Podzimní mouchy aneb Žena z dávných dob – Némirovsky Irene (2022)

In the not-so-extensive, Chekhovian novel Autumn Flies or The Woman from Ancient Times, the author depicts the decline of a Russian family whose world collapses amidst the chaos of revolution. Karin, fleeing from the Bolsheviks, takes refuge in France, leaving only the loyal nanny Tatiana Ivanovna at the family estate. Eventually, she too sets off in their footsteps, leaving behind the home that the Bolshevik regime has forever destroyed. Irene Némirovsky narrates with sensitivity and without excessive pathos the story of people experiencing the end of an era and the pain of losing their home and those they loved so dearly. The nanny, a woman from ancient times, is the guardian of memories of Russia. Memories that fade in exile and dissolve in worries about making a living. With her death, the old world departs. Although the heroes become lethargic and weary 'autumn flies that [...] flutter exhaustedly and irritably, bumping into windows and dragging their half-dead wings,' they ultimately come to a bitter acceptance of the new everyday life. The book's length reminds us that a strong effect can be achieved with few words. The only criticism one could make of the novel is that you read it too quickly. Most likely in one sitting.