If you want to see two great libraries, Umberto Eco had both. He had a summer home filled with books. But his main house had wall-to-wall books as well. He also collected rare books. His library was over 60,000 books.
Oh, I'm very familiar with Eco. Love all of his work (my favorite is _Foucault's Pendulum_ ), and I've sought out every video of his libraries I can find. He was an incredible human!
I have so much respect for translators--thank you for this vid from Berlin--I am looking at new Russian authors (new to me) so this looks like one I will be adding...hopefully not too violent, as he states 🤫 Joyful Opacity 😊 I think The Four Hearts and Telluria are what I will look for first. Thanks again for bringing these intriguing authors and titles to light.
Sorokin is a special blend for sure. And there will be much more of his work coming out over the next few years from Dalkey and NYRB, in Max's translations. Happy reading!
Great video, thanks so much for covering Sorokin! I've read Day of the Oprichnik and was stunned right away. The Blizzard is great too and Their Four Hearts is a shocking, abstract work of writing that left me pondering for many days after I finished it. The Ice Trilogy is still waiting on my shelf to be read, Telluria is in the mail to me and I can't wait for it to arrive and dive into it. I'll be closely watching (+ buying) the translations of this artist coming out in the following years.
@@LeafbyLeaf just joking. War and peace is not actually my favourite Tolstoy but I am still excited for you to make a video but I’m thinking by that time I’ll probably have to do a reread (yikes, it’s long…)
Yeah, Invitation To A Beheading is a must-read. Time to get to know Sorokin, then. This was a very interesting video, spasibo very much to both (and I don't know if it's only me but doesn't Max Lawton look like some aristocrat who could have lived in Russia one century and a half ago?)
I found that there are two Sorokin translations to Spanish from several years ago, but from what I heard about Lawton's translations, I'll probably look for his when I can. Have you considered reviewing Will Self? I always find it surprising that he is not widely read in the US. The Book of Dave is one of the smartest and funniest novels from the last years that I've read.
I study English but my English very bad so... Я удивлен, что кого-то интересует Владимир Сорокин заграницей хотя это совершенно неудивительно, если учесть, что он пишет очень ярко и необычно, постоянно переосмысляя действительность в своих книгах. Я читал некоторые его книги и мне особенно понравилась "Тридцатая любовь Марины", который пародирует советский "роман-перевоспитания" где лезбиянка-либералка становится примерной работницей завода
(I am Russian, living in New York) I will be honest I have little interest in contemporary Russian writing. But I think I just understood why. Russian literature always touches on government and authoritarianism. When I read contemporary RU books, it leaves me sad and hopeless coming to understanding that the country can't be changed. Sadly the majority of Russians support the atrocities in Ukraine. And being Russian, I want to do something to explain to people in RU how wrong it all is, but I just get a blank stare back. So I think because it is such an open wound, it's hard for me personally to bring myself to read Russian literature at this time, and nothing against the writer personally. But I promise to read Sorokin at some point, maybe in a year or two) Best!
Totally understandable. For what it's worth, Vladimir Sorokin agrees with you. He has been in Berlin since the start of the aggression and has been very vocal in his condemnation of the atrocities. In the _NY Times_ he said that the war is Russia killing its own mother! Still, though--you're right--the books are very political and highlight the blind brutality of the country's history. I want to thank you, foremost, for your example of how to react in a civil manner. All best to you.
I wouldn't say MAJORITY of Russians. There are some who voice their disagreement with the government. And many are silent because they are too scared to speak up.
How many Americans supported the many other American agressions that killed far far far more people over the last 20 years. Invasions, by the way that were far far less substantiated than the invasion of Ukraine. The Iraq war was built on an out an out lie. We know that the Ukrainian invasion was not. When you get blank stares in return you might ask why? a very simple question of yourself for starters. Why is Zelensky a Billionaire? How is that possible? You might ask why "Ukrainians" in the east were terrified of factions sanctioned by their own government for a decade? You might ask about why you don't know about the most obvious US backed coup in history.(See Ray McGovern) War is horrible but when you are shocked that they look at you blankly perhaps your understanding of why this invasion happened is just as one sided (or more) as theirs is. How would you have reacted (hypothetically) as now a Russian American if the US was sanctioned (making your life harder) for invasions that were far more damaging in terms of human life. Almost all countries under sanctions react by strengthening their peoples sense of national resolve. Be Well.
У меня есть вопрос. Как написан "День опричника"? В оригинале Сорокин использует старый вариант русского языка, он использует интонацию и порядок слов, которые использовались нашими предками несколько веков назад. Как это переведено на английский?
@@LeafbyLeaf I'll make the story short, there was a husky in our town who was kind of a legend, his name was Dmitry. And when I got a husky, I named him Vladimir just because it seemed like the second popular Russian name)
@@whatchachattin that's for sure: I for one have finally read Midnight's Children this year and, although it's certainly impressive, i liked it much less than i thought- with all due respect to its author who's still lying in a hospital bed. As for Oblomov, if Harold Bloom found it westerncanonworthy, it can't be that bad, can it? And yet, Nabokov called Goncharov "a stupefying bore". . . . Well, time for me to read it and see what i make of it.
Character who tried to faux-moralistically blackmail all of us into ignorance deleted his comment? Anyway, great review. Don't ever get your self cornered by that kind of people.
Thanks so much for the affirmation, my friend. It's sad that so many people seem almost _trained_ to take one impulse-thought and extend it to condemn a whole group of people.
How about not condemning an entire culture based on its government's corruption? How about, Sorokin is a dissident who agrees with you? How about listening to what I have to say before passing judgement? How about watching this video on a Ukrainian classic that I did back in May? ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-OanUB6rjJ3c.html
