Six stories and six essays on Siberia's land, spirit, and people by Rasputin, an acknowledged modern Soviet master. A resident of Irkutsk, Rasputin combines great insight with supple prose and passion for his homeland in both his fiction and non-fiction. Translated and introduced by Gerald Mikkelson and Margaret Mitchell, the collection includes essays of Baikal and Irkutsk.  (SIB04, $18.00)