Dystopian sci-fi from behind the Iron Curtain is one of a kind. The authors had to be creative in order not to run afoul of the censors, and that results in works with layers of meanings.
It just so happens that by a remarkable coincidence, I was in the process of collecting notes for my own review of the book when I came across this review. The brothers Strugatsky must be having a moment – it is the second review of their work I have seen in just a few days (c.f. https://elanagomel.substack.com/p/yellow-stars).
I my view, as writers of societal allegory, the authors (let’s call them ABS for short) have few equals, and their best work stands at the very pinnacle of the genre. Most of their mature work is presented as rather surreal hard science fiction, but nothing could be further from the truth. Their objectives would be parallel to those of Kundera, Kafka, and Miłosz, but, in my view, their sheer authorial talent puts them above even this exalted company.
Having closely read their oeuvre, and in particular, Doomed City, I would like to add a few observations.
In this book, ABS not only offer a sharp criticism of the Brezhnevian Soviet Union, set in a nightmarishly surreal world (much like the real thing), but they also reflect their own journey toward political enlightenment. Their protagonist, Voronin, like they themselves had, begins as a starry-eyed young communist, and through the book we observe him grow and learn through painful experiences, each of which would have a parallel in the Soviet Union that ABS knew so well. There is a gem on every page.
Each of the major characters in the novel represents a survival strategy of a Soviet inmate (sorry, citizen). Their choices show the impossible tradeoffs the system demanded, and the moral toll it took.
Voronin’s main foil, Fritz Geiger, offers another line of commentary. He begins as an unrepentant Nazi, but toward the end, his actions are nearly indistinguishable from those of Voronin. The implication is, of course, that Nazism and Communism are merely two sides of the same coin.
Other characters show other coping strategies: sensual abandonment that leads to empty nihilism, devotion to duty even unto death, or zeal for liberty, which proves to be equally as deadly.
The only character who starts out enlightened is Izya Katzman, and his role is that of a political Zen master, educating Voronin in the realities of life.
Other topics of note in this book include:
• The unreliability of conscience in regulating ideologically-based actions, as represented by the Mentors, who are supposed to keep harmony but instead flatter and egg on their charges in their worst impulses
• The paralyzing fear of the KGB, as represented by the sinister Red Building (standing in for the Lubyanka), which only appears when it wants to swallow someone
• The pervasive paranoia, poverty, and enraged rudeness of the populace
• The pointlessness and cruelty of the Great Soviet Undertakings, in this case, an armed convoy to the end of the world, to seek out imaginary foes
• The complete detachment of the ruling elite from the everyday concerns of citizens
• The self-serving pettiness of bureaucrats
• The unavoidable imperative to sell out or die, as Kenji does (n.b. I am not sure why the translator chose Kensi as the transliteration. In the Russian rendering of Japanese sounds, “s” usually stands for the “j” sound, which does not exist in Russian. ABS were experts in Japanese history and language and would not have made such a mistake themselves.)
• The sheer absurdity of life in such a system, where bizarre events happen, usually because of some bureaucrat’s desire to look good, and then become sufficiently normalized to be barely noticed despite their obvious harmfulness, such as the invasion of baboons, or highly qualified people being forced into menial and usually pointless work
• The hollowness of ideology and sloganeering as represented by the Iron Heads
• The need of dictators to expand their empires and find enemies to justify their rule
• And many, many more vignettes that any Soviet inmate would spot immediately, such as trucks that break because they were made in an end-of-quarter rush to meet production quotas, the casual violence, the impossibility of escaping, and...
All of this is done with great sensitivity and emotional engagement. The ending of the book is absolutely heartbreaking, which isn’t all that common in speculative fiction. Their characters are real people; on the page, they live and breathe.
This book comes late in the ABS career, followed by only a few others. Their final book, Burdened by Evil, deserves a full review, but I will say here that it is a very different kind of work – abstract, cerebral, explicitly philosophical, and very enigmatic. It is their masterwork. In fact, every word that ABS have written is worth reading, even the callow Noon Universe juvenilia, for their style and imagination, if nothing else.
Doomed City is a book that stays with you long after you put it down.
That second last paragraph reads like a summary of Spengler's ideas about the development of culture towards their final flowering in a civilisation, which exhausts the culture that it springs from.
While the damage was severe, it was far from a total loss. Although the restoration work turned out better than I had anticipated, I doubt France could build something like ND from scratch. And it's not just a matter of materials or craftsmanship either. The spirit of the thing is gone.
Well, Spain is building Sagrada Familia from scratch, 1882-2026. And the US built the Washington National Cathedral 1906-1988, a more derivative but still beautiful work.
Although, given how fast our cultures are changing, can we really take credit for something begun over 100 years ago? Maybe not. I don't know if there are many interesting cathedrals being started these days. There are other beautiful buildings though.
Dystopian sci-fi from behind the Iron Curtain is one of a kind. The authors had to be creative in order not to run afoul of the censors, and that results in works with layers of meanings.
I can recommend Janusz Zajdel, too.
It just so happens that by a remarkable coincidence, I was in the process of collecting notes for my own review of the book when I came across this review. The brothers Strugatsky must be having a moment – it is the second review of their work I have seen in just a few days (c.f. https://elanagomel.substack.com/p/yellow-stars).
I my view, as writers of societal allegory, the authors (let’s call them ABS for short) have few equals, and their best work stands at the very pinnacle of the genre. Most of their mature work is presented as rather surreal hard science fiction, but nothing could be further from the truth. Their objectives would be parallel to those of Kundera, Kafka, and Miłosz, but, in my view, their sheer authorial talent puts them above even this exalted company.
Having closely read their oeuvre, and in particular, Doomed City, I would like to add a few observations.
In this book, ABS not only offer a sharp criticism of the Brezhnevian Soviet Union, set in a nightmarishly surreal world (much like the real thing), but they also reflect their own journey toward political enlightenment. Their protagonist, Voronin, like they themselves had, begins as a starry-eyed young communist, and through the book we observe him grow and learn through painful experiences, each of which would have a parallel in the Soviet Union that ABS knew so well. There is a gem on every page.
Each of the major characters in the novel represents a survival strategy of a Soviet inmate (sorry, citizen). Their choices show the impossible tradeoffs the system demanded, and the moral toll it took.
Voronin’s main foil, Fritz Geiger, offers another line of commentary. He begins as an unrepentant Nazi, but toward the end, his actions are nearly indistinguishable from those of Voronin. The implication is, of course, that Nazism and Communism are merely two sides of the same coin.
Other characters show other coping strategies: sensual abandonment that leads to empty nihilism, devotion to duty even unto death, or zeal for liberty, which proves to be equally as deadly.
The only character who starts out enlightened is Izya Katzman, and his role is that of a political Zen master, educating Voronin in the realities of life.
Other topics of note in this book include:
• The unreliability of conscience in regulating ideologically-based actions, as represented by the Mentors, who are supposed to keep harmony but instead flatter and egg on their charges in their worst impulses
• The paralyzing fear of the KGB, as represented by the sinister Red Building (standing in for the Lubyanka), which only appears when it wants to swallow someone
• The pervasive paranoia, poverty, and enraged rudeness of the populace
• The pointlessness and cruelty of the Great Soviet Undertakings, in this case, an armed convoy to the end of the world, to seek out imaginary foes
• The complete detachment of the ruling elite from the everyday concerns of citizens
• The self-serving pettiness of bureaucrats
• The unavoidable imperative to sell out or die, as Kenji does (n.b. I am not sure why the translator chose Kensi as the transliteration. In the Russian rendering of Japanese sounds, “s” usually stands for the “j” sound, which does not exist in Russian. ABS were experts in Japanese history and language and would not have made such a mistake themselves.)
• The sheer absurdity of life in such a system, where bizarre events happen, usually because of some bureaucrat’s desire to look good, and then become sufficiently normalized to be barely noticed despite their obvious harmfulness, such as the invasion of baboons, or highly qualified people being forced into menial and usually pointless work
• The hollowness of ideology and sloganeering as represented by the Iron Heads
• The need of dictators to expand their empires and find enemies to justify their rule
• And many, many more vignettes that any Soviet inmate would spot immediately, such as trucks that break because they were made in an end-of-quarter rush to meet production quotas, the casual violence, the impossibility of escaping, and...
All of this is done with great sensitivity and emotional engagement. The ending of the book is absolutely heartbreaking, which isn’t all that common in speculative fiction. Their characters are real people; on the page, they live and breathe.
This book comes late in the ABS career, followed by only a few others. Their final book, Burdened by Evil, deserves a full review, but I will say here that it is a very different kind of work – abstract, cerebral, explicitly philosophical, and very enigmatic. It is their masterwork. In fact, every word that ABS have written is worth reading, even the callow Noon Universe juvenilia, for their style and imagination, if nothing else.
Doomed City is a book that stays with you long after you put it down.
That second last paragraph reads like a summary of Spengler's ideas about the development of culture towards their final flowering in a civilisation, which exhausts the culture that it springs from.
Is the question about Notre Dame supposed to be rhetorical? Because we literally did just rebuild Notre Dame….
While the damage was severe, it was far from a total loss. Although the restoration work turned out better than I had anticipated, I doubt France could build something like ND from scratch. And it's not just a matter of materials or craftsmanship either. The spirit of the thing is gone.
Well, Spain is building Sagrada Familia from scratch, 1882-2026. And the US built the Washington National Cathedral 1906-1988, a more derivative but still beautiful work.
Although, given how fast our cultures are changing, can we really take credit for something begun over 100 years ago? Maybe not. I don't know if there are many interesting cathedrals being started these days. There are other beautiful buildings though.
A Strugatsky book! Отлични сте!
Thinking about it, this sort of seems like a Mid-Century Communist version of The Backrooms.