Customer Reviews

Taras Bulba

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Eugene Hutz is a fun and talented guy. But Eugene will also admit to you that his Ukrainian identity is "Russified." I know this because he told me. So, when Eugene gives you his authorative view on what Taras Bulba is or means, keep that in mind. For example, Eugene tells us that the Zaprozhian Sich, was really only marginally Ukrainian. So, claiming that this enterprise is some sort of paen to Ukrainian history and identity strikes me as an odd thing to say. Eugene is also a very articulate and bright guy, but his forward reads exactly like he talks: animated, self indulgent,possibly half lit, and with an accent that predictably excludes articles of speech. If a folksy, direct from me to you effect was the point in this straight transcription, well, in my opinion it just distracts from the points he is making, and ultimately just comes off sounding affected. He's an exceptionally fine lyricist, but even on the occasions where he lapses into mildly mangled English when singing with Gogol Bordello there it works well as a texture, giving the song a sweaty rough hewn urgency. Here, however, it reads like barbed wire.
Okay, the meat of the matter: the actual story. The translation is a chore to read. It is lumbering and stilted. Hurts the eyes and the head. I put the book down after about 4 pages. If the attempt was to create a tongue in cheek pulp fiction than this should have been served up as a graphic novel. Look, I know these larger than life characters are about as subtle as scimitar, but if you're going for a cartoon angle, make the thing into a comic book - or get a better translator.

In the Subculture Books Edition of Taras Bulba, we are exposed to the Ukrainian spirit that is as much alive and thriving today as it was in the era written about by Nikolai Gogol in Taras Bulba. By Gogol Bordello's front man, Eugene Hutz, providing the introduction, it links the Ukrainian Diaspora of the 20th century with a past that is just as Punk Rock as its descendants. Included in this edition is the famous Cossack Letter that reads like the equivalent of a Sex Pistols' lyric. Hutz's introduction is a wonderful amalgam of deep intellect mixed with his trade mark Ukrainian-ness.
This edition is a must-read for anyone with Eastern European or Punk roots. By understanding the independent and rebellious nature of the Ukrainian Cossacks, you come to understand a legacy handed down for generations of challenging the status quo.