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April 29, 2005
Literary zakuski
SovLit's Miniature Summaries of Monumental Works, "for those too lazy or unable to read them in the original".
A scan of these is an exercise in desolation:
"A resilient, lovingly generous, selfless, and dignified old woman endures a life of hardship, a loveless arranged marriage, the loss of children in the war, and neglect and disappointment from other children." (Fyodor Abramov, Wooden Horses)"Soldiers take pity on a woman with a baby and let her ride on their troop train. It turns out, however, that the baby is really a sack of salt. The soldiers feel insulted and cheated. (Thinking that she was a mother they didn't even try to violate her.) So they throw her off the moving train." (Isaak Babel, Salt.)
(I love the succintness of this:) "Hopeless moral dilemmas tear apart the protagonist." (A. Arosev, Torment)"A husband writes a semi-illiterate story (with many misspellings) about how his wife ran off with another man. He takes the story to the editor of a local paper who, after a good laugh, tries to persuade the man that publishing the story isn't a good idea--or at least it should be edited. Instead, the man snatches back his story and walks home, crying." (Vasily Shuksin, Story.)
These little morsels are like literary zakuski. You nibble a couple, and then you're ready for a very stiff drink.
Posted by michele at April 29, 2005 12:19 PM