Three works in one collection!
“Balamut’s Letters,” “Balamut Proposes a Toast,” and “Divorce.”
“Balamut’s Letters” is a brilliantly witty parody of an old British pamphlet. It takes the form of a series of letters from an old and experienced devil, Balamut, who holds a respectable place in the hellish hierarchy, to his beloved young nephew, the youthy devil Gnusik, who is just taking his first steps in the craft of ensnaring human souls. A difficult occupation in the middle of the enlightened and somewhat scarce twentieth century—where, in general, there isn’t really anyone left to tempt, and there’s nothing to do…
“Divorce” is a novel-parable about the threshold of the afterlife, where its residents can easily enter Heaven, but most of them stubbornly prefer familiar everyday city bustle over the unfamiliar bliss of purgatory.