Subtitled, "Adventures With Russian Books & The People Who Read Them". Paperback edition of Batuman's entertaining book about her encounters with obsessive fans of Russian literature. Combines fresh readings of the Russian classics with funny stories of how they continue to influence our lives.

ELIF BATUMAN was born in New York City and grew up in New Jersey. She graduated from Harvard, and received her doctorate in comparative literature from Stanford University. She is currently the writer-in-residence at Koc University, Istanbul. Her writing has been published in the New Yorker, n+1, Harper's and the Guardian, and she has received a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer's Award. This is her first book.

Praise for "The Possessed"
“In her comic, poignant, beguiling book, Batuman succeeds marvelously in illuminating her version of love.” —Reese Kwon, "Virginia"" Quarterly Review
"“At every step along the way, Batuman’s observations are wonderfully vivid.” —Julia Keller, "Chicago"" Tribune
"“Odd and oddly profound . . . Among the charms of Ms. Batuman’s prose is her fond, funny way of describing the people around her . . . Perhaps Ms. Batuman’s best quality as a writer though—beyond her calm, lapidary prose—is the winsome and infectious delight she feels in the presence of literary genius and beauty. She’s the kind of reader who sends you back to your bookshelves with a sublime buzz in your head. You want to feel what she’s feeling.” —Dwight Garner, "The New York Times Book Review
"“It’s not surprising that some people never get over these books, and Batuman, for