About About Love

Those of you in the Toronto-area have probably heard that today's BiblioBash features a special guest appearance from David Helwig: novelist, translator, and former Poet Laureate of PEI. It's true. He'll be reading from and signing copies of one of the handsomest books the BiblioManse has issued. About Love, designed and illustrated by the inimitable Seth, is 114 pages of hunky hardback in 5.5x7.25 format with two-colour printing. BEAUTIFUL. Here's a little preview:

 

See? Innit pretty? Innit??

David Helwig will be reading alongside the full BiblioBash cohort: Alice Petersen, Nadine McInnis, C.P. Boyko, and Norm Sibum. Should be a great night. Come on out! RSVP on Facebook today.
About About Love

Written in France toward the end of his career, these stories are Chekhov’s only attempt at the linked collection. The first is a grotesque Gogolian comedy; the second a narrator's impassioned response; and the third a poignant story of failed love. Altogether the stories of About Love comprise three virtually unknown works by one of the greatest short story writers in world literature. "While there are many translators whose Russian is better than mine," writes Helwig of his translation, "there are not so many who have had a long experience of writing narrative prose. These narratives are my personal versions of Chekhov’s stories; they are also as close as I can make them to the precision and suggestiveness of the originals."
 Critics agree. Francine Prose calls his earlier translations “absolutely wonderful,” and Publishers Weekly has remarked that Helwig is “a pleasure to spend time with.” The book is furthermore designed and illustrated by Seth, author of Palookaville and designer for The Complete Peanuts, who has produced covers for The New Yorker and was the recipient of the 2011 Harbourfront Prize.

About Love is a beautiful contribution to the works of Chekhov in English, and a must-have for all Seth enthusiasts.