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javansutton's review
challenging
funny
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
kilgore_trout's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
jdscott50's review
4.0
Krzhizhanovsky’s stories are filled with existential angst and desperation. These surreal stories have been compared to Kafka and Gogol. SK’s twist casts a shadow upon living in Soviet Russia wheras one who is not a party member is less than nothing, a minus one. Even though he doesn’t explicitly state this, the idea is peppered through most of the stories. It’s a sharp contrast as these lonely and isolating stories take place in the heart of Moscow. There is an erasure of identity, people who don’t see or acknowledge you.
In the titular story, a man moves into a flat in Moscow only to find a note from the previous tenant documenting his last three days alive. His mad ramblings explore how men are reduced to points, to parts of a person, 0.6 to be exact, by government entities and by society. In Pupil, a man sees himself in the pupil of his lover and wonders why people are afraid of the dark, where dreams reside. Seams, Collector of Cracks, and Land of Nots all continue the theme of Autobiography of a Corpse with the focus on the “not there” the places in between, unseen. Runaway Fingers is definitely homage to Gogol’s The Nose (the fingers run away leaving the pianist less than). Some of the stories later in the book don’t seem to have the same punch as the earlier ones. The stories mix from 1922 to 1939.
This is one of a few Soviet-era books I’ve read. I’m more fascinated by those authors who are able to criticize the government and get published at the same time. Master and the Margarita is a very prominent example probably moreso that they didn’t know what to make of it. The other would be Envy by Yury Olesha, less prominent but still a clever critic. I can only imagine how frightening it would have been to not get published and face repercussions. SK read is material to small groups and people knew of it, but he was never published. This collection of work adequately conveys the feeling of being a non-person in the midst of a scared society.
In the titular story, a man moves into a flat in Moscow only to find a note from the previous tenant documenting his last three days alive. His mad ramblings explore how men are reduced to points, to parts of a person, 0.6 to be exact, by government entities and by society. In Pupil, a man sees himself in the pupil of his lover and wonders why people are afraid of the dark, where dreams reside. Seams, Collector of Cracks, and Land of Nots all continue the theme of Autobiography of a Corpse with the focus on the “not there” the places in between, unseen. Runaway Fingers is definitely homage to Gogol’s The Nose (the fingers run away leaving the pianist less than). Some of the stories later in the book don’t seem to have the same punch as the earlier ones. The stories mix from 1922 to 1939.
This is one of a few Soviet-era books I’ve read. I’m more fascinated by those authors who are able to criticize the government and get published at the same time. Master and the Margarita is a very prominent example probably moreso that they didn’t know what to make of it. The other would be Envy by Yury Olesha, less prominent but still a clever critic. I can only imagine how frightening it would have been to not get published and face repercussions. SK read is material to small groups and people knew of it, but he was never published. This collection of work adequately conveys the feeling of being a non-person in the midst of a scared society.
daneekasghost's review against another edition
3.0
All these stories seem to be philosophical and just slightly removed. And then right in the middle, there's a moment that actually made me say "Wow".
It was a really interesting collection. Glad I read it.
It was a really interesting collection. Glad I read it.
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