From the book's dust-jacket / slipcase text: "Considered one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century - and the most revered short-story writer since Chekhov - Isaac Babel (1894-1940) left a literary legacy that continues to grow, remarkably, more than sixty years after his death at the hands of Stalin's secret police. Despite Babel's celebrated stature - which had already been achieved during his lifetime - the whole of his work has never been assembled in English. "This magnificent edition of Babel's collected work fulfills a lifelong ambition of Babel's daughter, Nathalie, who has edited the entire collection and collaborated with the award-winning translator Peter Constantine. Included in "The Complete Works" are stories that will be familiar to Babel enthusiasts, such as the "Red Cavalry" cycle and his diaries, but also untranslated stories and other works that appear in English for the first time."