Vasilevsky I. M. (Ne-Bukva)

Vasilevsky I. M. (Ne-Bukva). «Zhiteyskoe Kabare: Humorous Stories.» — St. Petersburg: "Osvobozhdenie" Publishing House, [1910]. — 216 p.

A lifetime edition. A collection of humorous stories published under the pseudonym "Ne-Bukva." Ilya Vasilevsky was a notable figure in St. Petersburg journalism at the beginning of the 20th century: he contributed to the satirical magazines "Satyricon," "Argus," and "Yuvenal," and edited the newspaper "Svobodnye Mysli" and the "Zhurnal Zhurnalov." His feuilletons and stories were popular with the reading public, and the author himself was distinguished by a caustic, at times scandalous style — he was not afraid to take aim at well-known literary figures, including Ilya Ehrenburg.

Vasilevsky's books, especially those published before the revolution and in emigration, are practically never found on the market. This copy is of interest to collectors of Russian satirical prose of the Silver Age and literature of the Russian emigration. Additional value is created by the tragic fate of the author: he was repressed and shot in 1938, and his legacy long remained little known.

Ilya Markovich Vasilevsky (1882/1883, Poltava — 1938, Moscow) was a Russian journalist, feuilletonist, writer and publisher, who worked under the pseudonyms "Ne-Bukva," "A. Glebov," and "Feniks." After the revolution he emigrated, lived in Constantinople, Paris and Berlin, contributed to the newspaper "Nakanune," and in 1923 returned to the USSR together with A. N. Tolstoy; in 1937 he was arrested and in 1938 shot.