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A review by lisa_mc
Petersburg by Andrei Bely
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.