7/29/01 Flooded with difficult symbolism, this work has three separate plot lines which further complicate analysis. Satan, under the guise of German Professor Woland of black arts, enters Moscow in the 1930's and spreads havoc. A talented writer (the Master) with an obsessive lover (Margarita) commits himself to an insane asylum. Margarita goes to the devil to get him back. 1st century A.D. Jerusalem is reconstructed, centering on Pontius Pilate and his dealings with Christ. Bulgakov uses unending satire in a complex fashion, and I had great difficulty in discerning what the author's real meaning was. Some have argued that, because it is not a historical work, then Bulgakov has free reign to reconstruct history for whatever purpose he desires- it is satire, after all. However, when Bulgakov chose to re-tell the story of Christ's conviction and crucifixtion, he made Christ out like an ordinary man, who felt ordinary feelings of regret, fear, etc. For this I hold Bulgakov accountable- Christ is too sacred to manipulate flippantly in the name of "satire". Some have called this novel "the best Russian novel of the twentieth century." I can't agree. And, from what I've read, Bulgakov revised and revised this text to his deathbed, never believing that it would be published in his lifetime. It's incoherency and jerky complexity suggests to me that it wasn't a "final draft", and that perhaps the translation I read wasn't even ready for print. Finally, being an American and reading an English translation of the novel, I realized (by help of the excellent notes done by the translators) that there was an abundance of hints, allusions, and name-dropping which would only make sense to a Russian who was familiar with the culture of the time. In short, I would suggest it to someone else, but I would never give it high praises. Bulgakov's mind was extraordinarily funny and innovative, but I did not find it as meaningful as I had expected.
5/31/01 The work is split into a philosophical, polemical part and a plot-centered part. Both are narrated by the same voice, in first person. The first interested me the most, full of extremely thought-provoking, wretched moments. It must have been difficult to write. Imagine experiencing that which made the writing of it possible.... The second part was a story in which the narrator shows how his system worked out for him in his own life. It is pure Dostoevsky, that's certain. Narrow rooms, dirt, psychopathic protagonist, prostitute, endless mental rants. It's very interesting literature, as far as style, composition, intensity...but I prefer to wrestle with the forpart of the book. Reminded me of "In Praise of Folly" by Erasmus. A verbal labyrinth of meaning. Very difficult to ascertain the intrinsic message of the book. I got the impression that Dostoevsky was figuring it out as he wrote it. Excellent introduction to Dostoevsky for any first-time reader.
5/20/01 The author's satiric, comic depiction of Russian rural life in the early 19th century is earthy, evasive, and yet directly confronts the moral dilemmas of his time. It was interesting to me to se how he dealt, through humor, with the poverty, deceitfulness, and shallow materialism of his age. Gogol's book, however, seemed to drag a bit towards the end, and it seemed more the frantic scribbling of a brilliant wit, rather than a well-thought-out, systemized critique of his society. Despite the flaws, Gogol's book is full of great characterization and rollicking scenerios. Also, this book carried a heavy influence on the Russian writers to come, as his comic style opened up a fresh use of the Russian tongue.
Upon first reading this book, I made many, many markings in the margins and underlined passages. It is a work of both historical and literary repute. Pasternak's plot, in classic Russian fashion, is wound through intricate relationships, events, and spans several decades. It has moments of delicate introspection, and the reader begins to understand what a great drama is unfolding before him- the Russian Revolution. I feel that much of the dialogue and emotions of Yura, the main character, comes from the heart of Pasternak himself. I must admit, my copy could have been translated better- at times the motion was sloppy and ill-worded. But I saw the movie after I read the book, and every character had new depth and human qualities, which paper pages could never achieve on their own. For a thorough review of the novel, come to my Boris Pasternak Page.
Platonov was one of the "vanished" authors of the Soviet regime. His novels and short stories were unpublished for decades, and only recently are beginning to appear on major bookstore shelves. "The Foundation Pit" is a nightmarish portrayal of collectivisation on the rural farm. The razor wit and frighteningly prophetic vision of this book is extraordinary, especially since Platonov finished it in 1930, before any of what he wrote about came to pass. He observed the propaganda, the lies, and the increasingly tentacle-like grasp of Stalin and foresaw the inevitable, which baffled millions of his countrymen. I think this book is an excellent and noteworthy political satire, and should be read by anyone studying Soviet history, politics, or literature.
One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, by Alexander Solzhenitsyn
Ivan Denisovich Shukhov is a prisoner in a Soviet prison camp somewhere in East Russia. This short novel consists of one single day- from reveille to lights out. The story is simple- one man, his ideals, his strength, his morality, his dignity- pitted against the time-worn torture of prison life. Solzhenitsyn himself spent time in Soviet camps, and this book is therefore semi-autobiographical. It is a quick read, written in the peasant dialect of Russian that can only translate, awkwardly, into a sort of uneducated English. I loved it. Shukhov spends most of his day thinking about camp-life efficiency: how to get one more bowl of gruel, a few more seconds of leisure at the worksite, how to complete as much as possible at bricklaying, how to best hide a hunk of bread inside his mattress so he can still find it when he gets home from working. The temperature is twenty degrees below zero, and men wear "footcloths" under their felt boots. This book, like Ratushinskaya's "Grey is the Color of Hope" helped me understand what happened in the camps of the Soviet Union, and to learn a little more about the depths of human nature.
Nicholas and Alexandra, by Robert K. Massie
This book tells the story of the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II and his wife Alexandra, a German princess from Hesse. The truth of pre-revolutionary Russia was veiled by ministers from the Imperial family, crippling the Tsar's ability to determine the best strategy to preserve autocracy. His only son, Alexis, was the first son born to a reigning tsar since the seventeenth century; yet the little boy was a hemophiliac, further destroying Nicholas' chances to save his throne. The people were rising against him, and it took only the entrance of the Siberian peasant-magician Rasputin for the royal house of cards to tumble into revolutionary hands. I appreciated this book because Massie worked mostly from the letters between the Tsar and the Tsarina and the diaries of both, quoting from them throughout the book. He also used quotes from many other prominent figures of that time. R.K. Massie has also written a Pulitzer Prize-winning biography of Peter the Great.
The Gates of November, by Chaim Potok
The personal journals/memoirs of a young woman in a Mordovian prison camp in the 1980's. Ratushinskaya was put in prison for her poetry, which the government stamped as "anti-soviet slander", and gave her five years of camps and seven years internal exile. She tells about the hunger strikes and "freezing" punishment cell, their fight for human rights, despite physical and psychological torture. These women of the Small Zone, all political prisoners, are remembered as they lived, with dignity, with compassion and humor. This book is a profound example of integrity.
The Russians, by Hedrick Smith.
Hedrick Smith, a New York Times correspondent, spent 1970 to 1974 in the Soviet Union, discovering what he could about the Russian people. This book discusses culture, politics, history, dissidents, and many stories from the people themselves. It is a candid, honestly written book, and it was the first one I picked up when I started studying Russian history. I think it is excellent. It has been used as required reading material in some college classes. Smith has written a follow-up, entitled "The New Russians", which discusses topics including Gorbachev's term, perestroika, and other events in the eighties.
Siberian Dawn, by Jeffrey Tayler
Tayler was working in the Peace Corps when he decided to pursue his life-long dream- to experience Russia. The heart of Russia. The people. The land. The commerce. The reality of modern-day Soviet life in the early 1990's. So he quit his job, left his three-piece suit behind, and set off to chronicle a journey from the farthest eastern reaches of Siberia to the Western country of Poland, traversing the entirety of the great Motherland. The work lacked intellectual depth, and author could have been more perceptive with his insight, but I think it is because he is a travel magazine writer by trade. However, it was full of interestingly honest anecdotes about the wayfarers he met, or his travelling companions, and other people he happened across. A few times, when he was near the industrial cesspool of Chelyabinsk and surrounding towns, the citizens revealed startling confessions, both about Stalin's time and now. It only takes a day or two to read, and I think it was worth it.
Three Who Made a Revolution, by Bertram D. Wolfe
A colossal work, detailing the lives of Lenin, Trotsky, and Stalin, and their roles in the Russian Revolution. I've included part of the book to whet your appetite, and I invite you to read about the Russian intelligentsia. This portion describes the history of the dissident movement, the history of the intelligentsia as a whole, and about how writers, thinkers, and many other were influenced by the changes of their times. It's a very well-written, informative expose on Russian thought.
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