Alina Bronsky (Europa Editions, $15)
From the first page of this book, we know we are not supposed to like Rosalinda Achmetowna, the conniving Tatar matriarch and relentlessly unreliable narrator of Bronsky’s new novel. And yet, somehow, Rosa’s evil streak is lovable, her self-deception endearing, as in her repeated protestations that she “only wants what is best for everyone.” Which of course means she has a new scheme afoot.
In one interview, author Alina Bronsky remarked that “Most readers understand very quickly who Rosa is. She is obviously not very nice, but she tries to be. I had expected people to hate her. To my great surprise lots of readers love her, even if they are aware of all her tricks.”
Indeed, Hottest Dishes is a disturbingly entertaining story of the untidy lives of three women (mother, daughter, granddaughter) set against the backdrop of a rapidly disintegrating country. Men, meanwhile, are incidental to Rosa’s narrative — just bothersome outsiders that are useful to have around from time to time, provided they are suitably docile or provide a sound stepping stone to the achievement of Rosa’s ends — to craft a better life for herself, her granddaughter and her daughter, in that order.
While the novel’s story line is compelling, it is Rosa’s narrative voice that will seduce you. Every few dozen pages she comes out with a line that makes you laugh out loud:
I listened to him — I knew how a wife had to behave. the most important thing was not to point out to the husband what stupid things he said. A woman’s tolerance in this area was key to a stable marriage.
I had always tried to make up for the failings of others, whether through advice, action or my own good will. That’s a notoriously thankless job.
Convinced that she is the only glue holding her family’s life together, the only surety that will give her granddaughter anything like a normal life, Rosa schemes her hapless daughter through an abortion, a series of loveless marriages and emigration. All the while, as disasters mount, she repeatedly assures us that her fine figure, excellent education, perfect Russian, superior cleanliness and personal fortitude will save the day. And then, when she finally thinks she has things sorted out, things take a turn even she could not have anticipated.
In the end, Rosa finds that the only life she can have some semblance of control over is her own. And that just barely.
Michael Idov, ed. (Rizzoli, $25)
Aiming to profile icons of “Soviet magpie modernism,” editor Mikhail Idov and writer Bela Shayevich, aided with guest columns by the likes of Vitaly Komar, Lara Vapnyar and Gary Shteyngart, have collected an amazing treasure trove of historical artifacts in this handsomely designed new book.
While not exactly iPhones or ‘68 Mustangs, these icons are “the things with which the last three generations of Soviets grew up.” The photos drip with nostalgia, and the texts are wonderfully offbeat, e.g. “In the Soviet Union, collapsible drinking cups were a common sight. Coincidentally, so were collapsed drunks.”
The reprint of the ad with hip young Russians heading toward their diminutive Zaporozhets car is alone worth the price of the book. Yet there are countless info tidbits on everything from the indestructible Raketa watch to Krugozor magazine to the Zaporozhets that had a removable floor (for ice fishing). You can also read about the first Soviet PC, vertushkas, and the revered beveled drinking glass (designed by none other than Vera Mukhina), and of course the venerable Ural motorcycle.
In short, this is an ideal reference work for young Russophiles who missed the Soviet era, and a walk down memory lane for those who didn’t.
(Как я провел этим летом) Alexei Popogrebsky (2010)
If there are 500 words spoken in this film, it is only just barely. Everything about this movie is sparse and barren. But the filmography (shot on location in Chutkotka) is absolutely beautiful, and the tension between the protagonists palpable throughout.
Young Pavel (Grigory Dobrygin) and the experienced meteorological station chief Sergei (Sergei Puskepalis) are serving out the final months of the outpost’s transition from a continuously manned polar station to one monitored soley by computers. There is mounting tension between the plodding, time-worn way of experience (Sergei), and the impatient, sensory-bludgeoned, lazy way of youth (Pavel). And, just as they are finding a way to smooth their differences, Pavel withholds some critical news from Sergei for reasons that are not entirely clear (but one suspects mainly out of fear). Then things spin out of control.
While the ending could have been smoother and some character traits sharpened, this is a fine film (available on Netflix) that has the added plus of offering both harrowing and beautiful images of northern Siberia.
Moscow Believes in Tears Louis Menashe (NAP, $28)
A rich compendium of movie reviews and film essays published from the late 1980s forward that displays Menashe’s encyclopedic knowledge of Russian cultural and cinematic history. A society’s films reflect its culture and history, and Menashe is very good at illuminating Russia’s reflection in plain review-speak that doesn’t resort to academic art-babble.
Romanov Riches Solomon Volkhov (Knopf, $30)
Volkhov is a tireless expositor of Russian culture. Much as his previous work (St. Petersburg: A Cultural History) looks at the full span of the country’s artistic and literary history through the prism of Russia’s most artistic city, in this new book his prism is the House of Romanov. As such, it is very much a prequel to his other previous work, The Magical Chorus, which chronicled Russian culture through the 20th century.
The Suitcase Sergei Dovlatov (Counterpoint, $14.95)
One of the finest (and most overlooked) writers of the Soviet era, Sergei Dovlatov was a master of the short story. And this slim volume, a collection of stories revolving around the items in his sole allowed emigrant’s suitcase, is a masterpiece. Full of amiable charm and cutting satire, these eight tales are deceptively profound forays into the depths of the much-vaunted Russian soul.
Russian Magic Cherry Gilchrist (Quest, $18.95)
Continuing her research on Russian mythology and traditional culture, Gilchrist describes the magical traditions embedded in Russian fairy tales, folk art and native wisdom, making connections between shamans and leshy, domovoys and Baba Yaga. A superb reference on Russian culture and lore that, if nothing else, will help you understand why your Russian hosts insist you sit down for a minute before departing on a trip.
Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.
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