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A review by msand3
Boris Godunov by Alexander Pushkin
3.0
2.5 stars. For a drama with such high esteem in Russian literature and culture, Boris Gudunov struck me as being cold, static, and awkwardly constructed, even for all it’s quasi-Romantic fire and passion. It felt like a pale imitation of Sturm und Drang, with touches of Shakespeare. Most of the action occurs off-stage, except for Boris’ death, which is as sudden as it is baffling. While this may have kept with the historical record, it simply felt out-of-place in the arc of the drama.
I’m glad I had an introduction and footnotes, as Pushkin assumes the reader has knowledge of these events. Perhaps this is more evidence that one has to be Russian to fully appreciate this drama. It doesn’t feel universal, except perhaps as a text for operatic interpretation. It was hard for me to believe that Pimen’s soliloquy is so beloved in Russian literature (the introduction claimed it was the Russian version of soliloquies from Hamlet), since it didn’t seem particularly insightful or memorable, and considering Pimen’s character is not developed and disappears from the play after that scene. Again, perhaps one has to be a Russian to understand the cultural and historical significance. This is the first (and, so far, the only) disappointment I’ve encountered from Pushkin.
I’m glad I had an introduction and footnotes, as Pushkin assumes the reader has knowledge of these events. Perhaps this is more evidence that one has to be Russian to fully appreciate this drama. It doesn’t feel universal, except perhaps as a text for operatic interpretation. It was hard for me to believe that Pimen’s soliloquy is so beloved in Russian literature (the introduction claimed it was the Russian version of soliloquies from Hamlet), since it didn’t seem particularly insightful or memorable, and considering Pimen’s character is not developed and disappears from the play after that scene. Again, perhaps one has to be a Russian to understand the cultural and historical significance. This is the first (and, so far, the only) disappointment I’ve encountered from Pushkin.