valuable though in their own right as they lend insight into the political scene happening there during that time and Eroshenko’s feelings as a teacher. There are some very melancholic moments in which he languishes in the feelings of nature and moments that reveal the brutality that comes with any political upheaval.

These two parts which collect Eroshenko’s works, one more whimsical and one more grounded, seamlessly fit together. It’s amazing how some of the most complex beliefs and arguments come through at times in the voice of a mosquito or eagle.

I was delighted to read Vasily Eroshenko's fairy tales, well translated by Adam Kuplowsky, having read a lot previously about anarchist movements globally during his lifetime -- figures I know well like Kropotkin and Goldman are mentioned briefly, and with the excellent introduction about Eroshenko's life I was able to place him and his work in context (and context is, certainly, very important to these stories).
As for the stories themselves, they are truly fairy tales -- many have talking animals. They are also certainly of their time: the themes are those of debates and discussions on what might be called the "left" during Eroshenko's lifetime: critiques of organized religion, humans' exploitation of non-human animals, and anarchist critiques of communism and capitalism alike. I really appreciate Kuplowsky's work bringing these tales to an English-speaking audience, and recommend this collection to anyone interested in fairy tales as well as anyone interested in socialist and anarchist history.

4/5

The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales presents a selection of Eroshenko's stories, translated from Japanese and Esperanto, to English.. The tales are really whimsical.. The world building and the short stories are good

All the characters are really interesting ro e
Read

Before coming across this book, I had never heard of Vasily Eroshenko, so it was interesting to read a little about his life in the introduction before commencing the stories. It helped to place them in context of his experiences. The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy Tales was a delightful collection of tales, each beautifully crafted and engaging with an thoughtful message and/or commentary on society. I enjoyed the tales penned in Japan more than those written in China, but that just came down to my personal preference for the style of those tales, and other readers may feel differently. Overall, though, this was a wonderful collection, nicely translated and well presented, and I recommend it to anyone interested in modern fairy tales and fantastical short stories. It gets 4.5 stars from me.

The Narrow Cage and Other Modern Fairy
Tales is a collection of short stories written by Ukrainian author Vasily Eroshenko and translated by Adam Kuplowsky.
While at the beginning the stories may be considered fit for children, due to the fairy tale style, they are not, as the themes are mainly sociopolitical.

Overall, I found it entertaining to read about political beliefs in this format.
My personal favorite stories are The Scholar’s Head and Little Pine.

Thank you to Columbia University Press and NetGalley for providing this Advanced Reader Copy.

Vasily Eroshenko lived a fascinating life, and I am glad that more people will be able to read his tales thanks to Adam Kuplowsky's translation. It was lovely to have a brief biography of Eroshenko at the beginning of the volume to help contextualize the fables to come.

And when these fairy tales are billed as modern? They aren't kidding. The politics and ideals expressed a century ago echo sentiments that are again building today. The worlds Eroshenko builds are fantastical and magical, which provides a stark contrast to the scathing political statements Eroshenko espouses.

Eroshenko has some fascinating metaphors and motifs, not just for politics, but for beauty, disability, and human nature. He also has a fascinating feminine portrayl of an elegant and cruel Death that I loved.

There is much to be learned from this selection of 20th century tales that are just as relevant today as the day they were written.