Lyudmila Ulitskaya is a critically acclaimed modern Russian novelist and short-story writer. She was born in the town of Davlekanovo in Bashkiria in 1943. She grew up in Moscow where she studied biology at the Moscow State University.
Having worked in the field of genetics and biochemistry, Ulitskaya began her literary career by joining the Jewish drama theatre as a literary consultant. She was the author of two movie scripts produced in the early 1990s 鈥� The Liberty Sisters (小械褋褌褉懈褔泻懈 袥懈斜械褉褌懈, 1990) and A Woman for All (袞械薪褖懈薪邪 写谢褟 胁褋械褏, 1991).
Ulitskaya's first novel Sonechka (小芯薪械褔泻邪) published in Novy Mir in 1992 almost immediately became extremely popular, and was shortlisted for the Russian Booker Award. Nowadays her works are much admired by the reading public and critics in Russia and many other countries. Her works have been translated into several languages and received several international and Russian literary awards, including the Russian Booker for Kukotsky's Case (2001). Lyudmila Ulitskaya currently resides in Moscow. Ulitskaya's works have been translated into many foreign languages. In Germany her novels have been added to bestseller list thanks to features of her works in a television program hosted by literary critic Elke Heidenreich.
Cronica unei familii ruse ce prezint膬 mai multe genera葲ii din secolul XX, cu emfaz膬 pe via葲a medicului Kuko葲ki, un profesionist cu o abilitate de ordin aproape supranatural.
Un roman-epopee care ofer膬 mai multe pove葯ti de via葲膬 adiacente, 卯n care se oglindesc chiar 葯i transform膬rile sociale din URSS, dar 葯i o scriitur膬 ce exploreaz膬 idei filozofice prin personaje 葯i situa葲ii complexe.
C芒t de profund膬 s膬 fie leg膬tura dintre anatomia uman膬, genetic膬 葯i minte? C芒t de mult putem 卯n葲elege sau influen葲a? Ar putea fi dragostea de p膬rinte mai presus de o leg膬tur膬 de s芒nge?
O lectur膬 care na葯te 卯ntrebarea cine a fost mai 卯nt芒i? Omul sau destinul?
Step 1: Start this book. Step 2: Finish this book (I have to say that it took me almost a month to do this). Step 3: Wait for Ludmila Uli葲kaia to receive her well deserved Nobel Prize in Literature.
The words he said to me are still between us, and I don't know if I will ever be able to forget them. "You are not a woman. You don't have that organ." It's true. Why do I feel so offended?
The Doctor鈥檚 Kukotsky Case by Ludmila Ulitskaya - vast, gripping, shattering, thrilling, abstract, complex, life grounded and yet the list of essential attributes is still open for me to add on. I think I know what I saw and how I felt whilst diving deep into this book, though eventually the written words are now only a light shadow of that wealth of impressions that will remain for longer within my body鈥� After the dice were cast and the outcome told me that I should start reading this book, I really thought that I was rid of Tolstoy and Chekhov :D I don鈥檛 mean it as they are a plague to be rid of, but I hoped for a change or break from their influence. To my big surprise my dear Ludmila is highlighting once more how important these two writers are for all of us, and especially to her the impact of Tolstoy. This book brings on the scene some important categories of doctors (*here we can include Chekhov, too) and some essential matters that affect the life of women, especially when it鈥檚 about abortions. From this single thread the novel is spreading into a lot of branches, like a tree blossoming into spring, and we get to know so many, even minute details, of the lives of some of novel鈥檚 most important characters, that portrait the humans鈥� hardships and struggles during an interval of time starting with mid 鈥�30 and ending with mid 鈥�80 of last century. Off the record, I didn鈥檛 figure out why the title of the novel is in English, The Enigma of doctor鈥檚 Kukotsky (*I rather preferred better the Romanian translation of 鈥渃ase鈥�), because 鈥榯he enigma鈥� is maintained just for a short time under the monitor鈥檚 light, afterwards even the character himself slides a bit under a sort of mistiness. Anyways, that鈥檚 not why I chose to read the book :) The main protagonist, Pavel Alekseevici Kukotsky, is a solid man of science and in his daily work a very good gynecologist who wants to save the women鈥檚 lives from going through unsafe, illegal abortions, so he had submitted a grand project to public authorities to allow it be done legally. Of course, during Stalin鈥檚 regime this was out of mind, or out of question. He met resistance, obstacles and even his 鈥渋dea鈥� is thrown to the garbage bin. Meantime, he has a small family and one day he said a most stupid thing (*that鈥檚 ridiculous what he said but the impact is tremendous with no way of return in his private affairs鈥�) to his wife, whom he was loving dearly. The story develops further by inviting other interesting characters into the big picture of the Russian life (*another great scientist is Mr Ilya Iosifovici Goldberg and one of the few ones that survived till the end of the book, with an amazingly bright 鈥渙utlook鈥� on life, despite the fact the he went to prison camps for 4 times, during his long life of 86 and something鈥�) and so we get to know things that might not impress one of present time so much but only someone who lived those extremely difficult years鈥e don鈥檛 get straightforward answers still the dialogue of the main characters is very seducing from logic point of view and raises thoughtful reflections about our life, too. It鈥檚 always the same circle of issues that affect humans鈥�
The book is structured in 4 parts, and while parts 1,3 and 4 are telling the narrative of the novel in an appropriate manner, part 2 seemed to me completely out of space, alien, or something like from a black hole. In part 2 one would expect to see a follow-up from part 1, isn鈥檛 it?! Instead, part 2 is something like a science fiction short story where a group of people are in search for an unknown destination, but supposedly one of them, the leader, knows where he is heading to. The distorted names of these people should give us a clue that they are actually the same with the ones introduced in part 1. I was shocked initially and thought that the printer/ editor missed something or mixed it up with another manuscript. Eventually the light started to shed its fine rays and I began to make some sense of the story again. I was not very thrilled about it till by the end of it I was given a very fine closure. It was something similar with the dialogue between Ricardo Reis and Fernando Pessoa in Jose Saramago鈥檚 masterpiece The Year of the Death of Ricardo Reis . Here, instead of such contemporary men, we have instead the glorious Lev Nikolaevici Tolstoy and the celebrated doctor who are discussing a bit about life, love, genius, creation and books. There is introduced a funny but at same time a harsh complaint from Tolstoy side: he feels he never said anything the right way and only confused people, whilst he somehow gave up on every thing he felt he had before some strong convictions about. The doctor reminded Tolstoy that his works are really worthwhile and his ideas on love always were conveyed profoundly to his readers. How about that? I haven鈥檛 yet forgotten his Calendar of Wisdom , I mean his own quotes, but now it feels much better, and especially if we can imagine that even for Tolstoy it was difficult to say what one understands from and through love鈥�
It鈥檚 odd to say but I have finished by loving part 2 better than all the rest, while also loving all the rest too :) In there, it happened the perfect reconciliation of the two lovers, but sadly this took place only in a dream like state of consciousness and not in their real life. They accepted each other wounds and all that鈥檚 been said and done, and now this doesn鈥檛 mean that all that past didn鈥檛 happen, it just means that Everything is subject to change: thoughts and feelings, bodies and souls. Even the small bodies still untangled, small projects possible in the future, left to the twisted and bloody events of life, which brutally interrupt their earthly path...
Just as they had settled down happily and willingly into each other, soul in soul, hand in hand, word in word, they had felt that there was a Third among them. The woman recognized it first. The man, a moment later. - So it was you? he asked - Me, followed the answer. - Merciful God, what an idiot I was ... the man began to moan. - It's nothing scary, the voice he had known from his youth reassured him. Nothing was scary...
Farmecul s-a 卯ncheiat imediat dup膬 jum膬tate, c芒nd lumina nu a mai c膬zut exclusiv pe Pavel Alekseevici Kuko葲ki 葯i teoriile sale privind etica biomedical膬, 葯i s-a reluat pu葲in spre final c芒nd ne este prezentat un caz medical ca 卯n serialul 鈥濰ouse鈥�.
Partea cea mai interesant膬 a fost momentul c芒nd s-a adus vorba despre o idee la care m-am g芒ndit uneori, f膬r膬 s膬 fi auzit de biologul Jean-Baptiste de Lemarck 葯i de teoria lui, lamarckismul, conform c膬reia p膬rin葲ii pot transmite copiilor caracteristici c膬p膬tate 卯n timpul vie葲ii, iar aici Ludmila Uli葲kaia a avut inspira葲ia s-o lege de versul genial al lui Osip Mandel葯tam: 鈥濸oate c膬 葯oapta s-a n膬scut 卯naintea buzelor, 葯i 卯naintea pomilor a fost fo葯netul frunzelor...鈥�
鈥⑩€濵area de葯tept膬ciune f膬r膬 nume st膬tea 卯n faptul c膬 dintr-o singur膬 celul膬 format膬 din ovulul aproape imobil 葯i u葯or umflat, 卯nconjurat de cununa str膬lucitoare a celulelor foliculare, 葯i din spermatozoidul cu v芒rful ascu葲it, 卯n form膬 de fus, 葯i coada vibratil膬, ie葯ea inevitabil o fiin葲膬 omeneasc膬 de jum膬tate de metru, de trei kilograme, care urla lipsit膬 complet de ra葲iune, iar din ea, supun芒ndu-se aceleia葯i legi, cre葯tea un geniu, o scursur膬 de om, o femeie frumoas膬, un criminal sau un sf芒nt...鈥�
鈥⑩€�-Tolstoi? 脦l recite葯ti? De ce? -Sincer, nu 葯tiu. M膬 atrage. Fac asta 卯n fiecare an, neap膬rat vara. Uite aici, pe plaj膬. 脦n tren... 脦n parc, 卯n gr膬dina de zarzavat... E ca 葯i cum 卯mi vizitez o rud膬. Din datorie. Dar 葯i din iubire. E 葯i plictisitor, 葯i necesar.
鈥⑩€濼ania avea doi ani c芒nd ap膬ruse 卯n via葲a lui, era frumoas膬 葯i tandr膬, bl芒nd膬 葯i 卯ncrez膬toare, iar f膬r芒ma asta de om, aproape un mic nimic, nu se str膬duise s膬-l cucereasc膬, pur 葯i simplu se f膬cuse st膬p芒na pe inima lui 卯nc膬 din ziua c芒nd venise pe lume, 葯i el se desf膬ta privind-o c芒nd Tania 卯i facea baie, c芒nd 卯i atingea picioru葯ele 卯nro葯ite... Era un sentiment firesc, care nu trebuie demonstrat 葯i explicat: a葯a 卯葯i iube葯te leul puiul de leu, lupul 鈥� puiul de lup, vulturul 鈥� puiul de vultur... Tocmai 卯n punctul 膬sta pedagogia se dovede葯te a fi aiureal膬, un fel de a g芒ndi la rece. Acolo unde 卯ncepe pedagogia, se termin膬 cu sentimetul firesc, profund, cu iubirea animalului pentru puiul s膬u. Un sentiment primar printre at芒tea sentimente 卯nalte...鈥�
Ludmila Uli葲kaia este un fenomen 卯n literatura rus膬 contemporan膬, gra葲ie talentului fenomenal 葯i a g芒ndirii analitice de care d膬 dovad膬 卯n fiecare volum pe care-l creeaz膬. Adev膬rul este c膬 s-ar putea s膬 fiu subiectiv膬, deoarece 卯i ador maniera cu care ia subiecte deja tatonate istoric 葯i le transform膬 卯n c膬r葲i care smulg lacrimi chiar 葯i din min葲ile cele mai ra葲ionale. Munca Ludmilei Uli葲kaia a intrat 卯n vizorul criticii literare ruse 卯n anii 1990, gra葲ie povestirii 鈥濻onecika鈥�, aceasta fiind inclus膬 pe lista premiului Booker 卯n 1993. De葯i, lucr膬rile ei sunt tirajate 葯i publicate la cele mai mari edituri din Federa葲ia Rus膬, autoarea 卯nc膬 nu a fost pe deplin 卯n葲eleas膬 la ea acas膬, fiind, 卯n egal膬 m膬sur膬, admirat膬 葯i criticat膬 pentru stilul ei pe alocuri dur. Apropo, dup膬 o analiz膬 a surselor mediatice ruse, am observat c膬 aceasta a fost 卯nvinuit膬 p芒n膬 葯i de favoritism fa葲膬 de evrei. Fondate sau nefondate, 卯nvinuirile aduse nu i-au 葯tirbit din talentul de narator des膬v芒r葯it, care i-a adus 葯i titlul de Tostoi al secolului XXI. Romanul realist 鈥濩azul doctorului Kuko葲ki鈥� abordeaz膬 un subiect sensibil pentru societatea rus膬, un episod pe care p芒n膬 葯i contemporanii 卯ncearc膬 s膬-l treac膬 sub t膬cere, documentele despre acesta fiind p膬strare cu titlul de secret de stat: politica de combatere a avorturilor ilegale 卯n Uniunea Sovietic膬. Trec芒nd de la ilegalitate absolut膬 la efectuarea procedurii doar 卯n cadrul spitalelor, femeile s-au pomenit c膬 efectiv nu au cum s膬 p膬streze o sarcin膬 nedorit膬 葯i au continuat s膬 apeleze la serviciile moa葯elor clandestine. Eroul principal, chirurgul 葯i obstetricianul Pavel Alekseevici Kuko葲ki este un medic cu har de la Dumnezeu, de葯i nu accept膬 orice fel de apartenen葲膬 la Divin, fiind un ateu convins 葯i un comunist get beget. Acesta militeaz膬 pentru na葯teri naturale 葯i pentru 卯nl膬turarea avorturilor ilegale, 卯ncerc芒nd 卯n fel 葯i chip s膬 spun膬 marilor nomenclaturi葯ti despre aceste necesit膬葲i stringente. So葲ia acestuia, Elena Gheorghievna, este 葯i ea una dintre pacientele salvate din m芒na mor葲ii, pe care Kuko葲ki o 卯ndr膬ge葯te ca pe lumina ochilor. Prezentul roman este unul de atmosfer膬, impecabil g芒ndit, perfect pentru publicul care 卯葯i dore葯te s膬 cunoasc膬 fenomenele sociale din perioada anilor 1930 - 1950, 卯n Uniunea Sovietic膬. S膬 nu uit膬m c膬 aceast膬 perioad膬 reprezint膬 saltul de final al epocii staliniste 葯i 卯nceputul unui crescendo al URSS din faza de stat militarizat 葯i agricol 卯ntr-un popor al industriei. Practic, se pun bazele unei revolu葲ii utilitare. Dar cum r膬m芒ne cu obscurantismul, cu religia, cu credin葲a? Sunt oare ele dobor芒te de pecetea ro葯ie? Personajele lui Uli葲kaia sunt colorate, trasate prin linii decise 葯i conturate 卯n cadrul societ膬葲ii. N-avem de a face cu clasica muncitorime sovietic膬, ci dimpotriv膬 cu o burghezie intelectual膬, care 卯葯i c芒葯tig膬 existen葲a din procese intelectuale. Un subiect primordial, de fapt 卯n jurul c膬reia este construit romanul, e cel al tragediei pe care o traverseaz膬 ingineria genetic膬. Persecutat膬, ne卯n葲eleas膬, dat膬 anatemei pe fundalul altor ramuri 葯tiin葲ifice, aceasta 卯ncearc膬 s膬 devin膬 indispensabil膬 pentru oamenii sovietici. Kuko葲ki este martorul epocii, omul care vede cum ma葯in膬ria de represalii 葯i de manipulare 葯terge atroce de pe fa葲a p膬m芒ntului pe cei care nu-葯i apleac膬 fruntea 葯i truda 卯ntru cauza general膬 a poporului sovietic. De ce acest roman merit膬 aten葲ia publicului mare? 脦n primul r芒nd, o s膬 descoperi葲i esteticul limbajului autoarei, pl膬cerea de a o citi pe ner膬suflate 葯i de a-i sim葲i scopurile. Da, Uli葲kaia este una dintre autorii contemporani de o ritmicitate demn膬 de invidie. Arareori po葲i g膬si un autor care s膬-葲i p膬streze aten葲ia constant膬 de-a lungul 卯ntregii c膬r葲i 葯i mai ales s膬 te fac膬 s膬 meditezi 卯ndelung asupra unor aspecte. 脦n al doilea r芒nd, ave葲i ocazia de a v膬 ini葲ia 卯ntr-un nou fel de roman, unul format din realism pur, dram膬 istoric膬 葯i cel psihologic pur. Uli葲kaia jongleaz膬 cu mintea cititorului, ba oferindu-i detalii din bel葯ug, ba zg芒rcindu-se 葯i cer芒ndu-i acestuia s膬 ghiceasc膬 卯n ce cotloane sunt semnele prin care poate s膬-i 卯n葲eleag膬 scopul. 葮i nu 卯n ultimul r芒nd, o s膬 v膬 delecta葲i cu un volum introspec葲ie 卯n care se g膬sesc de toate: fidelitate, durere 葯i credin葲膬 卯ntr-o cauz膬 nobil膬.
Od mene 3+, ali 膰u staviti 4 zvezdice zbog 膷itljivosti (koju, ina膷e, ne smatram nekim bitnim 膷iniocem za vrednovanje), uprkos tome 拧to oduvek di啪em obrvu na knjige u kojima je akcenat na radnji. Nekako me uvukla, pa eto, progleda膰emo kroz prste. Ukratko: ruski klasik, pisan u vremenu bez inspiracije, te vrlo bledo realizovan, uz o膷uvanje osnovnih sastojaka. Propast jedne porodice, zlikovci staljinisti膷ki, mnogo votke i jo拧 vi拧e 膷aja, jurodivi hri拧膰ani i nekakvi njihovi sveti zamotuljci, umobolne 啪ene, malo botanike, ginekologije, genetike i d啪eza. Tamo gde bi se o膷ekivalo da se, na primer, Ne膷astivi obrati Ivanu Karamazovu, 膷italac silazi u nekakvo 膷istili拧te, koje je, kompoziciono, nesretna interpolacija. Sadr啪ajno, to mesto je prili膷no nejasno, alegorijski, nespretno o膷ijuka 膷as sa Novim Zavetom, 膷as sa nekim SF-om iz domena genetike. A u malenom 拧umarku toga sveta, u drvenoj ku膰ici, sam, me膽' gomilom drevnih knjiga, 啪ivi Tolstoj koji je, avaj, svestan da je sve 拧to je napisao - skroz bezveze. Onda neka deca/larve/balon膷i膰i od sapunice, jezerca i mosti膰i, slepice sa kiklopskim o膷ima, 啪ivotodrodne zeke/dabrovi i tako, jedna budibogsnama galerija koje 膷ega. Bez mnogo smisla, ako mene neko pita.
Stilski, latento 拧izofreno, da ne mogu da se otmem utisku da je delove pisao mu拧karac, a redigovala 啪ena - i obrnuto. Nekad ba拧 uspelo, nekad ispod svakog kriterijuma.
Jeste "staljinizam ruskoj du拧i naneo nenadoknadivu 拧tetu", znaju i vrapci, ali, zar iz toga ba拧 nikako ne mo啪e da se iza膽e?
Osnova ideja je, valjda, sloboda izbora (na abortus i sopstvenu misao), ali mi je i ona sumnjiva, jer slobodan izbor ne donosi spas zato 拧to je sve izopa膷eno, na 膷elu sa evolucijom, koja opstanak dozvoljava samo moralno gipkima, pritvornima i licemernima. A sve je Staljin sjeb'o, naravno, iako sa delom oko abortusa ni crkva nije bez putera na glavi.
Dakle, ovo nikako nije "jedan od najzna膷ajnijih romana svetske knji啪evnosti modernog doba" kako je recenzent napisao, ali nije ba拧 ni potpuni proma拧aj. Recimo, solidan trojka拧.
Na kraju jo拧 ne znam da li da za to 拧to Herkul 膷isti konjske 拧tale i za menjanje toponima kroz pade啪e u mno啪ini zahvalim piscu ili prevodiocu.
Fanovi Enkvista i Kundere - napred. Ostali - stoj!
鈥滳aso Kuk贸tski鈥� 茅 um romance da aclamada escritora russa Lyudmila Ul铆tskaya (n. 1943). 鈥滳aso Kuk贸tski鈥� est谩 dividido em quatro partes. Na Primeira Parte a hist贸ria segue a vida de P谩vel Aleks茅evitch Kuk贸tski e dos seus familiares, um jovem m茅dico-cirurgi茫o e obstreta - descendente de uma fam铆lia ligada 脿 medicina -, antes da d茅cada de 1960 e que possui um dom. Tem uma vis茫o de tipo radiol贸gico que lhe permite ver qual a doen莽a dos seus pacientes, proporcionando-lhe fazer diagn贸sticos mais precisos e eficazes. No entanto, este dom que n茫o tem explica莽茫o cient铆fica desaparece sempre que P谩vel Kuk贸tski tem rela莽玫es sexuais com uma mulher. Em 1942 encontra Elena Guer贸rguievna num hospital na Sib茅ria entre a vida e a morte. Mais tarde Elena vir谩 a ser a sua mulher e T谩netchka/T芒nia, a sua filha adoptiva. Simultaneamente, junta-se 脿 fam铆lia Kuk贸tski, a governanta Vassilissa Gavr铆lovna e, posteriormente, a 贸rf茫 Toma Poloss煤khina. Na Segunda Parte - um cap铆tulo invulgarmente estranho -, 茅 descrito um sonho longo e surreal de Elena, enquanto esta paira entre a vida e a morte. A Terceira Parte decorre ap贸s 1960, com a narrativa a centrar-se novamente na fam铆lia Kuk贸tski e a Quarta Parte surge na forma de um breve Ep铆logo. P谩vel Kuk贸tski come莽a a testemunhar os efeitos nefastos da pr谩tica de abortos ilegais, efectuados de uma forma clandestina, sem as m铆nimas condi莽玫es sanit谩rias e m茅dicas. A este facto ainda se associa a vertente criminal, quer para a v铆tima, quer para quem executa essa pr谩tica il铆cita. Nesse seu projecto P谩vel Kuk贸tski pretende legalizar o aborto por decreto, visando revogar a resolu莽茫o de St谩lin de Julho de 1936 que proibia os abortos e os considerava ilegais. No entanto, acaba por se incompatibilizar com a sua mulher Elena e a sua governanta Vassilissa. Ambas as mulheres consideram a ideia absolutamente imoral. Lyudmila Ul铆tskaya exp玫e as mudan莽as que ocorreram na R煤ssia atrav茅s da vida das diferentes personagens, numa abordagem incisiva e intensa, com descri莽玫es exaustivas e, por vezes, cient铆ficas, mas nunca cansativas, sobre as quest玫es directamente relacionadas com a pr谩tica m茅dica numa perspectiva religiosa e social. Igualmente interessante 茅 a forma pragm谩tica como aborda a quest茫o do alcoolismo; uma realidade problem谩tica que se mant茅m na actualidade russa. Na sua ess锚ncia 鈥滳aso Kuk贸tski鈥� 茅 um retrato irrepreens铆vel, cativante e inspirador, sobre um conjunto de personagens que perduram num per铆odo conturbado da R煤ssia, uma narrativa geracional que explora a mem贸ria individual e colectiva, sobre in煤meras tem谩ticas e viv锚ncias civilizacionais com destaque para a fam铆lia, a medicina, a 茅tica, o misticismo, a religiosidade exacerbada e o amor de P谩vel Aleks茅evitch Kuk贸tski pela sua fam铆lia, desde a era stalinista at茅 aos tempos modernos. Neste 鈥滳aso Kuk贸tski鈥� o que 茅 mais marcante 茅 a inevitabilidade do amor e da esperan莽a que sustenta Pavel e Elena durante d茅cadas de sil锚ncio e a forma sombria e metaf贸rica com que Lyudmila Ul铆tskaya descreve os horrores, a arbitrariedade dram谩tica, os contornos tr谩gicos e irracionais da repress茫o do stalinismo.
A good family saga. An old-fashioned Russian novel with all the great themes specific to that wonderful tradition: the role of the individual in history, freedom, responsibility, humanism, nature vs. nurture, knowledge vs. morality. It is a multi-faceted book and I haven't found an overarching message that would summarize it, but then again, Ulitskaya herself said in an interview that the novel doesn't give any answers but only maps out some questions. She also said, about this novel, that it is her attempt to settle accounts with science - she received an education in genetics. However, given the indeterminacy floating in the book, not much was settled.
One issue brought up in the book is eugenics. Goldberg, an eccentric ambitious genetics scientist with bold research projects argues that totalitarian communist regime has impoverished the nation's gene pool: on the one hand, through the deportation and execution of the bright and courageous free thinkers, and on the other hand, by creating a situation favorable to the survival of docile mediocrities (at some point in the novel it is said that the more fear and The question of freedom inevitable follows from such a theory: is, then, the average Soviet citizen condemned to intellectual torpor and moral insensitivity? It's noteworthy that the characters in the book don't really struggle with moral dilemmas: they always know what is there to do. It's true that they may not always have the freedom to act as they know they should (it was, after all, a totalitarian regime), but in general they follow convictions that, as it seems, have always been part of them. Some of them do change their minds, quite radically, too, but that's not a question of conversion. Tania, for instance, quits science because something is brought to her attention, something that she did not notice before, but once she becomes aware of the problem, it takes her a moment to make her decision. Come to think about it, all the salient features of any character are emphasized as somehow natural and fundamental, not consciously acquired. At the same time, there is a sense in which some people are better than others, and some actions and attitudes are wrong and others right, so responsibility is not out.
Care and bonding is another important topic. In some cases kinship doesn't enhance any type of interest or affection between people, and other times people with no blood relation build strong family ties (there's quite a bit of adoption and quasi-adoption going on). The best characters are the ones with a large horizon, with an openness for other people, with a sensitivity to the needs of others. Again, there is no clear statement on whether this horizon is fixed by genes and early education or whether it can expand. Unfortunately, there is no case of moral conversion in the book to help us make out the author's position; in fact, there is a case of a failed one: Toma is adopted by a warm, respectable family at the age of 12, but grows up to be a proud, selfish botanist. And finally: the latest offspring of the Kukotsky clan that we are introduced to - a responsible and altruistic young woman called Evghenia (!!) - was educated by her principled and loving grandfather until the age of 10, after which she was delivered to her father, who certainly was a good-natured man.
Nu 卯nt芒mpl膬tor romanul este numit "Cazul doctorului Kukotki". In jurul acestui personaj central, ni se dezv膬luie treptat toate tipologiile de caracter ale fiin葲ei umane. Nu inten葲ionez s膬 dezv膬lui mai mult din acest roman, spun doar c膬 realitatea crud膬, nebunia, s膬r膬cia, credin葲a 葯i arta se 卯mpletesc nefiresc de bine in acest roman.
Mai jos un citat din roman:
"Evolu葲ia speciei umane are drept 葲el supravie葲uirea, rezisten葲a biologic膬, 葯i avem tot dreptul s膬 ne 卯ntreb膬m care sunt calit膬葲ile care au dat individului mai multe 葯anse de supravie葲uire. Mintea? Talentul? Cinstea? Sentimentul demnit膬葲ii personale? T膬ria moral膬? Nu! Toate calit膬葲ile acestea au 卯mpiedicat supravie葲uirea.. Ce fel de 卯nsu葯iri au dat individului 葯ansa s膬 supravie葲uiesca? Pruden葲a. Disimularea. F膬葲膬rnicia. Lipsa coloanei vertebrale. Lipsa sentimentului demnit膬葲ii personale. 葮i-n general, orice calitate pregnant膬 care l-a f膬cut vizibil pe om 葯i l-a pus 卯n primejdie. Omul 葯ters, mediocru, coda葯 la 卯nv膬葲膬tur膬 s-a aflat 卯ntr-o pozi葲ie privilegiat膬". Pag 291
Mi-a pl膬cut enorm aceast膬 carte excep葲ional膬, care dezv膬luie evenimentele dramatice a familiei medicului obstetrician Kuko葲ki din Rusia, un specialist excelent care de葲inea 葯i darul vederii p膬trunz膬toare identific芒nd boala pacientului. Un roman superb, captivant, prin care se exploreaz膬 o multitudine de teme: iubirea, libertatea, na葯terea, avortul ilegal, 葯tiin葲a, medicina, birocra葲ia, moralitatea, credin葲a. M-au cople葯it o sumedenie de emo葲ii, de la bucurie p芒n膬 la triste葲e, am reflectat asupra nedrept膬葲ilor din via葲a personajelor, m-au enervat unele personaje 葯i am cunoscut multe lucruri interesante din domeniul medicinei. M-a cucerit stilul Uli葲kaia, autoarea are o scriere remarcabil膬, at芒t de profund realizeaz膬 prezentarea fiec膬rui personaj 葯i dezvoltarea unor personaje care aparent nu sunt importante, reu葯e葯te s膬 impresioneze prin redarea rela葲iilor dintre genera葲ii, despre sensul vie葲ii 葯i importan葲a alegerilor. Recomand cu drag, aceast膬 capodoper膬 鉂わ笍
Am ascultat aceast膬 carte cu o deosebit膬 pl膬cere 葯i 卯n acela葯i timp cu un fel de nelini葯te 卯n suflet. Sim葲eam c膬 tragicul avea s膬 urm膬reasc膬 aceast膬 familie, c膬 inevitabilul avea s膬 卯葯i pun膬 amprenta pe soarta doctorului 葯i a celor dragi lui. Ceea ce m-a surprins 卯ns膬, a fost momentul ales pentru ca acesta s膬 se produc膬 葯i tumultul de evenimente 葯i st膬ri suflete葯ti prin care au trebuit s膬 treac膬 personajele p芒n膬 la acel punct culminant. A葯 vrea s膬 punctez frumuse葲ea 葯i incomoditatea temelor abordate de autoare 卯n acest roman: c芒nd o femeie devine femeie 葯i ce o face s膬 fie una- organele lor specifice sau o stare sufleteac膬? C芒nd avortul este crim膬 葯i c芒nd acesta este salvare 葯i cine decide acest fapt? C芒nd Dumnezeu 葯tie mai bine asupra cui s膬 卯葯i lase m芒na lui milostiv膬? Evol葲ia unui popor pe parcursul c芒torva decenii este redat膬 卯ntre paginile acestei c膬r葲i, cu luptele lui politice 葯i ideologice, cu gr膬untele 葯tiin葲ei ce se lupta s膬 ias膬 de sub plapuma groas膬 a comunismului, cu o familie 卯n care s-au 卯nt芒lnit ni葯te suflete at芒t de diferite, 卯nc芒t te 卯ntrebi ce i葲e miraculoase o 葲in legat膬. De-o sensibilitate aparte este istoria Elenei, caietele ei 葯i c膬l膬toria ei 卯ntr-o lume paralel膬- simboluri 葯i sensuri ascunse 卯n fiecare fraz膬, care vor intra 卯n inim膬.
Rom谩nov谩 freska osudov jednotliv媒ch 膷lenov rodiny doktora Kukuck茅ho. Rom谩n nielen zachyt谩va ve木k茅 膷asov茅 obdobie hist贸rie Ruska v 20. storo膷铆, ale prin谩拧a 膷itate木ovi obraz myslenia a 啪ivota mnoh媒ch typov 木ud铆. Ich konanie a spr谩vanie ovplyv艌uj煤 spolo膷ensk茅, kult煤rno-historick茅, umeleck茅, vedeck茅 a in茅 skuto膷nosti, ktor茅 Ulick谩 zachyt谩va ve木mi realisticky. Hlavn媒 hrdina si zni膷铆 svoju lek谩rsku kari茅ru obhajobou pr谩va 啪eny na leg谩lny a lek谩rom vykonan媒 potrat. T谩to t茅ma sa v anot谩cii knihy prezentuje ako light mot铆v celej knihy. Nie je n铆m ale. Doktor Kukock媒 si svoj n谩zor, napriek nespo膷etn媒m 木udsk媒m trag茅di谩ch neobh谩ji nielen pred vysok媒m 拧t谩tnym 煤radn铆kom, ale ani vo vlastnej rodine. V jednom momente str谩ca l谩sku a d么veru svojej 啪eny, ale aj oddanos钮 sl煤啪ky, ktor谩 啪ije v jeho rodine a st谩va sa z neho alkoholik. Jeho man啪elka sa 膷oraz viac prepad谩va do sveta nepomenovanej choroby, ktor谩 je v n谩znakoch a opisoch druhej 膷asti knihy pravdepodobne Alzheimerovou chorobou. T谩 ju akoby zd谩nlivo chr谩ni pred realitou vz钮ahu s doktorom, s adopt铆vnou dc茅rou a v拧etk媒ch udalostiach, ktor茅 sa udej煤 po膷as nasleduj煤cich rokov. V rodine Kukock媒ch medzit媒m dospievaj煤 dve mlad茅, ve木mi rozdielne 啪eny. Obe v za膷iatkoch pri钮ahuje veda a poznanie. Dc茅ra T谩艌a je mlad媒m 膷lovekom silno ovplyvnen媒m liber谩rnej拧铆m ch谩pan铆m sveta 60- tych rokov. Jej vz钮ahy s煤 v谩拧niv茅, aj racion谩lne. Osudov谩 l谩ska medzi 艌ou a jazzov媒m hudobn铆kom je ako hudba, ktor煤 po膷煤va a jej partner hr谩. Je pln谩 improviz谩ci铆, n谩hlych rozhodnut铆, nepredv铆date木nosti a v谩拧ne, ktor谩 blik谩 v pr铆behu ako kontrolka pred bl铆啪iacou sa trag茅diou. Mot铆vov v knihe je ve木mi ve木a, Ulick谩 nech谩va ka啪dej postave priestor, d谩va ich do ostr茅ho kontrastu. Plnokrvn谩, rados钮ou, 拧钮ast铆m, l谩skou a materstvom naplnen谩 mlad谩 T谩艌a, asketick谩, ponur谩, do choroby sa uzatv谩raj煤ca, o拧umtel谩 sl煤啪ka Vasilisa, do du拧evnej choroby sa prepad谩vaj煤ca Jelena a adopt铆vna nefarben谩 To艌a.
Kniha m谩 v媒born媒 doslov prekladate木ky Aleny Machoninovej. Ludmila Ulick谩: " Lid茅 膷tou knihy 拧patn臎, 拧patne jim rozum铆, rychle je zapom铆naj铆 a z p艡e膷ten茅ho si neberou vubec 啪谩dn茅 pou膷en铆." "...Knihy jsou 煤膷inn茅 o膷kovan铆 proti ubohosti 啪ivota."
2.5/5* Vodka. Stalin. Abortion. More vodka. Genetics. Family drama. Vodka. Vodka. Vodka.
Every now and again, I try reading a Russian lit book. I don't know why, it's probably a masochistic thing. I have never really liked Russian literature ( is an exception). The so-called "Russian soul" makes me want to cut my eyes out. Everything is sad sad sad, there is never any joy. These people need a collective therapy session.
Kuko葲ki was part of a challenge for this month, I was supposed to read a Russian literature book which also talked about secrets. It had good reviews and the synopsis promised magical realism elements, so I was intrigued. Oh well, at least I finished the challenge. It took me a very long time to read, because my eyes just wanted to close after just a few pages, so the torture lasted a long time. I am more than ready for something cheerier now.
Let me just start by mentioning the thing that most disappointed me. The book was supposed to be about a doctor who has this magical ability to "see" inside his patients' bodies and identify what ails them. He may have this ability, but it's only talked about in the first few pages and then entirely forgotten, so that magical realism part I was promised is mainly inexistent. So the thing that would have made this book interesting was simply forgotten by the author, despite being used as a publicity aspect.
Now for the rest... yes, the book follows doctor Kuko葲ki, but in reality it's a family saga which focuses in turn on multiple characters - his wife Elena, his daughter Tania, their maid, the Jewish best friend and so on. Everything intertwined with a lot of random facts and rants about science in general, abortion and genetics as more discussed topics. Plus, everything takes place in a time of great turmoil in the history of Russia, starting from the 1917 revolution and going through the Stalinist period up until the 1960s, with the epilogue taking place probably in the 80s.
It's a stew of a book. Too may things are thrown in and tackled, some in detail, but others just thrown in for the fun of it, mentioned in passing and never heard of again, and everything well-accompanied with vodka... because one needs a digestive after eating a heavy, complicated meal with too many ingredients.
I did not really like the fast-forward approach either. The fist 95 pages cover 10 years and the rest of the ~450 pages are no better. There are a lot of time jumps and events the author only mentions in passing, instead focusing on endless philosophical discussions about science - not all of them uninteresting, but most of them excruciatingly long. worked in the field of genetics and biochemistry and by golly, did she insist to show us how knowledgeable she is... I don't intend to demean her achievements, by all means, but it was a little bit too much for my taste.
I believe the author wanted to answer some questions, but in the end nothing is really resolved. There are no answers, just endless open threads that never close in a satisfying manner.
It's not all bad, though. Ulitskaya did a great job at character building, each of them having their own unique voice and personality which determine their road in life. Decisions are explained and the characters are truly relatable, despite me not agreeing with everything they do or even liking them all that much. Science and religion are pit against each other every step of the way to show two different worlds that would never agree on important aspects, each influencing people in a certain way.
The novel is also a case study on imperfect relationships and how lack of communication leads to the total annihilation of these relationships. Marriage is analysed from multiple perspectives, be it based on love, lust or necessity. I was also engaged in the historical aspect of this book and how political changes impact the lives of ordinary people (especially since I come from a country that was behind the Iron Curtain and went through some of the same political changes, though maybe to a lesser extent).
However, these aspects did not help with the general impression about the book, which is that I want to burn it.
P.S. And WTF is with part 2? I needed alcohol just to be able to get through it. I understand what she tried to do there, but... just skip it if you like your sanity.
Ulicka vie v媒borne rozpr谩va钮 rodinn茅 s谩gy a prepleta钮 ich so spolo膷ensk媒mi a historick媒mi s煤vislos钮ami tak, 啪e pouk谩啪e na to, ak茅 vplyvy mali na rodiny a jednotlivcov. Prech谩dzame tak takmer cel媒m storo膷铆m a zastavujeme sa v niektor媒ch obdobiach dlh拧ie, v ktor媒ch sa mo啪no ni膷 z谩sadn茅 nestane, ale d么sledky sa ukazuj煤 a啪 n谩sledne v mal媒ch udalostiach s ve木k媒m dopadom na jednotliv媒ch 木ud铆. Kniha je pln谩 post谩v, ktor茅 predstavuj煤 kontrasty, pre m艌a najlep拧铆 kontrast bol medzi doktorom Kukock媒m a genetikom Goldbergom. Goldbergova naivita a idealizmus ho nieko木kokr谩t dostan煤 do v盲zenia a n煤ten茅 pr谩ce. Kukock媒 sa rad拧ej stane alkoholikom, ne啪 by mal sa mal postavi钮 re啪imu. Ani jeden ani druh媒 postoj nemo啪no hodnoti钮 zle alebo dobre, ka啪d媒 z nich vypl媒va z charakterov post谩v aj okolnost铆 ich 啪ivotov. A tak茅to kontrasty bez samotn茅ho hodnotenia dobr茅ho a zl茅ho s煤 naprie膷 celou knihou. Ak sa d谩 niekto nal谩ka钮 na t茅mu legaliz谩cie interrupci铆 v ZSSR, bude sk么r sklaman媒, t谩to t茅ma op盲钮 len sl煤啪i na vykreslenie charakteru. V媒razne problematick谩 pas谩啪 je niekde v polovici snov媒 svet Jeleny - Kukock茅ho 啪eny. 50 str谩n som musela prehr媒z钮, cel茅 to d谩va zmysel a啪 na konci, kedy u啪 膷lovek zabudol niektor茅 mal茅 postavy. 膶esk媒 preklad m谩 aj v媒born媒 doslov.
Ludmila Ulitskaya weaves a tale meshing the complexity of characters making up the Kukotsky household. Despite annoyances or disagreements, great and small, the family never stops caring for one another. Ulitskaya also starkly and poignantly portrays Elena who is descending into the lonely world of Alzheimer's (or some similar disease).
Only Part Two of the novel proved to be a hiccup on the journey. At first, I thought Part Two was dealing with Elena and her impaired reality, but parts were told from Pavel's POV, making this impossible. Just when I concluded that Elena and Pavel both must have died and were in some sort of afterlife, Part Two ends and Part Three begins with Elena alive. I'm still not quite sure what Part Two was all about (aside from a premonition of Sergei's place in their family). For me, personally, the novel would have worked better without Part Two.
I truly cared about each member of the Kukotsky family (even Tanya, who despite being everyone's darling was my least favorite). Everyone has their faults, but each were well-meaning and cared about each other, just like a real family.
It was difficult for the author to hide her piety for the Intellectuals, people by nature, genetically, evolutionarily beautiful, talented, and intelligent, whose every choice turns out to be morally perfect. If a hero belonging to the Intellectuals finds himself among people, he immediately deserves universal love and envy. From childhood, everything works out. All the girls in the class are fighting for a chance to be friends with the main character, Tanya, and a little later, when she grows up, the head of the laboratory, a professor, suggests her, the second-year biology student, to think about Ph.D. The same heroine with an infant in her arms organizes repairs to the entire apartment in two weeks and all other things in life she succeeds easily and playfully.
Unlike the other heroine, Toma. About whose ugliness, and stupidity the author never ceases to remind. The only generally good heroine of "worker-peasant" origin in the novel is Vasilisa. But even she is apparently good only because she lives rightly, serving her Lords, the Intellectuals.
And all this against the background of speculation about the genetic degeneration of the Soviet man and years of negative genetic selection in the USSR.
The novel would definitely have been better if all the characters were not so Ayn Randian clumsily written, and the author at least tried to hide her true attitude toward them.