His incendiary stories melded sexual themes with his doubts about the Soviet Union; his frank portrayal of mother-son incest in "The Nizhni Novgorod" -- taken as a comment on the revolution of February 1917 -- became the catalyst for his persecution. This collection serves as a valuable introduction to the author's greatest stories. The acclaimed translation by Vera T. Reck and Michael Green makes Pilnyak's prose accessible to contemporary audiences while maintaining his evocative voice.