Russian Literature

[GreenDoor]

Eric, I remember about my promise, but starting to compile some list of modern Russian literature, that you could find interesting, I have met a problem - there is no translations of these books into English or other European languages.
I can say, that "The Chronicles of Eho" is not the book you need. It is some kind of the pulp fiction of good quality, but there is no problems and ideas of modern Russia in it.
I have found 3 books, that may be interesting for you. They are rather popular in Russia, rather new and in some way characterize our way of thinking.
If you could read these books in Russian, I think you will find them more interesting than Akunin or Max Frei

They are:

Alexey Ivanov THE GEOGRAPHER DRANK AWAY HIS GLOBE (Geograf globus propil)
With his latest bestseller, Alexei Ivanov has secured his position as number one moral spokesman for Russia’s Generation X, as Bret Easton Ellis once was for America and Michel Houellebecq for France.
Geographer Drank Away His Globe is a poignant narrative about Victor Sluzhkin, 28-year old romantic and buffoon, who signs on as a teacher of geography in a secondary school in his native Perm (in the Urals) and gets lost in a haze of hard vodka, desperate love for a nymphet-like student, the stress of educating troubled teenagers with attitude like those in Irina Denezhkina’s short stories, and twisted family relationships.
Geographer, as the older students immediately dub Sluzhkin, attempts to escape from the grueling, dull, economically and emotionally stultifying reality of Russia’s provincial life in a rafting tour to the Urals. Accompanied by wild, adventure-seeking adolescents, faced with the numerous grim surprises of the taiga, icy mountain rivers, and local drunks, Geographer is poised to find himself and his own truth. Armed with his only moral principle, “Be a man, and whatever will be will be,” Geographer is unaware that his future is to become another living echo of Houellebecq’s prediction in TO STAY ALIVE: “As you approach the truth, your solitude will only increase”.
Ivanov’s novel is at once an engaging page-turner and a remarkable literary achievement. Ivanov maneuvers masterfully between a confessional erotic story, a Bildungsroman or coming-of-age story, an adventure story, and a vivid psychological account. This simple personal narrative is written with a sincerity that is both tender and compelling. It is an illuminating book for anyone who has ever known isolation and the pull of desperate longing.
Literary Agency "Goumen&Smirnova"

Dmitry Bykov ORTHOGRAPHY (Orfografiya)
I have not found good review in English. Only this:
The novel is set in Petrograd and the Crimea in 1918 and stars, not surprisingly, a popular journalist with literary ambitions. All around him are academics, writers and artists who are taken aback by the political turmoil. Many of the characters are variations on real people of that time, and it is a special delight to trace the prototypes behind the pseudonyms. A novel about Russia and its historical destiny, "Orthography" is unique for lacking the high-pitched pathos that one might easily expect from Bykov. A love novel, it never resorts to tasteless eroticism or sentimentality, and is remarkably well researched. It is, in short, the closest approximation to "the great Russian novel" of post-Soviet times.
CONTEXT - This Week in Arts and Ideas from The Moscow Times

Dmitry Glukhovsky METRO 2033

DMITRY GLUKHOVSKY, 30, Kremlin reporter, foreign affairs specialist, former war correspondent
Prediction made in 2005 for 2033

Prediction

The world has just suffered a nuclear war; contamination and radiation destroy all surface life on earth. All who stay above ground face death or mutation. Muscovites take refuge in the metro, whose formidable doors keep radiation and aggressive mutants out.

The few surviving engineers construct underground water filtering stations and power plants. Metro dwellers tend mushroom farms, breed pigs and engage in commerce. However, warfare becomes a favorite pastime. The metro soon divides into tiny city-stations, known as "metropolitanates," each with a political system of its own. Instead of joining hands for survival and fighting rats, bellicose mutants and abject poverty, the stations wage war on each other. Coalitions come and go, as recent allies become sworn enemies.

Grounds for Prediction

Glukohvsky states: "I do not think another cold war is far off. Every news story reads like a dystopian thriller about World War Three. Confrontation gets tougher with every passing day. Russia is reluctant to meet the West halfway, and its foreign policy is becoming increasingly independent."

He remarks that it is "no wonder [that] the West is becoming paranoid, as are Russians. The West wants to deploy its missile defense system in Poland. Russia strikes back by threatening to quit the CFE treaty. Russia talks of military threats nonstop and alleges that America has resumed the arms race. American television says the Putin regime is becoming unmanageable."

He concludes that "mutual trust is dwindling. It's hard to say who is to blame. A nuclear conflict was hardly possible during the 1970s and 1980s. Now, there is a far greater chance of that happening."

Material prepared by Anna Starobinets, Moscow (first published in the magazine Russky Reporter)
Doomsday? - Russia Beyond the Headlines

[Eric]

Thanks, GreenDoor for the reviews and details about Ivanov, Bykov and Glukhovsky. The Human & Smirnov agent's website is also informative.

One major problem, when trying to find out about translations from Russian, is transliteration. I can read a few languages, but names are transliterated differently into every one. So you can find, for instance, Alexei Ivanov and Aleksej Ivanov, Dmitry Bykov and Dmitri Bykov, and Dmitry Gluchovsky, Glukhovsky, Gluhovsky...

I found a Belgian review of the Ivanov. Whether I'll get on with the drink and nymphets, remains to be seen. I won't know till I find the translation in the bookshop. But the fact that they have taken all the pith out of the Dutch title is ominous. In Dutch, it is called De man die zijn wereld opdronk, i.e. The Man Who Drank Up His World, which does not have the same feel as the Russian, French and English titles.

[Eric]

Thanks to Nnyhav's mention of the new Words Without Borders, I found a few Russian odds and ends at:

Words Without Borders

[Haribol Acharya]

In some respects I rank Russian novels with the best ones ever written, and for instance Leo Tolstoy' s war and peace is matchless in its majesty. So deep in philosophy and so grand in art and style that it becomes an un-excelled piece.

Tolstoy is a figure we can see one a millennium, a man who in his later days tried to live by the ideals he wrote in his novels.

So is Chekhov he was incomparable when it comes to story writing and he was so witty and at the same time so amusing he says things that need to be said or expressed without making people aware of it.

He was a great craftsman and his acumen is so deepening that at times he can be considered the greatest story writer ever existed on earth. His grief for instance is a story that grieves and he can present human situations in a very humorous way, but we can see deepest tones of sadness and pain.

Another writer that appeals to me is Turgenev and I have read two of his famous books, sketches of the hunter and Fathers and sons. Both books are great arts.

Fathers and sons is a book that goes so deeply and penetratingly unwrap human situations and predicaments in life. He makes a fair analogical study of two diverse environments, one in which fathers live and the other in which children. Indeed he had so beautifully presented the tricky situations or quandaries man is hemmed in in point of fact.

[Max Cairnduff]

I can't help with contemporary Russian fiction, but one I am fond of that's not yet mentioned in the thread is A Hero of Our Time by Mikhail Lermontov, an archetypal superfluous man novel and an unusual (for us, not so much for the Russian's of Lermontov's day) mix of the literary and the adventurous.

I liked it enough to name my blog, Pechorin's Journal, after it. It's well worth a read particularly if you have any interest in that particular strand of Russian literature.

On the contemporary stuff, I had the impression that fantasy and magical realism (for want of a better term) were big over there right now, naturalist fiction not so much. My impression, which may be wrong, is that wacky fantasy is right now where their market is mostly at.

[Kropotkin]

Hello everyone, I guess I'll try to hit the ground running as this is my first post...

There is an unexplainable charisma and attractiveness that seems to exist in the tone of Russian writing that seems, to me at least, to be absent from the works of other cultures. My all-time favorite is still Chekhov. The plays, the short stories; Amazing! Too many favorite stories to list, but I think I can say that The Three Sisters wins in the play department. I loved Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment and The Brothers Karamazov, but my favorite of his is White Nights, probably because it's quiet, dreamlike, sentimentality basically just reminds me of Chekhov. As I understand it, this was written in his earlier days which might explain it's lack of the trademark dark pessimism that he is so famous for, as found in his more well known works. A close second favorite, for very different reasons, is The Dream of a Ridiculous Man. I also find Notes From Underground to be fantastically witty and entertaining, the man truly did have quite a sense of humor. As far a Tolstoy goes I, admittedly, have made my share of failed attempts at War and Peace, I do have a special affection for Tolstoy's shorter works, one of my favorites also being The Death of Ivan Ilyich. Tolstoy's non-fiction works on politics and religion have also played a large part in my life. While I am not a religious person by any means, I find Tolstoy's philosophy of Christian-based Libertarian Socialism quite interesting. Growing up in the United States in a primarily conservative town during the rise of the "Religious Right", I was grateful to be able to, when needing ammunition for arguments, borrow from Tolstoy's message that pure Anarchism is the only form of government that can truly coexist with Christian values. His writings and teachings on pacifism, civil disobedience, mutual aid, and classical libertarianism could have made Russia a very different place today had Russia's dominant revolutionary spirit looked more to them than to Germany for their influence. But I do understand how some people find his preachiness to be exhausting even when it comes through in his fictional works. Yet another reason why Chekhov is the best.

Has everyone heard the one about the Russian who hung himself? He fastened the rope to the rafters and jumped off of his note.

I know, not really a great joke, but it does address the stereotype that the Russians tend to write works that many find to be a bit on the long side. I you haven't guessed by now, I personally prefer the shorter works, which explains why I have merely been "working on" War and Peace on and off for several years now and haven't actually picked it up in at least two years.

[titania7]

Hello, Kroptokin! It was magnificent to find another lover of Russian literature.
You speak of Tolstoy's longer works...have you, per chance, read Resurrection? It is a beautifully written, moving novel that isn't overly long (535 pages, give or take a page). Anna Karenina is lengthy, but definitely a must-read. I first read it at age 16
(when I was going through a lot of adolescent angst), and very much enjoyed it.

Dostoevsky remains my favorite, though. It's interesting you mention the story, White Nights. I haven't yet read it but I just saw a film adaptation of it directed by the great Luchino Visconti. It's certainly one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen, and Marcello Mastroianni gives what, in my opinion, is the finest performance of his career (he's my favorite actor, having fallen in love with him via the work he did with Fellini). I own a couple of collections of Dostoevsky stories and short novels--yet White Nights isn't in any of them. I'm very much hoping to find a copy of that story soon, though, because the film made such a huge impression on me.

Chekhov is fabulous. I used to be a stage actress, and I always considered it a grand opportunity to have the chance to be in a Chekhov production. If you adore Chekhov so much, you might enjoy a book of essays that I have found very insightful.
It's called Chekhov's plays: An opening into eternity by Richard Gilman. The essays are very intellectual but incredibly interesting for anyone who is a true devotee of Chekhov.

Speaking of short books by Russians, why not try Smoke by Ivan Turgenev? Turgenev is an author I'm passionate about, and Smoke is at the top of my list of favorite Russian novels. It's short, too--under 200 pages, actually. Merely to pique your interest, here is a passage from the end of the book (loving Russian lit as you do, I'm certain you'll appreciate it):

"Smoke, smoke, he repeated several times: and suddenly it all seemed as smoke to him, everything, his own life, the Russian life--everything human, especially everything Russian. All smoke and steam, he thought: all seems forever changing, on all sides new forms, phantoms flying after phantoms, while in reality it is all the same and the same again: everything hurrying, flying towards something, and everything vanishing without a trace, attaining to nothing: another wind blows, and all is dashing in the opposite direction, and there again the same untiring, restless---and useless gambols!"


I don't know why more people aren't interested in Smoke. It's such a spectacular little book. Ironically, the smartest man I've ever known is the only person I've ever met who has read this book. He was a translator who did a translation (from the German) of a Friedrich Durrenmatt play I was in a few years ago. Brilliant guy with top-notch taste in literature (loved Balzac, loved Dostoevsky). Couldn't believe he was a fan of Smoke, too!

Say, aren't you new around here, Kropotkin? Guess it's about time you were welcomed to this incomparable forum! So....welcome!

~Titania


"....But nature cares nothing for logic, our human logic:
she has her own, which we do not recognise and do not
acknowledge till we are crushed and under its wheel."
~Ivan Turgenev, Smoke

[miercuri]

Does anyone know if early Russian literature has been translated into English? The bibliography for my Russian lit and culture class includes a few titles that aren't available in Romanian and since I'm only a beginner I can't read the original versions either.
I'm particulary looking for the following:
Life of Alexander Nevsky - Житие Александра Невского
A Journey Beyond the Three Seas - Хожение за три моря by Afanasiy Nikitin
anything by Lomonosov

[Kropotkin]

Hello Titania,

Thanks for the welcome and the kind words and recommendations. I haven't read Resurrection, but I did read Anna Karenina and loved it.
I was not aware that Visconti had done a film version of White Nights, I may have to check that out, as I am quite a fan of "world cinema" as well. I definitely recommend reading the story as soon as you can. It is in several collections currently in print (in English). I have read a few different versions but my favorite, by far, is the version in the "Signet Classics" Notes From Underground [and other stories], translated by Andrew R. MacAndrew. Over the years I have learned to speak a little Russian, but don't read it at all, though I would like to one day (and then I'll finish War and Peace, hahaha). I can say, however, that in my opinion MacAndrew's translation is the most poetic at least, although I know nothing of judging it's accuracy.
Your passage from Smoke has certainly intrigued me, I think I'll go out today and try find myself a copy of it. Interestingly, Dostoyevsky starts of White Nights with a quote from a Turgenev poem. Maybe you know which it is; I have yet to find it.

"Could he have been born from the start
If only for a fleeting moment
To be so dear to your heart"

Nice of Dostoyevsky to so effectively set the tone for his story with a nice tip of the hat to a contemporary like that...

Anyway, thanks again. Nice to "meet" you. I'm very glad to have found this forum.

Originally Posted by titania7

Hello, Kroptokin! It was magnificent to find another lover of Russian literature.
You speak of Tolstoy's longer works...have you, per chance, read Resurrection? It is a beautifully written, moving novel that isn't overly long (535 pages, give or take a page). Anna Karenina is lengthy, but definitely a must-read. I first read it at age 16
(when I was going through a lot of adolescent angst), and very much enjoyed it.

Dostoevsky remains my favorite, though. It's interesting you mention the story, White Nights. I haven't yet read it but I just saw a film adaptation of it directed by the great Luchino Visconti. It's certainly one of the most romantic movies I've ever seen, and Marcello Mastroianni gives what, in my opinion, is the finest performance of his career (he's my favorite actor, having fallen in love with him via the work he did with Fellini). I own a couple of collections of Dostoevsky stories and short novels--yet White Nights isn't in any of them. I'm very much hoping to find a copy of that story soon, though, because the film made such a huge impression on me.

Chekhov is fabulous. I used to be a stage actress, and I always considered it a grand opportunity to have the chance to be in a Chekhov production. If you adore Chekhov so much, you might enjoy a book of essays that I have found very insightful.
It's called Chekhov's plays: An opening into eternity by Richard Gilman. The essays are very intellectual but incredibly interesting for anyone who is a true devotee of Chekhov.

Speaking of short books by Russians, why not try Smoke by Ivan Turgenev? Turgenev is an author I'm passionate about, and Smoke is at the top of my list of favorite Russian novels. It's short, too--under 200 pages, actually. Merely to pique your interest, here is a passage from the end of the book (loving Russian lit as you do, I'm certain you'll appreciate it):

"Smoke, smoke, he repeated several times: and suddenly it all seemed as smoke to him, everything, his own life, the Russian life--everything human, especially everything Russian. All smoke and steam, he thought: all seems forever changing, on all sides new forms, phantoms flying after phantoms, while in reality it is all the same and the same again: everything hurrying, flying towards something, and everything vanishing without a trace, attaining to nothing: another wind blows, and all is dashing in the opposite direction, and there again the same untiring, restless---and useless gambols!"


I don't know why more people aren't interested in Smoke. It's such a spectacular little book. Ironically, the smartest man I've ever known is the only person I've ever met who has read this book. He was a translator who did a translation (from the German) of a Friedrich Durrenmatt play I was in a few years ago. Brilliant guy with top-notch taste in literature (loved Balzac, loved Dostoevsky). Couldn't believe he was a fan of Smoke, too!

Say, aren't you new around here, Kropotkin? Guess it's about time you were welcomed to this incomparable forum! So....welcome!

~Titania


"....But nature cares nothing for logic, our human logic:
she has her own, which we do not recognise and do not
acknowledge till we are crushed and under its wheel."
~Ivan Turgenev, Smoke

[Eric]

I posted this somewhere else, but I suppose it counts as Russian literature. The two books of stories were published this year, in Putin's Russia. I found the review in the paper yesterday:

Russian postmodernists continue to write political allegories

Andres Laasik

10. October 2008

Two fashionable Russian writers brought out a new book this autumn: Viktor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin. The Russian press has paid a good deal of attention to both sci-fi books which are full of horrible allegories about Russia’s past and present.

Actually, Pelevin’s book P5 is, at least according to the author, an entirely realistic one. The name is derived from the sub-title Proshchalnye pesni politicheskich pigmeyev Pindostana - i.e. Songs of Farewell of the Political Pygmies of Pindostan. What turns this book into sci-fi is that Pelevin’s fantasy world of Pindostan, is as this country is the real world that has taken on fantasy proportions. P5 consists of five short-stories. The first of these tells of a fantasy brothel, which is meant to cater for every whim of the Russian oligarchs by way of exclusivity, so that they don’t travel away to French ski resorts, and embarrass the whole of Russia with their sex scandals.

In the story Friedman’s Room, Pelevin has built up a theory that money that money attracts more money by way of a gravitational force, and the protagonist Chengiz Karatayev tests it out.

Humour plays an important role

Vladimir Sorokin’s Sugar Kremlin (Sakharnyi Kreml’) is the sequel to Oprichnik’s Day where he describes Russia decades later, one which resembles that of the era of Ivan the Terrible. As with P5, Sugar Kremlin consists of short-stories which are linked thematically. The stories are all set in a futurist world, invented by Sorokin, which combines elements of an up-to-date society technologically, with Soviet-style rule, and ancient Russian patriarchal values.

What links Pelevin and Sorokin is there is plenty of room for humour in their idiosyncratic work. They have received in mixed reception in the media, but what is agreed on is that Russian postmodernists are continuing to write in a satirical vein. And they are ahead with this in Russian literature.

Published in the daily newspaper Eesti Päevaleht (EPL), 10. October 2008. Andres Laasik is in in-house cultural journalist at EPL, and often writes about Russian matters.

Translated from the Estonian by Eric

[SergeyM]

Dear All:

Thanks a lot for your interest in our literature and all the kind words. It is always a pleasure for me to learn that people from other countries do like Russian literature and authors.
Alas, it seems that in contemporary Russia people tend to seek for amusement rather than for thoughts, and classical literature is far less popular than simple criminal stories, “women’s books” and fantasy.

How come that Russian writers and readers of today focus on things other than what interested Leo Tolstoy, Pushkin, Lermontov, Bulgakov and others? I would say that the reason for that was what happened here since beginning of twentieth century. In socialist times our writers had two ways before them: to write about life getting better and better every day, and become popular, well-paid and respectable, or to write about GULAG, Russian tanks in Hungary and Prague, and diamonds, that Leonid Brejnev’s daughter was supposedly very fond of, and wind up in a prison, a madhouse, or in the West.
Then everything turned upside down, and respectable authors and writers who had their terms in prisons or asylums changed places. When that happened, we had more than enough books on how foolish our communist leaders were, how many people were killed by Lenin and Stalin, and that “New Russians” were just criminals, getting huge money by simple devices like killing competitors and cheating on partners.

Some people, who knew it all along, and others, who were able to adjust to a new, more complex image, have not suffered much. I, for example, almost stopped to read in Russian. But many others felt fooled, their own culture and history stolen from them by “democrats”, surely paid by USA… This train of thought is backed by our officials to some extent, who now seem to be trying to install new Russian patriotism… This is seen in many fields here, from history and chronology, where people such as Fomenko try to put new picture, where Russians are the most ancient people on Earth, in place of the traditional one, where we start after most European nations, and to literature, where to show foolish leaders and millions being killed for nothing stopped paying dividends…

So. We have now readers, who will not read anything without very strong emotions, readers, who will not read anything mentioning the difficult times we had a lot of, and readers, needing to read about a “new Russian idea”… Of course we have other readers. But it would seem that we are not majority here.

BTW, “Pindosland”, or “Pindostan” is how some people here call USA. “Pindosy” are Americans. It is a good style now in Russia not to like United States. They have stolen our grandeur from us, you know…

Actually, I am writing a book for more than two years now. A book on our life. Alas, I am not Dostoevsky, or even a Strugatsky brother, but as I couldn’t have found such a thing as a book about our everyday life, I have tried to make one myself. Alas, I am writing it using a pocket computer, during my trips to my office and back, so to complete it I will need a year more or so... And it is about 200 pages now.

And, about “Stalker” by Tarkovsky. I thought it a quite depressing film too. Unlike the book by Strugatskie. The book is much deeper then the film, which reflects mostly Tarkovsky’s own state of mind at the moment. (It is my own opinion, and I doubt that many Russians would be with me on it, if asked).

[Eric]

Sergey, what is the etymological route of the Pind- part of Pindostan referring to the USA?

As for "Stalker" being depressing, well it was, although it was a masterpiece. (So I agree with the other Russians, though I've never seen the story "Picnic at the Roadside" by the Strugatsky Brothers.) You can blame the Estonians for its depressing character: it was filmed in Tallinn. They supplied a free actor, too: Jüri Järvet.

Personally, I've heard enough about the GULag, Lenin & Stalin, etc., for a while, and am eager to find Russian authors that express dimensions of contemporary Russian life that don't involve alcoholism on suburban train journeys, or people chopping one another into pieces, however satirically meant. The problem, however, with such a novel as "Moskva-Petushki" is that the Western reader will surely only read the surface story in translation. All the subtle language usage, jokes about Soviet jargon and life, etc., will be lost in translation.

Does no one write non-postmodernist contemporary novels about the Russia of today?

[Liam]

Sorry Eric, but Järvet was NOT a cast member of Stalker. He played a scientist in Tarkovsky's earlier film Solaris, and that's about it.

Also, there are no words in the Russian language that begin, end, or include (in one way or another) the root *pind. There's pidor, which is a curse word that means, more or less, "fag" (as in "homosexual"); so maybe Pindostan is a reference to that. That said, Pelevin is a hugely overrated writer and on top of everything else is a BOOOOOOORE. If you've ever chanced to see his mug on the web, you know what I mean. Frankly, I wouldn't care to spend more than two minutes in his company.

And Sergey: it seems to be "good style" EVERYWHERE, these days, not to like the United States. I wish I could say the same about my fellow Americans--that they don't like other countries, that they are critical of other governments (whether democratic or totalitarian), but the truth of the matter is, most of us simply don't care. We have enough problems of our own to be worrying about what the Russians think of us.

Finally, "they have stolen our grandeur from us"??? HUH? WHAT grandeur? You mean those portraits of Stalin in the sky? Forgive me, but nobody has ever viewed Russia as "grand" (except, of course, the Russians). Unique--yes, endless--yes, incomprehensible--yes, contradictory--yes, but never ever, in a million trillion years, "grand."

I have many Russian and Ukrainian friends here in NY, and believe me, they gladly left Russia's so-called "grandeur" behind and came here, of all places, to this terrible monster-infested hell-hole also known as USA--I wonder why.

Anyway, anti-Americanism has become so derivatively unimaginative, it's not even worth talking about.

Eric: I agree with you entirely about the sorry state of most modern Russian letters. I spent the summer reading Petrushevskaya, Tolstaya and Tokareva and by the end was ready to jump out of the window. The story about five 8-year-old girls inserting little dolls into their vaginas (no matter how metaphorical) made me nauseous. Sorokin is good when he keeps it short (which is never). Limonov and Yerofeev (Viktor, not Venedikt) need to grow up and realize the world does NOT revolve around a good erection (that's just an unexpected bonus of being human and male, really). But then, I guess these guys are only expressing their views about the general state of their country, which doesn't look so good, so maybe it's a little much to ask them not to write about alcoholism or "suburban train journeys" (LOL--loved your turn of phrase, Mr. Dickens! Have you seen Ilya Khrzhanovsky's 4, by any chance?)

Regards,
Liam.

[SergeyM]

Originally Posted by Eric

Sergey, what is the etymological route of the Pind- part of Pindostan referring to the USA?

Does no one write non-postmodernist contemporary novels about the Russia of today?

Eric, actually, I do not know. I have met it quite often at Russian forums, but as I do not like calling people derogatory names, I have never explored in the possible origins origins... It could take origin in some book I hadn't read, or some popular person words...

I must confess that I am not a very devoted reader: I do not read a lot of books just to check if I like them or not. It is very much possible that there are quite adequate contemporary novels in Russia, but if there are, they have never made it to be wellknown. I know personally several young writers who spend a lot of effort to get their works published, and sometimes they succeed, but their works that get published are fantasy, or historical fiction etc.
To get a book widely read, one obviously need not only to write it good, but also promote it etc. And a nation-wide promotion campaign is a thing an author will never accomplish in Russia if he/she doesn't meet an officially approved standard.

[SergeyM]

Hi Liam.
You are right about “Pidor”, but “Pindosy” has nothing in common with that. I would imagine that it is just a made-up word, ugly enough to use on the last superpower…
Sorry, it seems that I hadn’t explained myself well: it wasn’t ME who said that rubbish about our grandeur being stolen from us by Americans, or just about OUR RUSSIAN GRANDEUR. Maybe it happened because I am not too good at English. So I think I do not have to explain it anymore. If you think otherwise, I will surely continue and tell you that I know our real position well enough, and know that Russia hasn't ever been equal to USA, UK, France etc. in many respects.
The problem is we haven’t got used to this “not caring” behavior. My personal opinion it is the only adult way possible. But as our bosses think that Russia has to achieve a position USA is now in, (let's not discuss it whether that's possible or not, as I do not think your opinion is very much different from mine there) they think that Russians have to have an enemy before them, and what better enemy could be found out there than USA? You know, some think that a runner runs better when he has another runner running ahead of him…

[Mirabell]

@liam:

Originally Posted by Liam

Anyway, anti-Americanism has become so derivatively unimaginative, it's not even worth talking about.

Judging from your post, other kinds of 'anti-'s are, too.
^^


@sergej:

it seems that I hadn’t explained myself well

no, you have explained jrself well. liam's is what is usually called a knee-jerk reaction.

[Eric]

Maybe he wanted to call it "Pizdostan"...

[Mirabell]

Russian literature is largely a gaping hole in my reading, apart from a few, almost mandatory, books. The trouble is that I am somewhat on the cusp or recovering my Russian and I have an aversion to translations as it is. aaaah. Need to spend much of december polishing my tongue and then dipping deep into the swamp of modern Russian lit.

[Eric]

Liam is quite right in #53. I was mixing up my Tarkovsky films, after all these years. I haven't seen any of them for donkey's. Jüri Järvet was indeed in Solaris, as Liam mentions, and a Lithuanian actor called Donatas Banionis was also in that film. But Stalker was definitely filmed in Tallinn. And because the Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic was slightly more liberal than Russia, at the time, the first monograph book on Tarkovsky, by Tatiana Elmanovitš, appeared in the Estonian language in Estonia. I have a copy.

I think the problem with many post-Soviet states is that enforced Soviet puritanism has caused some authors to pour out violence and filth, now that the USSR is gone, and Glavlit has gone on holiday. It's a rather adolescent gesture, like first saying naughty words in front of one's parents at the age of fifteen. I hope Russian literature grows out of it. (Liam: I could have said "getting pissed on the train" for shock value.)

I really would like to read some more sober contemporary Russian literature that explains and describes Russia during the 2000s. But in English translation! I still think it is absurd, given the momentous events around 1991, that there aren't a few new novels available in English that give the flavour of Russia now, not only books about the Russia of princes, landowners and bureaucrats back in 1850.

[Liam]

Mirabell: What is wrong with knee-jerk reactions? We're not engaging in a debate in a serious scholarly journal, it's merely a forum for people like you and me to exchange opinions and (believe it) "knee-jerk reactions" if they so wish. Also, you have an annoying little habit of replying to posts that were not even specifically addressed to you in the first place--but hey, your choice. You're being brilliant and succinct, as always, and I'm sitting here tearing my hair out, moaning over how very very stupid I was being.

Also, contrary to what you seem to imply, I'm not "anti" about anything. Yeah, I'm so anti-Russian, I've been taking Russian language courses for five bloody years, and reading everything I can get my hands on in Russian, and translating some of it for my school journal--I'm REALLY phobic about it all. [How's that for a knee-jerk reaction?]

Regards,
Liam.