Andrei Sinyavsky, who writes under the pseudonym of Abram Tertz, has been called by Saul Bellow "one of the most intelligent, most original, and most brilliant of contemporary writers." A noted Russian dissident, he was incarcerated from 1966 to 1971 in Soviet forced-labor camps for allowing some of his most satirical writings to be smuggled out of Russia and published in the West. This extraordinary literary work is Sinyavsky`s prison memoir. Based on letters to his wife, the diary includes Sinyavsky`s meditations on religion, sex, art, literature, and myths, the inner world to which he removed himself to escape from the degradation of prison. Interjected into these thoughts, however, are random snatches of prisoners` conversations--a "chorus" of their tales, legends, songs, and curses that evoke the horror and spiritual desolation of their existence. The result is at once an oblique evocation of prison life, a celebration of literature and art, and a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit. Originally published in 1976, A Voice from the Chorus is now available with a new preface from the author. Reviews of the original edition:"An enormously rich and stimulating collection of reflections, vignettes, and brief essays. An eloquent testimonial to the human spirit and the will to survive."--Publishers Weekly"Ranks with the famous testimonies Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn dispatched from their `houses of the dead.` This writer`s diary has a haunting, totally affecting quality, holding the reader with the astuteness of its comments on art and character and the exemplary, strangely serene spirit with which Sinyavsky accepted his terrible fate. A memorable and unique document."--Kirkus ReviewsAndrei Sinyavsky writes fiction, essays, and criticism under the name Abram Tertz. He now teaches at the Sorbonne. His book Strolls with Pushkin was recently translated into English and published by Yale University Press.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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Text: English, Russian (translation)
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Musings from the gulag,
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This review is from: A Voice from the Chorus (Paperback)
Since the previous review gives the pertinent information about the origins of this book, I will give a slightly different perspective on it. I discovered this book somewhat by accident, but it was very pleasant and wonderful discovery. The title of this book is a good description--
Sinyavsky, though the main "voice", also quotes extensively from his fellow inmates, giving voice to the voiceless. Many of these quotes are brief, such as "I don't like this Schulbert, somehow. If only he could sing. But he sounds like a power saw." This is the style of the book: no passage is more than a couple pages, and usually less, giving the book the feel of perhaps walking through the camp itself and hearing both Sinyavsky (his mind in one place, his hands working) and others. And though the latter do play a large part, it should be remembered that this is Sinyavsky's book, and that his musings are ultimately what make it stand the test of time. These gems are not what you'd expect sometimes for someone in a prison camp, but are, I think, in the same Christian spirit as his fellow writer Solzhenitsyn. One more quote, this from Sinyavsky himself, and one that shows the strength of his faith: "In principle only miracles are worth writing about--as the fairy tales knew. And if we ever decide to tell about ordinary things, we should show them in a supernatural light. The art of narrative is to see things like this."
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Prison Views,
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This review is from: Voice from the Chorus (Hardcover)
This is a collection of one person's prison writings and it is marvelous. The book is based upon letters to his wife, Maria, fron 1966 to 1971. Andrey Sinyavesky took the pseudonym Abram Tertz. He revered Boris Pasternak as a person and then as a writer. The author had been an idealistic Communist until confronted with the arbitrary nature of Stalin's rule. Prior to his arrest in 1965 he wrote about Isaac Babel and Anna Akhmatova. After Stalin's death the figure with genuine authority was Pasternak. Sinyavsky read DR. ZHIVAGO in manuscript. There was no prudence in Pasternak. The pen name Abram Tertz was based upon an underworld ballad. A VOICE FROM THE CHORUS is not a descriptive narrative. The chorus serves as a confused demotic counterpoint. The author was arrested in 1965 and sent to a forced labor camp. (The above is derived from Max Hayward's introduction to the work.)A sampling of Tertz's observations are as follows--
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