The Blue Lantern and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Andrew Bromfield (Author, Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1997

stories, tr from Russian by Andrew Bromfield

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Blue Lantern collects nine stories from one of Russia's most promising young talents, Victor Pelevin. Also the author of Omon Ra, a darkly comic novel about an aspiring cosmonaut who ends up piloting a supposedly unmanned Soviet spacecraft, Pelevin is often characterized as a science fiction writer. But nobody will mistake Pelevin's work for Frank Herbert's anytime soon; his stories spring from the same tradition of grotesquely surreal comedy as Gogol's roving nose and Bulgakov's talking cat.

In "Hermit and Six-Toes," for instance, two mystical philosophers turn out to be chickens from the Lunacharsky Broiler Combine. In between discussions of the organization of the heavens, the impassability of the Wall of the World, and the divine hierarchies of the Feeder, they manage to escape from the "Decisive Stage" into another coop. When the new flock hails them as prophets, Hermit and Six-Toes preach a doctrine of fasting and exercising themselves into an unappetizing state. It's a very funny story, with political implications that are impossible to ignore. (The fat chickens that reside nearest to the Feeder, for instance, ape Communist party slogans.) Animal Farm this isn't, however; these chickens are more concerned with defining the nature of reality than with social injustice. Like Hermit and Six-Toes, Pelevin deals in shattered realities and partial truths rather than ideologies, and his stories showcase a unique sensibility, one that is equal parts mystic and satirist.

Review

The Blue Lantern and Other Stories is a translation of Pelevin's prizewinning collection and is the third volume of the writer's work published in English by New Directions--The Yellow Arrow appeared in 1996 and Oman Ra in 1997. Pelevin's writings at times consist of a bizarre mix of fantasy and satire reminiscent of Mikhail Bulgakov and Andrei Sinyavsky. Some of Pelevin's stories emphasize acute topical satire, others weird fantasy. All engage the reader's attention and most easily transcend cultural boundaries. Pelevin's writings will undoubtedly gain a large audience in the West. -- World Literature Today, Summer 1998

In The Blue Lantern and Other Stories, Pelevin continues to gnaw at our confidence in conventional reality, like a dog worrying a bone. Nearly every story in this collection contains an ongoing dialogue about the nature of reality.... As for Pelevin, his stories' sheer loopiness suggests that he is simply a figment of the reader's imagination. -- The New York Times Book Review, Ken Kalfus

Pelevin's raw, bold voice makes a welcome addition to the literature of a soul-searching Russia. -- Publishers Weekly

Pelevin's talent for the fantastic and the grotesque and his sparkling inventiveness put him in the forefront of Russian literature. -- The Times Literary Supplement [London]

Victor Pelevin proves once again in this collection that he is a writer worth reading. The Blue Lantern, a short story collection translated by Andrew Bromfield, has no unifying connectors built into it, as does Pelevin's The Lives of Insects, but it doesn't need them. In The Lives of Insects, Pelevin shows he can easily write from non-human points of view, but in this book he is capable as well of writing from the point of view of shed. The biggest unifying factors in each of the eight stories in The Blue Lanternis that they each deal with and delve into the nature of reality. There is usually a mystery in each story and that mystery usually is "what is this world like?" -- The Rejected Quarterly, Winter 1999

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: New Directions (October 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811213706
• ISBN-13: 978-0811213707
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,619,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I'm a little troubled..., January 29, 2004

By 

Campbell Roark "tri-zeta" (from under the floorboards and through the woods...) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blue Lantern: Stories (Paperback)

...That this book gets such bland ratings. This is my favorite work by Pelevin, a writer who tends to frustrate the hell out me, especially where his most recent novels are concerned.

Most of these stories are absurdist gems, in my opinion, and a couple of them (most notably the magnificent "Hermit and Six-Toes," the austere "The tambourine of the Upper World," and the endearingly sweet "Adventures of Shed XII") easily stand amongst my favorite short stories of all time.

"Hermit And Six Toes": Not many writers can pull off a story that magically works as a satire of communist thought, an illuminating discourse on the search for meaning and truth in life, and a cute story about two chickens stuck in a meat factory. If I were ever to assemble a coursebook of philosophic fiction, "Hermit and Six Toes" would be in there with the best of Borges, Marquez, Babel, Calvino, Dick, and a couple others.

"the Tambourine of The Upper World" is an odd little mystical story that concerns death and marriage, albeit in a wayou're not expecting at all.

And "...Shed XII," wow. If anyone else tried to craft a short story about a shed the wants to be a bicycle... I wince at the thought of pomo jargonists who would just make a huge mess. But Pelevin's story is just that, a heart-rendingly effective tale about a shed that wants to be a bike. I walk away shaking my head every time I finish it, asking, "How did he do that?" A kid would love it (in fact my little brother did a book report on that story in the fifth grade!)

That's the thing I guess, some of these stories can be universally appreciated, whereas I can't imagine anyone under the age of 20 finding much enjoyment in any of Pelevin's novels.

Now, concerning the reviews... The average reviewer seems to think his novels are better than his short stories. The avergae rating of this (paperback only, the HB has aFIVE STAR RATING, I wonder why the discrepancy?) is three stars. That troubles me as, "Omon Ra," gets four and a half, as does "Buddha's Lil Finger," (formerly known as The Clay Machine Gun). I think both works start out strong, drag a bit towards the middle and resolve in a fairly decent manner (Omon Ra has a pretty tight and unexpected finish, and I enjoyed the cosmonaut's discussions of Pink Floyd's "Atom Heart Mother"). But Pelevin really shines in his stories, he stays on focus and doesn't overload them with befuddling, pseudo-Buddhist, semi-mystical meanderings. And I even like stuff like that, I think its fun, its my bag. But his novels have tooooooo much of a good thing.

"The Life of Insects," is enjoyable, although it leans heavily on a Russian theft of Kafka. "A werewolf problem in central Russia," is also a fine collection of stories. It gets a tad too out there at times, but still, I think when Pelevin confines himself to a set of themes and characters he does a great job.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Absolutely amazing study of the nature of life and death, November 11, 2000

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Blue Lantern: Stories (Paperback)

In this collection, Pelevin hooks the reader into believing in the most improbable worlds in a manner that reminds me of S. Millhauser. That these stories intrigue the reader, engage in the reader in serious thought, etc. is a tribute to the mastery of the author.

News from Nepal provides a satirical view of the work place combined with one view of what constitutes death.

Hermit and Six-Toes provides insight into mystical philosophers - philosophers who happen to be chickens on a chicken ranch.

Crystal World combines military guard duty with chemical highs during the political instability of 1917.

Nika, with a surprise ending that ensures that the story be read at at least three levels, deals with direct acceptance of the world (in contrast to the intellectual approach) and death.

Mid-Game revolves around conformity in the former Communist power structure and actual identity - in the context of street-walkers, sailors and chess.

The Life and Adventures of Shed Number XII is the life of a shed who finds true self-expression in life as a bicycle. Pelevin is so good that even this artistic conceit works.

The Blue Lantern considers the nature of life and death in the context of boys in a dorm telling scary stories, stories with truly disturbing philosophical implications.

The Tambourine of the Upper World mixes the traditional wisdom of an old woman with a successful scheme to make money in the new Russian economy.

If you've not yet read Pelevin, it is time to start - and this is a good place to do so.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My fave Pelevin work (thus far)., July 29, 2002

By 

Howardtheburntone "leguignol" (Beckley, WV) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blue Lantern: Stories (Paperback)

Just a matter of taste, but I prefer Pelevin's short stories to his more cumbersome novels (which are still very good, and at times, magical). BUT. THIS. Is my hands down fave. The stories are more playful and sweeter than much of his other work. The key to Hermit and Six-Toes, for example, revolves around a meditation on love and its subjectivity. The Life and Adventures of Shed XII- only Pelevin could write a story about a shed than wants to be a bicycle and not have it come off as an exercise in literary grandiloquence. All of the stories work. If you are looking to dip your toe into this fascinating writer: The Blue Lantern is the best place to start.