The New Moscow Philosophy by Vyacheslav Pyetsukh
13 Aug 2011 20 Comments
in Russia, russian fiction Tags: NEW VOICES, russian lit, TRANSLATIONS, twisted spoon press
Source- Review copy
Translator – Krystyna Anna Steiger
Vyacheslav Pyetsuka is a Russian writer ,he is a trained historian ,he taught russian and world history until the avant grade nature of his fiction lead to him losing his job ,he has since published numerous books in Russia ,and has had a number of his short stories translated ,notably in the new russian writing collection from Penguin .This book came out in Russia in 1989 and is new from Twisted spoon the czech based publisher .
The novel is set over course of a weekend and we follow it from friday to monday as the members of a collective household in Moscow gather and discuss what happened to the old women that had a flat in the building and who will get the space that is now free she isn’t there any more this book has echo’s of crime and punishment by Dostoyevsky ,like that book there is a large cast of people involved in the story telling process fourteen in all .The book is like a russian doll it becomes more and more as we move along we find out that the disappearance of Alexandra Sergeyevena Pumpianskaya (don’t you just love that name ) may have more too it than first thought ,hence the echo to C&P was this a murder ,well we never know this isn’t a crime book it is a book about russian life ,art and philosophy as the tenants talk we see the previous hundred year of russian life and art mention in snippets .
Though it may seem speculative at first if not futile, investigating the relationship between life and what we call literature would be useful at this point .The relationship in question is extremely abtrusive undertaking, but is tempting to try nonetheless .First it’s tempting to ascertain to what degree literature is a game and to what a book of fates , a textbook of life .
The opening of the second part “saturday”
Now this book is a must for any Russian lit fan ,as follows of this blog know I m russian lit light my self but slowly working on this ,so I found this a book that sent me rushing to google at times to find out about this and that as I went a long ,so it gave me more of a passion to discover more russian Literature old and new and any book that makes you do that is always worth picking up .I think the other echo with C&P is the time when C&P was written Russia was a land of uncertain futures and this book in 1989 is the same this is just the time the new age of russia was happening .We also see how important space and station can be in a large city as the people in the building argue over this vacant space .all this and a lengthy discourse between two of them on the nature of what is evil .I must say the translator Krystyna Anna Steiger ,has manage to keep together what is a complex and mutlilayered book ,still hugely readable in English .
Have you a favourite new russian writer ?
The Possessed by Elif Batuamn
05 Apr 2011 30 Comments
in non fiction, Russia, U.S.A Tags: 2011, non fiction
Source – review copy
Elif Batuman is a new york born writer ,her parents are turkish ,she studied literature at university in american and the a summer in Uzbekistan ,which forms the largest part of this book .she has published pieces for various magazines in the US .
Now this book is about obsession with russian literature and how it drives people ,now here is a shock I m very afraid of classic russian literature and have spent most of my life avoiding it ,but in recent times the realization is that I ve missed out on a lot ,so when the offer to read this book came I jumped at the chance to do so .Hoping it would inspire me to read more russian lit .The book is a collection of short essay and a longer piece divide into three sections .The short piece focus on obsession with certain russian writers ,the first is Babel the writer who was killed by Stalin leaving little behind but what he left behind has had scholars talking since his death ,a visit to an exhibition of his possessions in california sparks a journey into his world with the joy of Elif who obviously loves these characters so much ,another dealt with a group visiting Yasnaya Polyana Tolstoy’s home ,a group of Tolstoy scholars and the wild fantasies about the writer was this book influenced by that book ,Alice in wonderland was the book they were arguing and did it influence anne Karenina ,This started a heated debate ,Elif tells this with humour and love .The main piece is about here summer in Uzbekistan studying Uzbek language ,as a former soviet state she discovers a lot about their intertwine history with its larger neighbour by a charismatic young Man called Muratbek .
Muratbek was very tan with bleached hair and a fixed grin .To his every utterance in every language ,he appended the exclamation “awesome !” “Turkcha gapirasizmi ” he asked me. Do you speak Turkish ? awesome !
The first meeting in summer in Samarkand of Muratbek .
So did the book do what I want yes I ve moved russian books up my tbr pile and need get war and peace back on track ,this tied in with the recent BBC show about Tolstoy where they were at Yasnaya Polyana ,this tied together brought Elif book more to life .So if you love russian lit this is a must read ,if your like me a novice this will inspire you to take that road that involves Pushkin ,Tolstoy ,Chekov and Babel ,vis her humour and love of these writers .I love Granta’s cover a retroesque homage to leather-bound covers the orginal russian books we re published in .
Have you read this book ?
Do you like russian literature ?
here we are and off the prince goes ,war and peace post 1
24 Jan 2011 5 Comments
in reading challenge, Russia Tags: readalong
I miss calculate pages but just means last weeks of reaalong .so what happen in the first 150 pages ,we meet the cast at some parties well that is how it felt there are lot people in this book to get to know ,this remind me of a tv show when you see the cast in the opening titles so you know who they are .Then Prince Andrei set off to were a tearful send off from his family his sister had a touching seen with him then his father gave him advice .The we see the troops (Hussar’s) depart ? I m hook so far ,little to many footnotes but the are helpful and I like the inclusion of the original french as Tolstoy wrote it in the russian version .
WHAT DID YOU LIKE ?
THE LIFE OF AN UNKOWN MAN BY ANDREI MAKINE
21 Oct 2010 5 Comments
in books from, Russia Tags: NEW BOOKS, TRANSLATIONS
SOURCE – REVIEW COPY FROM SCEPTRE BOOKS
Anderi Makine is an ex pat Russian that lives in paris and writes in french ,his books have all been translated by Geoffrey Strachen ,earlier in the year I reviewed Human love his african based novel ,this his latest translation into English focus on his home in paris and former homeland russia ,it involves two writers one old one younger ,the younger Shutov lives in Paris as an exile from Putin’s russia ,he is low on ideas and confidence in his writing career when he decides to return to his homeland ,to ST Petersburg .As with many homecoming it is a way to connect to his roots and hopefully spark a kernel of an idea ,whilst there he bumps into a Volsky an old guard from the second world war ,this guy has lived a life and like many a man of his age he likes to impart his story and luckily for Shutov A man caught in a writer’s block ,so over the rest of the book we hear this guys tale of woe and love ,the Siege of Leningrad is the main setting for a love that is doomed Mila his lover is a strong women in the image of those russian propaganda posters of the time ,this make Shutov think of his own love life a recent break up after a tv show performance and an earlier russian lover .from his halcyon days at college .the men both Gain something from this brief meeting .
On 21 June 1941 at the nord cafe ,which was very Popular with people of Leningrad ,without knowing it Volsky lived through the last hours of his old life ,the last day of peace .A moment of peace .A moment of bliss ,encapsulated in the taste of a cup of Hot chocolate .
the opening of the third chapter .
The book is what in the theatre would be a two hander ,like a russian waiting for Godot with a large dollop of russian history and politics thrown in for good measure .one can see the main character Shutov as Makine him self and Volsky as his way of bridging russian history from the war to Putin’s russia ,from the toughness of the Stalin years to the present regime ,in a different way tough but still corrupt ,as ever Makine writing is slick he is without doubt one of the leading russian writers ,there has been noted in the opening note from Geoffrey Strachan that his french sometimes doesn’t sit quite right so it makes translation hard as he still uses some russian words .A great look at modern russia and a captivating war story in one a hard package to bet .
William Rycroft of Just william luck review the book a few days ago here is his take
Human love by Andrei Makine
09 Aug 2010 10 Comments
Andrei Makine is a russian born writer currently living in exile in France ,he also now write in french ,as well as poems in Russia ,He has written numerous novels ,he has been supported by Alain Maisse who is a fan of Makines work .The book centres on Elias Almeida a man born in Angola in the 60′s as a child he sees some horrors ,he grows to be a solider and gets caught up in the political turbulence that engulf southern africa ,with influences from russia and cuba ,he becomes indoctrinated in communism and marxist ideals ,meets an attractive white women ,the book sees his struggles and the struggles of his homeland Angola and the other countries like Zaire around Angola as he starts to fight ,this also take him top russia where he first meets anne a student at the time .they fall in love but he has to return to Africa
A revolution , the instructors used to say ,is not just the matter of explosives .It takes long and meticulous preparation .Initially the “popular masses” must be worked on in depth creating both networks of fighting men and looser ones of “fellow travellers ” and “sympathizers ” essential to success of the uprising
Elias remembering being taught about revolutions .
This book is about many things race ,love ,communism Makine has tried to tackle russia’s involvement in Africa through one man’s tale .His style is highly readable Elias comes across as a man trapped by who he is and where he is from ,he glimpse different life at times and becomes disillusioned with the doctrines he has been taught when he sees the suffering that it can cause ,as he shes what he calls fat cat Africans on the circuit talking about what he is putting in to place through fighting in the wars. He has he struggles with this concept .Makine as ever is translated by Geoffrey Strachan who has translated all his books .If you want an inside tract to African politics through a soldiers eyes this book is ideal .the book made me think and remind me of the news images in the early 80′s from Angola ,Nambia and Zaire as war’s raged on but the general population was forgotten at times .
