Customer Reviews

Omon Ra

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Most of the reviews available on this page suggest that Omon Ra is a new "1984", i.e., a (morbid) satire of the Soviet State. I would like to disagree with this interpretation. Pelevin is a deeply mystical writer. A mystical writer (especially a Russian mystical writer) would not waste his time criticizing some long-forgotten political regime. Reading Omon Ra as a sad satire of the USSR is like saying that Kafka's Metamorphosis is about the situation in pre-war Austrian Empire or that Borges' The Book of Sand is about the condition of intellectuals in Argentina. People who see only the (pseudo) satirical dimension in Omon Ra hugely underestimate Pelevin.

In my opinion, Omon Ra could have taken place in any society and in any era (whence the surreal "reincarnation test" in the middle of the book). It is (as any good mystical novel) a travel of a soul through layers of emptiness. This travel seemingly ends on the dark side of the Moon, in desolation and despair. But wait until you read the last pages before you conclude that suicide is the only solution in the murky world of Russian mysticism. And please, compare Pelevin to Gogol or Kafka rather than to Orwell.

I first became aware of Pelevin when this novel was excerpted in the cosmopolitan literary magazine Grand Street, and I was instantly hooked by his signature tone. He combines withering post-Soviet cynicism with humor worthy of Cervantes or Twain and a "magical realist" mysticism that --- almost uniquely --- is never gratuitous (as with the Serbian writer Milorad Pavic) or smug.

Where Kakfa drapes the sinister in intellectual pomp and circumstance, Pelevin unpredictably shocks you again and again, even as his characters clown and bicker for your pleasure in the shadow of the paranoid Soviet state -- imagine Gabriel Garcia Marquez as a smirking nihilist. But despite the nihilism, an inexplicable redemption seems possible in Pelevin's work; his characters often escape doom at the end and wander off stunned into a new world without any idea of where they're going to go. I'll stop short of saying that it's a deep expression of the situation in contemporary Russia -- but I will say that I find it immensely appealing.

So many American artists loudly congratulate themselves on "irony" that consists mostly of kitschy 70s clothing and tattoos; so many Europeans take pride in convoluted, academic "sophistication" that leads nowhere. Victor Pelevin is an antidote to the posing, a first-rank world author whose style arises from substance; a nonaligned political writer who is literary first, and who offers no reassurances where none really exist; and, above all, an individual whose agenda seems to be his own talent.

Victor Pelevin is the most interesting writer in modern Russia. New russian generation, like Generation X in the USA, is strongly different from the previous one. Victor Pelevin is the favorite writer of this generation, which live in shattered world. Their world is very strange for a foreigner. It is a combination of high-tech cyber culture, old communist remains, indian shaman culture, Chineese phylosophy and American pragmatism. Translator did great job, because the language of Pelevin is quite different from usual one. Sometimes, however, translator was not able to reproduce original spirit, because, I guess, he tried to be politically correct(PC). His translation lacks that combination of cynicism and high spirituality, which is so important in Pelevin's book.

get your hands on anything this guy wrote. hope the translation does justice - i read it in russian. pay, beg, threaten, do whatever it takes for an english translation of "Generation P", his latest. modern marketing, apocalypse, virtual reality and babylonian mysticism, with a heavy dose of hallucinogenics mixed in. if you thought "omon" was good...

What a pleasure it is to discover Victor Pelevin. His imagination and creativity seem to have no bounds, and he writes very, very well. Oman Ra is the story of a boy who grows up always wanting to fly and, as the saying goes, should have been more careful what he wished for: he and a friend are accepted as cosmonauts in what turns out to be the outlandish, buffoonish, hilarious, nightmarish world of the Soviet space program. The training program is shocking (to both Omon and the reader), and Omon's trip to the moon, and its aftermath, are unforgettable. Everything about this short, amazing book is the equal of the best stories in the author's A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia. Pelevin is a young writer whose forthcoming books are to be eagerly anticipated.

This is an amazing book. It's really funny - provided that (like me) you have someone who knows the inside jokes to explain them to you. Otherwise, a lot of the things that happen really make no sense, and you're left guessing as to why things happen. There are a lot of references to Soviet history that totally flew over my head the first time I read it. (The second time, I had more information). It's really sad that there isn't an index because, when given more of a context, it's a fantastic read. (On the other hand, maybe the lack of context works better with a postmodernist work - it all depends on your perspective!)

This is the best book by Pelevin and it is a [weak] oversimplification to simply say that Omon Ra is a satirical portrait of the Soviet reality. Instead this is a work of literature not simply a [inexpensive] political caricature, it is strength is in the power of author imagination, its crisp voice, very dark humor, very strong and absurd surrealistic story line with unexpected twists and shocking turns. I am giving this book 4 starts because I am not sure how well it translates to English and how non-Russian readers would be able to understand some of the more subtle and therefore darker humor in this book, e.g. why all the new recruits get their legs cut off in the very beginning of the story: you have got to know other classical Soviet literature as well as some of the Soviet history to appreciate dark humor and shocking appeal of this episode. In any case, if you have never read Pelevin I would highly recommend to read Omon Ra first: his other books are significantly weaker in my opinion.

have you ever asked your self i would realy like sci-fi if it werent so nerdy? or i love sci-fi but i wish i could find a great book that i could believe. well this is the book for you infact if youve ever thought i like amazingly good books this is the book for you. i was given this book by a friend who was still in a daze after having finished it he just kept saying, "i cant believe it oh my god....wow." so of course i gave it a shot and ...oh my god, i cant believe how good this book is

A biting satirical look at the upside down Kafka-esque world that all Russians had to inhabit for seventy odd years. Victor Pelevin pulls it off with hilarious wit, showing off the absolute indifference to human life that is a trademark of Communist societies; and he makes you laugh out loud while doing so.
Of all his books, I feel this is his strongest. Highly recommended.

First, let me start by saying that the cover picture does have some meaning, and its connected to the title.

I found the authors style very cynical and sarcastic towards Russia and what it stood for. Everything about Russia in the communist era is miserable for him. There is even snide remarks about asians. In communist times I could safely say that Russians were anti-semetic. The lately deceased Communist Utopia was a blessing for his writing, for that's how he found infamy..As we know the USSR stopped living in 1991, he wrote this book in 1992. Victor Pelevin is every bit Russian though.

Omon Ra is about the Soviet Union in the days when they were waging a battle with the west. They wanted to be the best at everything. They never did things by half..and thoughts of world domination. So, this is the story told through the eyes of one Omon Krivomazov, a young Soviet obsessed with space flight. It leads him to "Rocket Camp" even after that, his willingness to sacrifice his life for his country, being told to, mind you. He then enters a KGB space training school.

The only problem is,that the Soviets really cant send anyone to the moon. They don't have the technology. Everything is a falsehood. Everything is cheap and amuterish, but Omon doesn't know this. Even if it was to get to the moon, there is no way of coming back. He understands this. So, all is set. They drug him, to make things easy for him. Blast off....

He feels the shaking and vibrations. He is in space, for what seems eternity -20 days. He finally lands, but he has to pilot a moon walker. He pedals and pedals. Hhe has only food for a few days. Finally he gets to the mark they told him to reach. He has to get out. He has 3 minutes to live, but just in case he cant handle it, they gave him a gun to shoot himself. He pulls the trigger and it misfires. He says "what the heck..i will take my helmet off and just die". But he hears a gunshot, then another. He is scared. Someone is shooting at him. But on the moon?

I can say that reading his work was somewhat difficult to classify. It is rather less like waking, but more like high quality dreaming. Its that fantastic. I implore you to read.