Requiem for the East [Paperback]

Andrei Makine (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 21, 2002

Amid the ashes of the Soviet Union a Russian army doctor turned spy addresses the woman he loves -- a fellow spy who has shared his shadowy life in Africa, Europe and the Middle East, but who has disappeared. The tale he unfolds spans three generations of his family, ordinary people caught up in the convulsions of the Russian empire in the twentieth century, from the civil war through the Second World War to beyond the fall of communism. It is a tale of brutality and soured dreams yet also one of altruism, tenacity and immense courage, written by a master.

Editorial Reviews

Review

'A beautifully written, all-engrossing, compassionate elegy for a dying empire. I cannot think of a book I have enjoyed more in the past year.' -- Toby Clements, Daily Telegraph 'A novel remarkable for its combination of grandeur and extreme concision ... [a] memorable depiction of a Dostoevskian world of good, evil and the ever-present possibility of redemption ... an awesome achievement, head and shoulders above any novel that I have read so far this year' -- Francis King, Literary Review 'A luminous, beautifully crafted new novel by much-praised Russian emigre author Makine ... Each temporal leap the novel makes illuminates and defines its crucial events ... Makine writes lyrically, baring his struggling characters' emotions and vivifying their oft-chaotic backdrops with equal brio. The arc of the novel shows, above all, that life patterns repeat themselves; we watch the same conflicts playing themselves out in three life stories ... Displays the sensitivity and honesty of his acclaimed previous works.' -- Publishers Weekly (starred preview) 'Makine's eye for the telling detail of battle or the first stirring of romance is reminiscent of Michael Ondaatje' -- Tim Adams, Observer 'Makine has already established his readership. Powerful and intelligent, Requiem for the East, with its elegiac evocation of a past age, should extend that readership still further.' -- Alastair Sooke, Times Literary Supplement 'A powerful, passionate piece, epic in scope' -- David Robson, Sunday Telegraph 'Subtly allusive and deceptively lyrical ... Makine manages the different strands of the story with great skill' -- Robin Buss, Independent on Sunday 'A major writer in the grand tradition of European literature, to which few, if any, contemporary English novelists can ever hope to belong' -- Sebastian Shakespeare, Literary Review [Once Upon 'This book is a requiem for many things: not only for the Soviet Union but for love found and lost, for identity and truth' -- The Good Book Guide, London 'A slow burner, this - but burn it does ... the result is a requiem indeed, with all its beauty tied up in sadness.' -- Guardian 'Engrossing ... a compassionate elegy for a dying empire.' -- Telegraph Summer Reading Paperback Choice

About the Author

Andrei Makine was born in Siberia in 1957, and taught at the University of Novgorod. In 1987 he left the Soviet Union and sought asylum in Paris, where he lived rough before finding teaching work. He is the author of LE TESTAMENT FRANCAIS, the unprecedented winner of both the Prix Goncourt and Prix Medicis and an international bestseller, which was followed by THE CRIME OF OLGA ARBYELINA (Sceptre 99). CONFESSIONS OF A LAPSED STANDARD-BEARER, his second novel, was published in English by Sceptre in 2000.

Product Details

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: Sceptre (February 21, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0340794364
• ISBN-13: 978-0340794364
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,036,104 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing, November 12, 2010

By 

Prof. R. Paris (Arlington, Texas United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Requiem for the East (Paperback)

The last four chapters are a total let down, and the end is a disappointment. I had read two previous novels by Makine, and I thoroughly enjoyed them. This is did not live up to the promise. And if the author believes that not providing a real ending makes the novel more interesting, he is, in my humble opinion, totally wrong.
One more detail: If anybody comes to an American hospital with a wound caused by a firearm, the hospital would immediately report this to the authorities. So, the hero (or anti-hero, if you prefer) wouldn't be left alone in a hospital room. Obviously, Makine does not know much about the USA.