Dreams of Possession and Tolstoy

A Dream in Polar Fog

Yuri Rytkheu

Archipelago Books, $14

It is a story we repeatedly encounter in fiction (Kim, Shogun) and of course in Hollywood (Dances with Wolves, Avatar, Little Big Man): an outsider encounters an aboriginal culture and learns what it means to be truly human, scorning the imperialistic culture from which he came.

But Rytkheu does not fall into the trap of easy platitudes and sentimentality. He does not whitewash the brutal existence of the native culture at the center of the novel – northeastern Siberia’s Chukchi people, and he paints both “sides” in many shades of grey. Indeed, Rytkheu is himself a Chukchi, and the focus of A Dream in Polar Fog seems less the clash of cultures than a portrayal of an utterly foreign way of life – that of a distinct, remote Siberian community before the invasion of modernity made many things easier, while washing away many things of value.

In actuality, however, the heart of this novel is an adventure tale in the best traditions of Jack London or Hemingway, and it is told in a rich, at times mesmerizing prose:

They decided to row from shore, so that the motor’s roar did not reach the breeding ground and frighten off the animals. Steadily, the oars dipped into the heavy, viscous water, and thickly the drops plunked down, rolling down the long oar blades. Only the creaking of the oarlocks broke the silence. The people did not speak amongst themselves, and not just because each one was busy with a task of his own, but such was the old custom – hunters don’t open their mouths when there is no need.

The Possessed

Elif Batuman

FSG, $15

Recently, a blood relative with no past history of Russophilia took a Russian literature course in college. He was utterly enthralled and is now considering a year off to work in Mother Russia. Such is the power of Dostoyevsky and Tolstoy.

This uniquely compelling force of Russian literature is the central theme of Batuman’s book, subtitled “Adventures with Russian Books and the People Who Read Them.” Yet the “people” here are mainly Batuman herself, and The Possessed is largely a memoir of her intellectual explorations of the Russian literary landscape.

That does not make the book any less interesting. On the contrary, Batuman’s first person narrative enlivens her exploration. Her self-deprecation and (at times astonishingly frank) openness about her own personal life make this a fascinating read. There is a remarkable breadth and combination of unexpected elements, from a hilarious conference on Isaac Babel, to an episode of CSI Tula, to her own bizarre attempt to transfuse Russian culture and literature by way of extended stays in Uzbekistan.

In short, Batuman’s tale of personal discovery is as diverting and multi-threaded as a nineteenth century novel. And it’s a great summer read that will help you rediscover your own initial fascination with all things Russian.

Moscow Noir

Natalia Smirnova & Julia Goumen, ed.

Akashic, $15.95

Modern Russian literature, dug as it is from the pockets of Gogol’s overcoat, is rich in its bleakness, towering in its depths of existential despair. And the pulsing heart of Russian literature today is Moscow, a lumbering peasant village that is both ramshackle and awe-inspiring, with dirt beneath its nails and wearing just a bit too much mascara.

Smirnova and Goumen are literary agents and thus well in touch with the Russian literary scene. And while few of the 14 authors they have chosen for this volume will be known to western readers, they ought to be. For collectively they serve up a deliciously dark feast of fables and horror stories, murders and farces. It is noir with a decidely Russian twist. Gogol would love it.

Brief Lives: Tolstoy

Anthony Briggs

Hesperus, $15.95

This is the second Russian author featured in this fine series of compact biographies by Hesperus. The first was Pushkin, reviewed here previously.

This new volume is equally thoughtful and informative, the chapters reading like the sorts of lectures on literature you wish you could attend in your hometown: easy to follow yet surprisingly deep. Of particular interest are the chapters looking at Tolstoy’s lesser known works, that unfortunately tend to get overshadowed by his later masterpieces.

The Russia Reader

Adele Barker and Bruce Grant, eds.

Duke University Press, $29.95

If you purchase just one non-fiction book on Russia this year, make it this one. An eclectic, rich compendium of readings that covers a very broad swath of Russian history and culture, this volume has foreign traveler’s impressions of Russia (from the tenth and eighteenth centuries, among others), 1930s show trial transcripts, historians’ essays on everything from the revolution to dachas, writings by Tolstoy, Dostoyevsky, Pushkin and others, excepts from the Domovoy, memoirs, poems, maps, photographs, and on and on. Over thirty selections are translated into English here for the first time.

Surely to be a popular choice for college survey courses on Russian history, this volume offers a wealth of knowledge for anyone with an interest in things Russian. And it does not require systematic reading, front to back. In fact, it rewards the serendipitous reader: no matter where you dip into it, you are sure to be enthralled.