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maymfw's review against another edition
5.0
Within Petersburg there is presented by Bely the unilateral moment of dissonance; a dissonance which seeps into the structure of things relations, of particular and universal, of dissolved and affirmed negations as parsed in multi-layered moments into the concrete manifold of uneven and discontinuous perspectives and simplex disjunctities. This is not to say that the work is fractured, or rather that it is grounded in the stringing together of abstractions and ineffable shapes- instead what is presented here is the continuous integration of relations, their servitude under frameworks and the assimilation of frameworks under them. The slight visages or shades of ontological forms are articulated amongst a vast array of interlaced structures and grand rivalrous appraisals. Inasmuch as the city as living being is affirmed so too are the distinct atoms of its moments- its symbols, people, culture and strata- born in a sludge like negation, slung amongst anxiety. Petersburg is in many ways a festival of being; a monument to becoming, apprehension and mediation etched into the literary cannon of an era befit for its grand and articulate wallowing in the rhythm of pacing people and the vibrant colours of the quasi-Nietzschean figure. It is, as such, a work which inspires in purity the reflection and emancipation of movement itself- owed only its further propagation.
mollye1836's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful. Thoroughly enjoyed the alternating Christian & mythological symbolism. Excellent, excellent.
lisa_mc's review against another edition
4.0
I read this novel as the second book in a college course on "The Modern Russian Novel" (crikey, that semester had a lot of reading). It, like "The Petty Demon," is very different from the traditional Pushkin/Tolstoy/Dostoevsky works of the 19th century but it's a great example of how a place can be the main character in a book. This atmospheric novel is heady and psychological but really develops the idea of social change (it's set during a single day around the time of the 1905 revolution) and themes of power and family, as well as a more modern writing style and technique.
It's also a good read - it really sweeps you up into the story of a privileged young man having to plant a bomb to kill a senator, who happens to be his own father, and the strange cast of characters that inhabit his life. I think it's not well known outside of Russia because it's very place-specific and readers have to be familiar with history, culture and places to get all the references ("The Master and Margarita" falls into this category as well), and some of the best parts get a little lost in translation.
It's also a good read - it really sweeps you up into the story of a privileged young man having to plant a bomb to kill a senator, who happens to be his own father, and the strange cast of characters that inhabit his life. I think it's not well known outside of Russia because it's very place-specific and readers have to be familiar with history, culture and places to get all the references ("The Master and Margarita" falls into this category as well), and some of the best parts get a little lost in translation.
kchiucarello's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
chozzo's review against another edition
5.0
"Incombevano strane giornate nebbiose: passava il velenoso ottobre; la polvere volava per la città in bruni vortici; e docilmente si posava sulla terra la porpora frusciante, per turbinare e rincorrersi ai piedi degli uomini, e per sussurrare, intrecciando di foglie le proprie giallo-rosse distese di parole.
Tali erano quei giorni. Ti sei avventurato di notte negli spazi deserti dei sobborghi, per udire una "U" persistente e molesta? Uuuu-uuuu-uuu: così risonava lo spazio; ed era poi un suono? Il suono di qualche altro mondo; eppure raggiungeva una rara forza e chiarezza; uuuu-uuuu-uuu: echeggiava sordamente nelle campagne dei sobborghi di Mosca, Pietroburgo, Saratov: ma non era la sirena delle fabbriche a sibilare, non c'era vento; e tacevano i cani.
Hai udito codesta canzone ottobrina dell'anno millenovecentocinque?"
Tali erano quei giorni. Ti sei avventurato di notte negli spazi deserti dei sobborghi, per udire una "U" persistente e molesta? Uuuu-uuuu-uuu: così risonava lo spazio; ed era poi un suono? Il suono di qualche altro mondo; eppure raggiungeva una rara forza e chiarezza; uuuu-uuuu-uuu: echeggiava sordamente nelle campagne dei sobborghi di Mosca, Pietroburgo, Saratov: ma non era la sirena delle fabbriche a sibilare, non c'era vento; e tacevano i cani.
Hai udito codesta canzone ottobrina dell'anno millenovecentocinque?"
cchiaraa's review against another edition
1.0
I understand that Bely was an extremely important author, revolutionized the prose of the time and all that, but I still hated every single second I had to waste reading this book, and now I get angry every time I think about it.
jpronan124's review against another edition
5.0
The most beautifully written book I've ever read. Dense, challenging, funny, and a little prophetic. Part of the canon in Russia, but fairly unknown in the English-speaking world. Highly recommend.
"Listen carefully to the noise."
"They're noisy, all right."
"You think you hear 's-s-s,' but you really hear 'SH'..."
Lippanchenko, in a daze, had retreated into his own thoughts.
"You can hear something dull and slimy in the sound 'sh.' Or am I mistaken?"
"No, not at all," and Lippanchenko tore himself away from his thoughts."
"All words with 'sh' are outrageously trivial. 'S' isn't like that. 'S-s-s': sky, concept, crystal. The sound 's-s-s' evokes in me the image of the curve of an eagle's beak. But words with 'sh' are trivial. For example: the word fish. Listen: fi-sh-sh-sh, that is, something with cold blood. And again:
slu-sh-sh-sh; mush, something shapeless; rash, something diseased."
The stranger broke off. Lippanchenko was sitting before him like utterly shapeless mush. And the ash from his cigarette slushed up the grayish atmosphere. Lippanchenko was sitting in a cloud. The stranger then looked at him and thought: "Ptui, what filth, how Tartarish." Sitting before him was simply some kind of "SH."
"Listen carefully to the noise."
"They're noisy, all right."
"You think you hear 's-s-s,' but you really hear 'SH'..."
Lippanchenko, in a daze, had retreated into his own thoughts.
"You can hear something dull and slimy in the sound 'sh.' Or am I mistaken?"
"No, not at all," and Lippanchenko tore himself away from his thoughts."
"All words with 'sh' are outrageously trivial. 'S' isn't like that. 'S-s-s': sky, concept, crystal. The sound 's-s-s' evokes in me the image of the curve of an eagle's beak. But words with 'sh' are trivial. For example: the word fish. Listen: fi-sh-sh-sh, that is, something with cold blood. And again:
slu-sh-sh-sh; mush, something shapeless; rash, something diseased."
The stranger broke off. Lippanchenko was sitting before him like utterly shapeless mush. And the ash from his cigarette slushed up the grayish atmosphere. Lippanchenko was sitting in a cloud. The stranger then looked at him and thought: "Ptui, what filth, how Tartarish." Sitting before him was simply some kind of "SH."
wshier's review against another edition
3.0
I found this very difficult. The basic story is of a young man who is caught up the anarchy swirling through Petersburg at the turn of the century. He unwittingly agrees to assassinate a government official that turns out to be his father. As soon as the plan is put into action, he and his co-conspirators have second thoughts. To really enjoy this book, you will need a fairly extensive understanding of Russian history, familiarity with Russian literature, and an appreciation of modern lit. At times, the famous bronze of Peter the Great comes to life. Circles, spheres, colors, mist, disguises...what it all REALLY means is, unfortunately, beyond my comprehension. If you like James Joyce or Virginia Woolf, it may work for you.
It reminded me of G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday.
It reminded me of G.K. Chesterton's The Man Who Was Thursday.
rdh217's review against another edition
challenging
mysterious
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25