Author: Исаак Эммануилович Бабель [Isaak Babel] (1894–1940).
Title: «Ди Грассо» (Di Grasso, short story).
In: Огонек (Ogonyok), no. 23 (604), 20 August 1937, p. 1. (Soviet periodical)
Language: Russian.
Contents note: Recto prints Babel’s story; also on recto: Граши Григорян “Ковер” (Grashi Grigoryan, “Rug” – а poem, trans. from Armenian А. Коваленкова (A. Kovalenkova). Verso (p. 2): Елизавета Кольцова, В Мадриде (Elizaveta Kol’tsova, “In Madrid),” with halftone photograph captioned “Одна из улиц Мадрида во время бомбардировки” (One of the streets of Madrid during the bombardment, photo credit: Г. Гутман (G. Gutman).
Physical description: One leaf (pp. 1–2) from illustrated weekly; letterpress and halftone on wood-pulp paper; 332 × 260 mm.
Condition: Overall toning; two central folds (vertical and horizontal); minor edge wear.
Printed inscriptions (select): Masthead Огонек; “№ 23 (604)”; “20 августа 1937”; motto “Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь!”.
Di Grasso is Giovanni Grasso (Italian, 1873–1930), the celebrated Sicilian tragic actor. In Italy, he appeared simply as Grasso; in the Russian press and on tour bills, he was styled “di Grasso.” He toured Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Odessa) from 1907 to 1909, performing plays such as Capuana’s La maledizione and Giacometti’s La morte civile (in Russian, Семья преступника). Babel—then a teenager in Odessa—saw these performances and used the actor’s name for his story.
Additional Information
| Collection | Library , Literature |
|---|---|
| Type / Purpose | Periodical |
| Period | 20 AD , Mid-20th Century |
| Country | Russia , USSR |
| Language | Russian |
| Subject | Actors , Ephemera , Illustrated magazine , Odessa , Periodicals , Russian literature , Short stories , Soviet periodicals , Theatre |
| Edition | 1st edition, thus , Journal |
| Creation / Publishing year | 1937 |
| Binding | Unbound |
| Location | BOX 18 |
| Acquisition year | 2019 |
