Petersburg

Written by Andrei Bely

Narrated by Deaver Brown

The last great 19th century Russian novelist brings his symbolism together with realism, to blend real and fictional people together in the Russian revolutionary period of 1905 that laid the seeds for the 1917 dark Soviet period that Bely anticipates, set in the Paris of Russia, St Petersburg. An intriguing fantasy mixed with reality, dark and bright colors, with a dose of romanticism.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simply Magazine Inc.
• Release date: May 9, 2022
• ISBN: 9781614968252

Reviews for Petersburg

[castlelass · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

“He was simply seized by an animal feeling for his own invaluable life; he had no desire to return from the corridor; he did not have the courage to glance into his own rooms; he now had neither strength nor time to look for the bomb a second time; everything got mixed up in his head, and he could no longer remember exactly either the minute or the hour when the time expired: any moment might prove to be the fatal one. All he could do was wait here trembling in the corridor until daybreak.”

One of the most unusual novels I have read. It is set in Petersburg in 1905 during the first Russian Revolution (the one we have largely forgotten). Published in 1913, this book portrays the city just before a series of revolutions that would dramatically change the course of history. It is not typical Russian literature – it does not follow a straight-forward plot or structure. The city itself serves as one of the main characters.

The narrative is infused with shapes:
“After the line, of everything symmetrical the figure that soothed him most was the square. He would give himself over for long periods to the unreflecting contemplation of: pyramids, triangles, parallelepipeds, cubes, trapezoids. Disquiet took hold of him only at the contemplation of a truncated cone. Zigzag lines he could not bear.”

and a whirl of colors:
“To their left the last gold and the last crimson fluttered in the leaves of the garden; on coming closer, a blue tit could be seen; a rustling thread stretched submissively from the garden on to the stones, to wind and chase between the feet of a passing pedestrian, and to murmur as it wove from leaves a red-and-yellow web of words.”

It is slow-paced. There are many digressions. It is occasionally absurd – the statue of the Bronze Horseman (Peter the Great) jumps off its pedestal and gallops around the city. The tone is one of foreboding. It is mostly dark, with a few hints of humor.

I read the English translation by John Elsworth. His afterword sheds light on some of the difficulties in translating it. This book is considered a classic and is worth reading for the historical perspective alone. I recognize the literary merit of this book but did not always enjoy reading it. I found it inventive and modernistic for its time.

[colligan · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

First, what Petersburgs is not. A beach read. There is nothing simple about Petersburg. Even the plot, which on the surface seems simple, is just a framework on which hangs the complex experiences of its characters. I came to this work knowing nothing of Bely or the Symbolist movement of which he was a part. The work's introduction was of great help but didn't begin to unravel the depth of the work. It became obvious the work was a masterpiece but also one that deserved serious and in-depth attention. I felt the work would make an excellent focus for Masters or Doctoral study. The author uses unique literary techniques to reveal multiple facets of both characters and setting. Reality is not so much broken apart as it is opened up to view what's inside. I felt somwhat like a tourist observing and appreciating a wonderful scene but not taking the time to explore the depths of what I see. Probably would have been better to have read at a younger age when time didn't seem like such a precious commodity. The work deserves serious attention.

[steve38 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Definitely a strange book. At first glance a Laurence Stern ramble full of digressions. But the book was written, rewritten and revised many times over many years. If it is a ramble it is a very deliberate one. A very conscious adoption of a specific style carried through with great imagination and persistence. A drift from figurative to impressionism tending towards abstract in literature rather than art. Thanks to the extensive footnotes a realisation that there is much, much more to this than a casual reading gives.

[garrison0550 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've read it a couple of times now. I highly recommend it - great book.

[russellbittner · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I’ll generally give any novel or collection of short stories fifty pages before I give up. In the case of Boris Nikolaevich Bugayev’s (nom de plume: Andrey Biely) St. Petersburg, I gave it two hundred — and then abandoned ship. I just didn’t get it.

Both John Cournos, who wrote the Introduction and did the Russian – English translation, and George Reavey, who provided a Foreword, may rightly feel that Biely was an unrecognized genius. I don’t dispute that. I just don’t get him.

It could well have to do with my immediate reading environment: almost exclusively in the NYC subway system. But I do much of my reading on the subway – and do it to a good end. Unfortunately, this was not the case with St. Petersburg. I found the plot line every bit as noisy and chaotic as the subway system itself.

Far be it from me to dissuade anyone with a serious interest in Russian literature from undertaking a read of St. Petersburg and correcting, for him- or herself (and for any other potentially interested reader here at Goodreads) my negative verdict. I’d prefer to think I just don’t have the right stuff for Biely.

RRB
11/08/13
Brooklyn, NY

[jvioland_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting take on the city in 1905 Russia. Like a travelogue.

[hadriantheblind · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"Time sharpens its teeth for everything-it devours body and soul and stone."

This is no ordinary book, and it was a mistake to think I could read it like one.

It is fantastically dense, with layers upon layers of symbolism, history - a very Russian book. Which is appropriate, as it deals with the Russian idea of identity. The unusual style and use of symbols is very off-putting, but you become accustomed to it, if not totally comprehending. I will have to return to this book in the future. It deserves as much.

[drfp_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

"Not so loud, Nikolai Apollonovich - not so loud: people might hear us here!""They won't understand anything: it's quite impossible to understand..."These sorts of modernist novels aren't really my cup of tea, I read them for the sake of it, and Petersburg didn't really do anything to change my mind about such books. There are the surreal elements, the various allusions throughout, and the often incoherent mumblings of the characters that at times makes this hard work to get through. At other times there's a haunting beauty to the novel and some quite touching passages; it's just shame they're a slim section of the story.Historically important, sure. A pleasant read? That's another thing. But, to be fair, when contemplating whether to read a novel that is called a precursor to Ulysses you ought to know what you're letting yourself in for.

[nog_5 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Nabokov called it one of the best books of the 20th century. It's good, but really. The city and history are the real characters of this symbolist novel. It doesn't drag like a lot of Russian literature. I went and looked at photos of St. Petersburg and its monuments when I first started reading; if you haven't been to that city, it helps.

[funkendub · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There are two translations of this available and the one published by Grove is shite, so caveat lecter.