Isaac Babel was a Jewish writer in the former Soviet Union who rose to fame in the 1920s for books such as Red Cavalry and Odessa Stories. But as Stalin's regime grew increasingly paranoid and repressive, Babel found it difficult to write or publish.

The Lonely Years is a collection of letters and nine stories from the period before Babel's arrest and disappearance. Together, they show an individual laboring against all odds to remain true to his craft and ideals. This edition contains a new introduction, based on previously unreleased information from the KGB files.