Marrying Off Mother

This book is a collection of autobiographical stories drawn from different periods of Darrell’s life and arranged without following a timeline. They cover events in various countries where Darrell traveled and worked. Some of these episodes are connected with animals, others only indirectly or not at all, but all of them feature vivid representatives of different cultures. The author himself admits that some events are described literally, while others include elements of fiction—though he doesn’t reveal which ones.

Earlier, this collection was published in a translation by Lev Zhdanov under the title *Mother on the Marriage Market* (1996).

The collection is part of an autobiographical series. With his usual humor and warmth, Darrell describes his family’s stay on the island of Corfu in Greece— including his elder brother Larry (Lawrence Darrell, the future author of the "Alexandrian Quartet")—as well as subsequent adventures. The book features various genres, from comedic scenes to gothic ghost stories; you’ll find a duel over a pig hunting for truffles, and a parrot that terrifies London with its crude expressions. Readers will also meet familiar characters—Margo, Leslie, Jerry, and Larry—who try to arrange their mother’s personal life, leading to unexpected consequences.

Now the collection is available in a new translation by Sergey Task, known for his classical translations of works by authors such as Tom Wolfe, John le Carré, Stephen King, Paul Auster, Ian McEwan, Richard Yates, and Francis Scott Fitzgerald.