About the book: 2018 / I.E. Babel (1894-1940) is one of the most famous, but at the same time, mysterious Russian writers. Thousands of articles and dozens of monographs have been written about his biography, the literary scandals associated with him, his unique style, and the history of publications. But the riddles are still considered unsolved. The book by the famous Israeli Slavist Z. Bar-Sella is a comprehensive study of Babel’s riddles. It is based on a thorough analysis of not only the history of publications, but also the manuscript heritage. The author consistently and convincingly proves that Babel’s prose and his drama are connected by a single plot, going back to the biblical concept. In addition, hypotheses are substantiated regarding the arrest of the writer and the fate of his disappeared archive. The book is addressed to philologists, historians, cultural experts, psychologists, as well as a wide range of readers interested in the fate of Russian and Soviet literature.