Tumbling Biddies - Daniil Kharms

Russian Avant-garde writer Daniil Kharms was notorious for his dark humour and surrealism (and also a popular children's author, sometimes called the Russian Roald Dahl). This short story illustrates his skewed wit and a dark look at the desensitised callousness of the Stalinist era (Kharms himself would fall victim to the purges). Concludes with a Studio Spani short in which the old biddies tumble from a library of Russian classics, showing Kharms' anarchic upending of literary convention. Translation by Brigit McCone, free to use with attribution. More info: slavonical.blogspot.com