Description
Book SynopsisAmong contemporary Russian writers, Yuz Aleshkovsky stands out for his vivid imagination, his mixing of realism and fantasy, and his virtuosic use of the rich tradition of Russian obscene language.
Nikolai Nikolaevich and Camouflage, two novels written in the 1970s, display Aleshkovsky’s linguistic gifts and keen observations of Soviet life.
Trade ReviewJoseph Brodsky once noted that Aleshkovsky had a Mozartian ear for the Russian language, and
Nikolai Nikolaevich (1970), his first novel, as well as
Camouflage (1978), his fourth – written the year before the author emigrated permanently to the US – are indeed virtuoso performances. . . . Staying faithful to Aleshkovsky’s foul-mouthed muse, White’s translation, edited by Fusso, mines the rich muck of anglophone cussing with evident glee, and the effect is delightful. -- Boris Dralyuk * Times Literary Supplement *
Rescued from the literary underground, these two historical novellas provide a coarse satirical insight into post-World War II Soviet dissatisfaction. Aleshkovsky emigrated from the Soviet Union in 1979 as an infamous writer of imaginative dissident fiction. . . . Through his two scurrilous antiheroes, Aleshkovsky laughs at Russian society from the gutters of the Soviet underworld. * Kirkus Reviews *
Forget old myths about censored, obedient Soviet citizens, and meet Aleshkovsky’s wildly enterprising and emphatically free-thinking protagonists who don’t hesitate to use colorful language to make a point about body politics, the scientific use of semen, and other absurdities of modern life. -- Yvonne Howell, University of Richmond
Completely irreverent — in the best possible way. Underneath the biting satire and the unrelenting hilarity, Yuz Aleshkovsky's rapid-fire prose reveals intricate insights into late Soviet politics, culture, science, and daily life. The deeply problematic narrators of both novellas will introduce you to a Soviet Union you hadn't suspected existed. -- Michael Gordin, Princeton University
Yuz Aleshkovsky is absolutely brilliant. These outstanding English translations of two of his early works offer readers a chance to encounter his idiosyncratic, occasionally profane, and thoroughly remarkable voice. -- Derek C. Maus, State University of New York at Potsdam
Thanks to the author’s vision and the translator’s talent, the text survives its emigration. * Los Angeles Review of Books *
They hold up reasonably well even long after the fall of the regime. * The Complete Review *
Thanks to White’s remarkable translation, Aleshkovsky’s
Nikolai Nikolaevich and
Camouflage may well become an inevitable part of the curriculum. * Slavic Review *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction by Susanne Fusso
Nikolai Nikolaevich
Camouflage
Notes
