Timo von Block, a Baltic nobleman, spurns an appropriate marriage to wed a peasant's daughter and becomes an outcast among his fellow aristocrats, an act of defiance topped only by his subsequent letter of criticism to Czar Alexander I.
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The plot of Kross's first novel to appear in English may indeed "most resemble the quick scene changes of Italian operas," as the narrator says, but this Estonian author's approach is provocative, original and highly political. Timo von Bock, a 19th-century Estonian baron possessed of romantic ideals, falls in love with and marries a peasant girl, the chambermaid of the young lady he had been expected to wed. He then frees the serfs on his estate and criticizes the czar in a letter--for which he is imprisoned. After nine years, he is declared mad and placed under house arrest at his estate, where his every movement is monitored by relatives and retainers loyal to the czar before the baron finally dies under mysterious circumstances. Timo's peasant brother-in-law, who has been educated by the von Bock family, narrates the proceedings in a deceptively measured, almost dry style that offsets the powerful emotions gripping all the characters. Kross (b. 1920his nationality is not given, nor is original language supplied/ fred jordan at pantheon says kross is estonian, wrote novel in estonian; see above/pre ), who spent nine years in Soviet labor camps, uses the cat-and-mouse games of Timo and his enemies to critique imperial Russia's relationship with its Baltic province and, by extension, the authoritarian regimes of our own times.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
From Library Journal
As the Iron Curtain continues to melt, more and more novels by writers from Central European and Baltic countries arrive in America. Written in the form of a diary, this historical-political novel from Estonia addresses the issues of madness and the subjugation of citizens by the Russian czars during the 19th century. The diary of Jakob Mattik spans the years 1827-59 and devotes itself almost entirely to the story of his sister Eeva and her husband, Baron Timotheus von Bock. Von Bock breaks societal covenants by marrying the young peasant girl and then alienates the czar, who had been a personal friend, with a critical missive. The result is a nine-year prison term from which von Bock is released only after he is deemed harmlessly mad. Although numerous diary entries ponder whether von Bock is truly mad, scant exploration is made of what constitutes madness. Loosely based on historical fact, this verbose work is interesting but not enlightening and requires a tenacious reader.
- Olivia Opello, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
- Olivia Opello, Onondaga Cty. P.L., Syracuse, N.Y.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An outstanding novel - one of the subtlest I've ever read,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Czar's Madman (Paperback)
The Czar's Madman is a fascinating historical mystery and also a masterpiece of modern fiction. It's like Estonia's War and Peace, except that it is much funnier, and much more frightening. I urge everyone to have a go at reading it. Kross really is someone to get to know
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The first review above is of a different book!,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Czar's Madman (Paperback)
The first review printed here (From Kirkus Reviews , 01/01/94) is a review of "Professor marten's Departure" also by Jaan Kross, not "The Czar's Madman"!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
All in our book group gave this book a "thumbs-up.",
By Polly Merrill (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Czar's Madman (Paperback)
After a trip to the encylopedia for a quick refresher on CzarsAlexanderI and Nicholas I, a look at the atlas to realize that Estonia is very close to St. Petersburg and a dictionary search for "Livonia," The Czar's Madman became a fascinating novel of post-Napoleonic Russia. Clearly Timotheus ("Timo") von Bock, an Estonian aristocrat, has been effected by the French philosophes and the Age of Reason. His ideas are "mad" by Russian uppercrust standards. The narrator of the book is Timo's brother-in-law, Jakob, whose journal writing over 32 years gives the reader a glimpse of many richly detailed and vivid characters and locations. This literary devise lends an air of unfolding mystery. While writing about life going on around him, Jakob emerges as a character, with all his human flaws, that we care about. Kudos to the author and the translator.
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