A marvelously told story of the Ukraine, at once bitter and full of mirth. A passenger on a train overhears the life story of one Alexander Chubinets: a story unreal and all too real, full of misery, laughter, and surprise. The author entertains with Chubinet's tale, holding forth on Russian churches, Stalin, sex in literature, and more.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Born in Kiev and now an exile in Berlin, Gorenstein is a lethal satirist of Soviet life. This freewheeling, digressive narrative records a chance meeting on a train between Felix Zabrodsky, a Moscow writer (stand-in for the author himself) and an elderly cripple, Alexander Chubinets, who tells of his shattered dreams as a peasant playwright, of the Nazi occupation of the Ukraine and of seven years in Arctic labor camps. Imprisoned on charges of "Ukrainian nationalism" for a play he wrote, Chubinets was released in 1957 but was banned from working in big cities. He ended up working as an assistant stage manager in small towns across Russia. Gorenstein punctuates his seemingly casual tale with digressions on the perils of ideology, Ukrainian anti-Semitism, sex in literature, his dislike of Russians and much else.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
In the dark sleeping car of a Ukrainian train, Felix Zabrodsky forgoes his usual nap to listen to the life story of a traveling companion, Sasha Chubinets. Sasha is a would-be playwright who lived through the German invasion of the Ukraine and subsequent slaughter of Ukrainians, starvation, cannibalism, and both German and Russian prison camps. His story is punctuated by Zabrodsky's observations on everyday Ukrainian life: the value of salted pork fat, the superiority of country well water, and the petty tyranny of Berdichev train conductors. The juxtaposition of Zabrodsky's digressions and Sasha's life story enhances our appreciation of both. Because of the frequent cultural and historical references, this work will be best appreciated by readers who have some familiarity with Russian culture. Recommended.
- Ruth M. Ross, Olympic Coll. Lib., Bremerton, Wash.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
- Ruth M. Ross, Olympic Coll. Lib., Bremerton, Wash.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet.
|
|||
|
Video reviews
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
