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[Communist Smurf]

Anyone here read "Мы" by Yevgeny Zamyatin? It's Russia's version of "Brave New World" and "1984." It's really quite facinating and I liked it more than "Brave New World." Although the romance parts feel like a cheap 1980s except. But I guess that makes sense... it was written in the Soviet 1950s or 60s.

You can buy it at Дом Книги (New Arbat), in English, German, French, and Russian, for 290r. Takes about half a day to read.

Any Russian Lit. fans have recommendations for a new book?

CS

[Castro]

Communist Smurf,

Thanks for the post. that's good topic even though it wasn't written in the Soviet 1950s or 60s. It wasn't even published in Russia under Khrushev "ottepel" (i.e. internal political thaw at 60s). Zamyatin had been writing the novel in 1921-22 and inspired Huxley novel (1932) as well as Orwell one (1948).

But I think Orwell and Zamyatin had opposite views.
Russian book is about tyranny of society
Eric Arthur Blair (real name of Orwell) wrote about tyranny of tyrant (Big Brother authority).

I hold in high respect Orwell for his new language prospect. That�s deep.
But Zamyatin is much deeper. To overthrow a tyrant is not enough. So called western freedom is 'freedom from" .. From tyranny. It�s not "freedom for" that means possibility to do what you want to do because there is a society which makes you say 2 * 2 = 4. 99 % of people around you control your mind much stronger than tyrant or Big Brother (who is obviously bad guy) because you even do not recognize you are in bonds. Zamyatin book is about this.

[Communist Smurf]

[Jetgirly]

I read it in Grade 12, as part of a compare/contrast project when we were studying Orwell's 1984. Everyone else in the class read Brave New World. I can't remember much besides the fact that I liked the book, and found more things to compare than to contrast between the two! I think I submitted my essay to one of those free online homework things when I was done, but that was four years ago so I'm not sure.

[Madeline Olena]

Hi! If you're looking for a good Russian novel I heartily recommend Bulgakov's [/i]The Master and Margarita. I heard it called the unoffical masterpeice of Soviet literature - very witty book about the devil wrecking havoc on the moscow literary set. I read it in English - still only in 2nd year Russian.

[Madeline Olena]

oops! this intalics thing is beyond me.

[Communist Smurf]

If the FSB finds out someone hasn't read Master and Margarita, they're likely to be deported.

[ntropy]

I read the book at uni years ago when we also read other distopia novels and found "WE" the overwhelming best of the bunch. I still have it on my bookshelf and re-read it every few years.

[Phillip Donnelly]

Top be honest, I was quite disappointed with 'We". As a lifelong obsessive Orwell fan, I was always seeing the book mentioned in his biographies, but I was only able to get my hands on a copy of it last year. Perhaps I expected too much from �We�, as �1984� is my all- time favourite book, and for me at least, �We� didn�t even come close to it.
I think Castro makes an interesting point that Zamyatin is highlighting how we can be controlled without even realizing it. It brings to mind the recent American election, in which 52 per cent of Americans make the �free choice� of choosing Bush, completely unaware of how a biased media (Fox �news� etc) was actually controlling them by fooling them into believing that Bush was a �man of his word� and �one of them�, and Kerry was a �no-good flim-flammer�. The media kept repeating this as being said, and eventually people came to believe that it was true. In Russia, Putin has also seen that controlling a so-called 'free' press is much more effective that creating state propoganda (Soviet Pravda etc) which no-one believes. The depressing truth is that few of our beliefs and opinions are actually our own-we simply acquire them�like a skin disease!
However, I think �1984� is making the same point. Although Winston comes to see Big brother for the monster he is, he is the only one in the novel who does. The rest of the populace is fooled into believing he is their savior.
Orwell�s theme in �1984�, I believe, is to warn us of the dangers of power in itself and to help us to see through propaganda. In a world in which the media (i.e. opinion makers) is becoming more and more pervasive and powerful and less and less independent and honest, we must heed Orwell and Zamyatin�s warning, and doubt everything we read and hear.
The final point I would like to make is that �1984� is just so much more readable than �We�.

[alekto]

Some Russian authors I reconmend (or which I have heard are worth reading) are:

Victor Pelevin ("Omon Ra" was particularly enjoyable, a surreal tale on the Soviet space project)

Sasha Sokolov

Andrei Platonov

Master and Margarita of course is a must...I also think that people *should* make an effort to read Tolstoy, as unlike Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy can be easily read on both a superficial (ie light metro-ride reading) and deep (analysing the author and his morals) level. Which makes it all-round good stuff to get your hands on.

That's all I can remember off the top of my head. I really enjoyed Pelevin though, get it if you can.

[Castro]

Alecto,

Thanks for Platonov!

In a certain way his "Kotlovan" (trench or foundation pit) is even deeper!

I mean his way of writing

[zaneth]

Remembering CS's joke about the FSB, I almost bought a copy of Master and Margarita this weekend. A student I know was also talking about it to me recently. But I also had a Krishnamurti book in hand and "Dances with Wolves". Perhaps to my shame, Dances with Wolves won out. Will be an element in my grand scheme for a culture and history of the American West course. That's my justification anyway.

Every store I've been in recently (well, BOOK stores) I asked about "We" but nobody had it.

Anybody been to the Shakespeare and Company bookstore? My new favorite store. Too bad I'd already blown my budget on new books. They have the largest selection of used English books I've seen in Russia (granted that's not saying much, but still). Nice basement used bookstore kind of feel and a heavy-set long-haired greybeard at the desk.

Just like home, right down to the lesbian erotica. Where else in Moscow can you go for used lesbian erotica in English? Anglia? I think not. (Please don't think that my making jokes denotes a lack of understanding on my part. Yes, I know, it's very serious business. To all you lesbians out there you have my deepest sympathies and respect. And I do think that KD Lang is one hell of an artist.)

I love the feeling of thinking about what expat imported what book and later sold it off. Did they actually read this book? Like it? Did it give them a break from loneliness and homsickness? You'll just never get the same mix or the same feeling of life and energy from a new bookstore.

Now to find out how many words will get edited out. ---Hey, everything passed!! Yippee!