Vintage 1989 Soviet Book: A White Sail Gleams – Valentin Kataev | Tsar to Soviet Books

Classic 1989 Soviet Black Sea Dilogy: Valentin Kataev’s "A White Sail Gleams"

Product Overview: For collectors of 20th-century Russian literature, scholars of childhood narrative, and enthusiasts of Odessa's cultural history, this 1989 original Soviet hardcover volume brings together two masterpieces of youth adventure. Published in Moscow by Pravda (Издательство «Правда»), "A White Sail Gleams" and "The Small Farm in the Steppe" (Белеет парус одинокий / Хуторок в степи) comprise the beloved opening arc of Valentin Petrovich Kataev's autobiographical series.

Bound in tactile grey-blue cloth boards stamped with gold and white typography, this 464-page edition is enriched with an introductory monograph by Boris Galanov and four full-color art plates by Vladimir Galdyaev.

Revolutionary Odessa, Friendship and The Battleship Potemkin: Kataev’s novels stand among the high watermarks of Soviet youth storytelling:

• Historical Backdrop of 1905: Portrays the upheaval of the 1905 Russian Revolution in Odessa, from strikes across harbor docks to the distant silhouette of the rebel ironclad Prince Potemkin-Tavricheskiy offshore.

• Enduring Characters: Centers on the bond between middle-class schoolboy Petya Bachey and impoverished fisherman's grandson Gavrik Chernoivanenko as they navigate childhood games, family loyalties, and dangerous courier missions for the underground.

• Masterful Narrative Realism: Infused with vivid sensory memories of the Black Sea coast: acacia blooms, salty winds, market stalls, and sun-drenched Bessarabian steppe farms.

• Expressive Visual Setting: Illustrated with painterly color scenes by Vladimir Galdyaev, depicting historic seaside avenues and gendarmes confronting local fishermen.

Complete Bibliographic Specifications:

• Title: Белеет парус одинокий. Хуторок в степи (A White Sail Gleams / The Small Farm in the Steppe)

• Author: Valentin Petrovich Kataev (Валентин Катаев)

• Introductory Essay: Boris Galanov (Борис Галанов)

• Illustrator: Vladimir Galdyaev (В. Гальдяев)

• Publisher: "Pravda" Publishing House, Moscow

• Publication Date: 1989 (Moscow, USSR)

• Language: Russian

• Binding: Original publisher's textured cloth hardcover

• Page Count: 464 pages with 4 color plate inserts

• Classification: Russian Literature / Historical Youth Fiction / Odessa in Literature