Customer Reviews

The Twelve Chairs (European Classics)

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a farcical tale of three men in search of treasure buried in one of 12 identical armchairs. The story is very much a buddy tale of adventures and misadventures as the characters do almost anything to get their hands on the chairs in the Soviet Union of the 1920's. However, the story of the treasure hunt and the Marx Brothers like characters is really only the backdrop to a much deeper purpose, as The Twelve Chairs effectively describes the period of transition from czarist to Soviet rule. In between the tribulations of the heroes are many details of the food that was being served, student accomodations, railway and public construction projects, housing sooperatives and less than honest public servants. It is also very interesting to see how helpless the former upper class - the nobility - had become and how the Soviet Union, at least in its early days, could be exploited by the street smart like Ostap Bender. This is a very funny book that is also informative and is well worth reading. Inevitably, Bulgakov comes to mind as a complementary read; though he is somewhat more direct in his accusations of the regime.

If you talk to ANY Russian in the world, and mention "The Twelve Chairs" from their cultural heritage, or the "Rogei e kapuuta" phony business in the book, ALL Russians will spontaneously and uncontrollably smile. Normally glum Russians are unable to resist a smile at remembering the hilarious antics and insights in "The Twelve Chairs." It is set in the 'crazy time' when Russian society was in upheaval and some men just wanted to make their fortune. What do the Russians know that you are MISSING out on? They get the joke. You should get it, too! This English translation is a MUST read.

I have read the book in Russian and in this translation. Should be no need to say how great a book the original is. My main gripe with the translation is the awful job the translator does on the "Grandmaster" chapter no. 34 when Bender pretends to be a chess player. The translator obviously has no idea about chess terminology (e.g. Spanish Gambit should be Ruy Lopez or the Spanish Opening, pass pawn should be passed pawn, the translator has no concept of what "the exchange" is, etc.) - although Bender is only pretending to be a player, all the chess language is correct in the original (one of the authors was a good player and knew what he was talking about). I work as a translator myself and if I showed such a lamentable lack of knowledge of the subject matter my client would haul me over the coals for it.

No other book opens the door to so many private Russian jokes as this one (they quote it the way we might quote lines from Monty Python)and if this translation is your only access to it, go ahead and read it, it is still worth it.

I think this book suffers mostly through translation because I've seen the Russian film versions any number of times, and found "The Twelve Chairs" to be utterly hilarious. However, the humor seems lost in the Northwest translation. I think of Mark Twain who lamented that "awful German language" for so badly maligning his "Tale of the Fishwife and its Sad Fate."

I think the Northwestern Univ. Press translations in general are weak. Imre Kertesz has recently taken them to task for the translations of two of his works. It seems that Northwestern's heart is in the right place, trying to capture some of the lesser known works in world literature, but that their selection of translations is rather shoddy.

It is a long fateful story of how I came to read this book, but I am glad I did. It is one of the best books I have ever read. Some criticize the way the ending was done, but the end is not really the point. It is the ride on the way that is the point. There are so many layers to the story; it is dark, light, political and comedic all at the same time.The authors fill the story with such interesting characters,and weave their fates together in ways that are both ingenious and hilarious. Although some readers like myself may not catch all the underlying political themes,I think there's humour and wit to tickle every part of anybody's brain. From satire to good old slapstick it's all there.(I laughed my head off in a crowded subway car while reading this book!) In many ways the story is quite universal. I think everybody knows an Ostap Bender (one of the main characters.) The commentator to the edition I bought suggests that if more North Americans read this book,they would understand Russians better and realize how much they are stereotyped by Westerners. I do not purport to understand the "enigmatic Russian soulh however, from my limited experience, I must agree with the commentator; there seems to be a deeply funny and intelligent sense of humour that resides in their hearts and this book really shows it.

Well, I actually read the original books, in Russian, but depending on how good the translation is, this book can range from excellent to pretty good. Some things, such as the various Soviet slogans and references encountered throughout the book, are probably not translatable, but even so, the bag of adventures that is Ostap and Ippolit are still worth the read. A lot of fun is poked at the soviet political and social structure. Definitely a good read.

10 stars on a five-stars scale! Perhaps, the best way to describe this masterpiece is to say that I have re-read so many times, that I even don't know how many. You can pick up this book and open it on random pages, you can read the chapters in the backward order (I have done both)- it is still the best of the best! Several generations of Russians have incorporated quatations from "12 Chairs" and "Golden Calf" in their everyday vocabulary - these novels are just that great and popular. If you want to understand "the mysterious Russian soul" of the socialist period - this is perhaps the best way to do so. Oh, and be prepared to constantly laugh so hard that your neighbors will attempt to commit you! It definitely is one of the funniest pieces ever written. Borrow "12 Chairs" and "Golden Calf" books, buy them, steal them - just READ THEM!

I never read this in English,so I'm not going to comment on the quality of the Northwestern U. translation,but I did read it in Russian. First off,everyone needs to read this book in order to understand Russians better. I re-read it many times in my teenage years simply because if you live in Russia(or any other Eastern European country for that matter),you will be able to understand those countless quotes taken from this masterpiece and incorporated into everyday language. The characters are hysterical in the least, and the story so seemingly simple contains much bigger messages than available to the naked eye.Please,read this book,and if you understand the humour and sadness of it,you'll be well on your way to understanding not just Russian culture but humans in general.

Firstly, I read the book in Russian so I make no claims about this particular translation.

Ilf and Petrov were two satirical writers who were very popular in the Soviet Union. Of course during the writing of this book (and its sequel the Golden Calf), it was impossible to satirise life in the 20s and 30s in the USSR directly without losing your life. They managed to write two books that satisfied both the officials and the readers. The books are incredibly funny and absurd dissections of almost every aspect of Soviet society, but often the most punchy parts aren't said explicitly. They also make fun of the pre-Soviet mindset just as well.

In The Twelve Chairs we meet Ostap Bender - a quick-witted con artist who is a trickster and generally a loveable embellisher. He teams up with Hippolite - a greedy former aristocrat - in the search of the twelve chairs of one lady who they find out hid her diamonds in one of them during the revolution. Off they go on a hunt for the set, chair by chair (obviously the set was scattered) that leads them to Moscow and beyond, into the various regional towns in Russia. Their encounters are very funny. What was most memorable for me were Elle the Cannibal (an ultrahip woman who has a vocabulary of only 30 words) and when Bender cons the citizens of Vasiuki that he is a great chess champion.

A fierce, sharp but warmhearted satire on early Soviet and pre-Soviet society - make sure to read the sequel too!

This wonderful, wonderful book has been out of print for an extremely long time. It funny in both a slapstick but also in a touching, melancholy way. Highly reccomended if you want to understand the heart of Russians. Too bad the sequel, "The Golden Calf" is still unavailable.