Customer Reviews

The Day Lasts More than a Hundred Years

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Aitmatov was always my favorite writer. I read almost all of his books in russian. But this is the first one I read in english. I would say, translation was excellent. This book describes ordinary working kazakh people in Sarozek, Kazakhstan. Aitmatov masterfully connects their life with the political situations as well as kazakh traditions. Aitmatov describes humanity and dignity of ordinary people who are unaware of what is going on at the space station. His SF with aliens and discovery of a new planet only enrich the main story, let readers think of humanity, role of human being, meaning of life. I would suggest to read this book everybody. You will discover Aitmatov as one of greatest writers of modern day.

Rarely have I read a book so rich and wise, that speaks so knowingly of the human condition in this historical moment. A great story, with captivating stories within the main story, memorable characters, and a love for the earth and all its people, despite our follies and tragedies. This book, which somehow manages to combine naturalism, historical realism, legend and folklore, and science fiction, will emerge as a classic of the twentieth century.

This is a great book for people who are interested in kazhak culture and russian history. This novel delves into the mind of Burrunyi Yedigi as he makes a journey to bury his friend in an old cemetary on the steppe. Aitmatov uses these stories to make a stand against technology and point out the importance of nature and culture in every day human life. This is a good read, and I highly recommend it.

Set mostly in a small railroad crossing in Kazakhstan's Sarozak desert sometime in the latter part of the 20th-century, this novel tells the story of Burrunyi Yedigei's effort to bury his coworker and friend in the ancient cemetery used by the few people of the area. In doing so, Aitmatov mounts a subversive critique of the Soviet system that crushes traditions and unfairly persecutes people. The story is told through Yedigei, a long-suffering worker who recounts episodes from his life along with a old tales drawn from Central Asian folklore. A running subplot involves a nearby cosmodrome (presumably Baikonur), and a joint Soviet-American space station which makes contact with a utopian alien race. This seems to be an attempt to link the lives of insignificant workers with earth-shattering events, or is perhaps an allegory about the Iron Curtain vis a vis the West. Or more likely, Aitmatov is attempting to tell a story in the past (folktales), present (the burial plot), and future (space). Whatever the intent, the space material feels very awkward and anyone coming to the book for science-fiction will be disappointed.

The real core and strength of the story is the insight into the hard lives of the Kazakh rail workers and the way in which Aitmatov uses the genre trappings of Soviet Realist literature to mount a rather subversive critique of life in the USSR. We learn of the post-WWII hardship that took Yedigei and his wife Ukubala to the rail crossing, and of their daily struggle to survive there. There are plenty of other threads, most importantly the arrival of a politically suspect family looking for a place to start over, their friendship with Yedigei, the desire the wife arouses in him (echoing one of the folktales), and finally the Orwellian tragedy that takes them away. Here, Aitmatov is directly criticizing the Stalinist purges in which his own father was executed in the 1930s (the book first appeared in 1980, so he does so from a position of relative safety). There is also a running thread about Yedigei's fierce camel, a barely domesticated proud and fierce beast which is a metaphor for the Central Asian people subjugated under Soviet rule.

The death of Yedigei's friend Kazangap is the inciting event that allows for everything else to be told, as Yedigei organizes the community for the wake and burial, to be done in the traditional way. However, tradition is not what it used to be, and Kazangap's son and relations are less than enthusiastic about the whole matter, long having fled for the modern world of the city. Moreover, the traditional funeral train of camels is augmented by a truck and tractor to assist in the grave-digging. Indeed, the clash of the modern Soviet world with the traditional Kazakh extends even to burial grounds, as the procession is denied access to the old Ana-Beiit cemetery. This relates directly to what is perhaps the novel's primary theme: cultural memory. One of the folk tales recounts how Mongol conquerors tied bands around the heads of captured enemies and allowed them to shrink, turning the wearer into a mindless slave without a memory. This crops up in the space subplot, when two cosmonauts who glimpse the utopian future are doomed to have their minds wiped. All of which relates to the Soviet attempt to eliminate cultural memory in Central Asia (embodied here in the denial of access to the traditional cemetery). This is without a doubt a book of great importance to those interested in Soviet or Central Asian literature, but others will probably not find it that compelling.

Aitmatov is a Kyrgyz writer who passed away this year. I have never heard of him or his books, but a friend recommended this book to me recently. As is usually the case with friends' recommendations, this book turned out to be a real gem.

The story takes place over the course of one day, and includes one major plot and one short sub-plot. Yedigei, a railroad worker in remote Kazakhstan, sets out to bury his old friend, Kazangap, in an old cemetery. Throughout the long journey to the cemetery, Yedigei recounts his personal history and that of the few other souls that live with him at the remote railroad station. The shorter sub-plot involves the discovery of extraterrestrial life by an American astronaut and a Soviet cosmonaut. The location of the Soviet launch site near Yedigei's station serves as the background for this science-fiction background story.

I will not go into the plot itself; it is far too elaborate and clever for me to try to summarise it in a few short paragraphs. Aitmatov paints an achingly beautiful picture of hardships of life in the remote steppes of central Asia under Soviet rule. He succeeds in describing the rich tradition and history of the local people and how their culture and practices are challenged by the laws of the Communist regime. The animal world plays a major role in the story, with Yedigei's camel, Karanar, being one of the main characters in the book. There is an ever-present criticism of the Soviet regime, but it is so subtle that the book does not become an anti-government manifest.

The sub-plot about the extraterrestrials seems, at first, to be entirely disconnected from the main story. However, as details about the discovery become more apparent, and especially the reaction of the leaders of the USA and the USSR to the discovery, it all comes together. Yedigei's earthly worries and dealings are interwoven with galactic events, to make a strong statement about the human condition. The past, present and future are interwoven in an intricately designed masterpiece.

It's hard to do justice to this book by attempting to review it. I learnt a lot about Kazakh culture and the hard-working rural inhabitants of the Sarozek desert. But mostly I learnt that one can tackle the big questions in life through a simple story. In two words, my recommendation is: read it.

I absolutely loved this novel, although I am not a student of Soviet history and have never been to Kazakhstan. It has a majestic sense of time and place and deals with timeless themes: love and family, tradition and change, and the intrusion of government and history into the life of ordinary folk. Mostly, it is about the heroism of ordinary people, and the great courage it sometimes takes to simply survive. A novel of great scope from a great humanist. One of my favorites.

I read this book a while ago and could easily some up as one of the best books I ever read. Even though it's a story going on in far Kazakhstan and seems almost historical, its very relevant today and deals with dilemmas and worries we life in today. A book that stays with you ...

Aitmatov is not an SF writer, and it shows. So if you are an SF fan looking for a first contact novel (which this one is, after all) you will not be overwhelmed by the quality. On the other hand, the political and, well, *human* stuff is truly beautiful. It left me really surprised.

"And the day is not over" is a fascinating novell describing the hard life in Russia and Stalin's cruel governing, through the story of a tiny railways workers' camp on a railways crossection in the middle of the Sarozak dessert. Very close to this place there is a missile site which is very busy and important at that time because of some amazing cosmic incident that occured to a station which was co-operation of USA and Russia. Worth reading! Beutiful descriptions of people and nature.

I'd say this is the best book describing Kyrgyzstan under Soviet regime. Besides, the human relations are describied in a simple and yet wise way which makes this book absolutley fascinating. Two thumbs up!