The brothers Arkady Strugatsky [Russian: 袗褉泻邪写懈泄 小褌褉褍谐邪褑泻懈泄] and Boris Strugatsky [Russian: 袘芯褉懈褋 小褌褉褍谐邪褑泻懈泄] were Soviet-Russian science fiction authors who collaborated through most of their careers.
Arkady Strugatsky was born 25 August 1925 in Batumi; the family later moved to Leningrad. In January 1942, Arkady and his father were evacuated from the Siege of Leningrad, but Arkady was the only survivor in his train car; his father died upon reaching Vologda. Arkady was drafted into the Soviet army in 1943. He trained first at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk and later at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1949 as an interpreter of English and Japanese. He worked as a teacher and interpreter for the military until 1955. In 1955, he began working as an editor and writer.
In 1958, he began collaborating with his brother Boris, a collaboration that lasted until Arkady's death on 12 October 1991. Arkady Strugatsky became a member of the Union of Soviet Writers in 1964. In addition to his own writing, he translated Japanese language short stories and novels, as well as some English works with his brother.
The first time I read this book, it seemed like an awkward attempt at another "Master and Margarita鈥� with only a couple original twists to show for it. But it ended up being one of the books I often think about and bring up when people speak of 鈥済ood and evil鈥� and the problem of personal freedom and the extend to which anyone can affect other鈥檚 lives. This book is probably not everyone鈥檚 cup of tea, and I still think that it is, perhaps, too confusing for its own good, but I've grown to think of it as a true original. The story, which is probably more pessimistic than optimistic, ultimately always makes me feel hopeful, probably because no matter what happens to its central character, it is him that you want to follow, not anyone else.
艩墨 gr膩mata sast膩v no tr墨s st膩st墨jumiem. Pirmais ir par Demiurgu un k膩du Agasferu Luki膷u. K膩ds Sergejs Manohins 鈥� astrofizi姆is p膿c profesijas, ir nosl膿dzis kontraktu ar Luki膷u. VI艈a teorija izr膩d墨sies pareiza, bet vi艈拧 ar sirdi un dv膿seli kalpos Demiurgam. Demiurgs savuk膩rt klai艈o pa pasauli un mekl膿 cilv膿ku ar lielo burtu. Lai ar projekts turpin膩s gadsimtiem, nekas v膿l nav izdevies, visi pie vi艈a n膩ko拧ie nesp膿j atbr墨vot pasauli no 募aunuma. Nu te ir t膩ds smalks v膿st墨jums par to, ka pasaule bez 募aunuma nav iesp膿jama un pat Dievs, ja t膩ds b奴tu, iejaucoties var膿tu visu sa膷akar膿t v膿l vair膩k. Agasfers Luki膷s k募奴daini tiek uzskat墨ts par m奴啪墨go 啪墨du, bet t膩 nav taisn墨ba. Kas vi艈拧 ir paties墨b膩, ieteiktu izlas墨t pa拧iem!
Otrs st膩sts ir Igora Mitarina dienasgr膩matas fragmenti. Igors ir topo拧ais pedagogs 2030-tajos gados, PSRS ir demokratiz膿jusies un sabiedr墨ba mekl膿 jaunus att墨st墨bas ce募us. Vi艈拧 m膩c膩s pie pa拧a slaven膩 G. A. Nosova. 艩eit centr膩lais temats ir subkult奴ras, par to, kas ir pie艈emams, kas nav, par relat墨vismu, par t,o vai var 募aut atsevi拧姆膩m sabiedr墨bas da募膩m degrad膿ties, un kas no t膩 visa var san膩kt. Vai 拧膩da degrad膩cija ir jaunas paradigmas veido拧an膩s, kura n膩kotn膿 b奴s ac墨mredzama, vai vienk膩r拧a atme拧ana ar roku. Sabiedr墨ba tr墨sdesmitajos nav v膿l tikusi diez ko t膩lu, ta膷u tas nav galvenais Nosovs ir tas potenci膩lais Cilv膿ks.
Tre拧ais st膩sts ir par J膩ni, vienu nu kristus m膩cek募iem. Neteiksim, ka Evan模膿lija trakt膿jums atbilstu jebk膩diem kanoniem. J膩nim vienk膩r拧i nav paveicies, vi艈拧 jaun墨b膩 bijis band墨ts, tad piesities J膿zum un p膿c Lieldien膩m ats膩cis savu lielce募a laup墨t膩ja darb墨bu. Ta膷u t膩 sagad墨j膩s, ka vi艈拧 nov膩ca ne to cilv膿ku un k募uva nemirst墨gs.
Man jau ir v膩j墨ba pret Strugacku darbiem, vi艈i raksta koncentr膿ti un dod daudz vielas p膩rdom膩m. V膿sture tiek sav墨ta ar izdom膩jumu k膩 J膩艈a st膩st膩, tur apak拧膩 ir vesels trakt膩ts par to, k膩 tiek p膩rrakst墨ta v膿sture un atliek vien pateikt 鈥淭as viss bija, bet ne t膩鈥�. Es nemaz nerun膩拧u par daudzaj膩m atsauc膿m uz v膿sturi un literat奴ru, to var izp墨p膿t tikai k膩ds nopietns krievu literat奴ras p膩rzin膩t膩js. Iesp膿jams, ka tas kas man vienk膩r拧i 拧姆ita cit膩ts, paver citu v膿st墨juma interpret膩ciju. Gr膩matai lieku 10 no 10 ball膿m, savdab墨ga, filosofiska un aizraujo拧a gr膩mata.
This is one of the best books I ever read and maybe the most complicated books of Strugatsky brothers. Surely deserves attention and a thoughtful read.
I am a big fan of brothers Strugackij but did not like this book. I think that the problem concerning old and young generations is much better revealed in the book "The Ugly Swans". The biblical story is better revealed in Bulgakov's "Master and Margarita". And the last story of God searching for the Man who has the best idea of the path for mankind is strange as who than God should know what is best to fulfill His idea. All these stories are badly interconnected among each other.