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arquero's review against another edition
3.0
This book is an anti-revolutionary bible. A must-read for all the hotheads out there trying to improve the world through destruction and chaos. It struck me particularly, as I had the misfortune to compare the abyss of the Russian revolution with the postrevolutionary developments in Armenia.
There's hatred and disunity inside the society, people wish the country to parish only to revenge each other, media is flooded with fake news of foreign intervention, unjustified wartime promises, extreme hate speech against any opposition immediately labeled as counter-revolutionary, rumors of betrayal of officials and commanders, covering up the losses, failures, and mismanagement... The parallels go really far.
The edition I read had also some additional text. The diary called "Under the hammer and sickle" seemed to be made-up since it spoke of later events that Bunin could not have experienced himself, given that he had fled the country. I didn't find it genuine enough. There were memoirs of random war-time communist celebrities, namely Yesenin, Mayakovski, Bryusov, Blok, Gorki et alii. The recensions were always negative and sour. This bitterness is understandable, surely I don't necessarily agree with Bunin, but I generally like critical reviews.
There's hatred and disunity inside the society, people wish the country to parish only to revenge each other, media is flooded with fake news of foreign intervention, unjustified wartime promises, extreme hate speech against any opposition immediately labeled as counter-revolutionary, rumors of betrayal of officials and commanders, covering up the losses, failures, and mismanagement... The parallels go really far.
The edition I read had also some additional text. The diary called "Under the hammer and sickle" seemed to be made-up since it spoke of later events that Bunin could not have experienced himself, given that he had fled the country. I didn't find it genuine enough. There were memoirs of random war-time communist celebrities, namely Yesenin, Mayakovski, Bryusov, Blok, Gorki et alii. The recensions were always negative and sour. This bitterness is understandable, surely I don't necessarily agree with Bunin, but I generally like critical reviews.
msgtdameron's review
4.0
It is always good to read and understand the other side of any story. The Russian Revolution is one such story and Bunin's diary is a good place to start with that understanding. First one must remember that Bunin is one of the elite of Russia. He is privileged and he is an apologist for the Tsar and his family. His diaries read as such. The read of his diaries is easy and mostly light. Filled with rumors of victories and defeats of the Whites and the Red's. The edition I read was done by Thomas Marullo. Marullo does an excellent job of footnotes as to the actuality of Bunin's thoughts and hearing of the rumor mill. Each note is extensive and well researched. I would also recommend that you read Red Victory by Lincoln before you read Bunin's diary. Lincoln will give you an understanding of the Russian Revolution that the notes can not and that will allow a more critical look into Bunin's mind. All in all though Cursed Days is a good read.
vetathebooksurfer's review
1.0
Hate to interrupt old naive fellow Bunin, but revolution - is a nasty time to live, thank you very much. I wonder where he was during the First world war when ALL the world suffered? And why is he so positive about Denikin, Kolchak, Korneev? Hadn't he heard enough terrible things about them? They were no better than some local bolshevik's government. At least communists presented some form of legal administration, while "white" forces couldn't cooperate with each other, even in the face of the same enemy.
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