∎ Libro Free The Life of an Unknown Man A Novel Lannan Translation Selection Graywolf Paperback Andreï Makine Geoffrey Strachan 9781555976149 Books

The Life of an Unknown Man A Novel Lannan Translation Selection Graywolf Paperback Andreï Makine Geoffrey Strachan 9781555976149 Books

Download As PDF : The Life of an Unknown Man A Novel Lannan Translation Selection Graywolf Paperback Andreï Makine Geoffrey Strachan 9781555976149 Books

The Life of an Unknown Man A Novel Lannan Translation Selection Graywolf Paperback Andreï Makine Geoffrey Strachan 9781555976149 Books

The second Andrei Makine book I’ve read, “The Life of an Unknown Man,” is every bit as good—and as curious—as the first, “Dreams of My Russian Summers.” Both books tell of an uprooted Russian who becomes a Frenchman, now uncomfortable in both places, writing in French, thinking in Russian. The Unknown Man is an unsung hero of the Great Patriotic War who survived the siege of Leningrad, the battle of Kursk and years in the Gulag. He is discovered by the Franco-Russian narrator decades later, mute and infirm and about to be trucked off to a retirement home to die. Except he isn’t mute, he just needs someone to tell his story to.

The book is brief, but the narrative has a “Zhivago”esque sweep. The veteran’s tale of lost love and a life in limbo is counterpointed by the lovesickness of the equally displaced narrator, who has returned to his native Russia to recover from a failed affair in Paris. Structurally, the contrast is entirely in the old veteran’s favor, an epic overshadowing a sketch. The book is built as a series of short episodes, shellbursts illuminating a few moments of ecstasy and many of suffering. Russia’s tragedy and present-day triviality have rarely been depicted so forcefully.


Tags : The Life of an Unknown Man: A Novel (Lannan Translation Selection (Graywolf Paperback)) [Andreï Makine, Geoffrey Strachan] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. <b>A deeply moving meditation on memory, history, love, and art by the author of Dreams of My Russian Summers</i></b> In The Life of an Unknown Man</i>,Andreï Makine, Geoffrey Strachan,The Life of an Unknown Man: A Novel (Lannan Translation Selection (Graywolf Paperback)),Graywolf Press,155597614X,Historical - General,Authors, Russian - France,Authors, Russian - Russia (Federation) - Saint Petersburg,Authors;Fiction.,Communism,Historical fiction,Historical fiction.,Russia;History;1917-1991, Soviet Union;Fiction.,Saint Petersburg (Russia) - Social life and customs,Soviet Union - History - 1925-1953,031002 Graywolf TP,1917-1991, Soviet Union,FICTION Historical General,FICTION Literary,Fiction,Fiction - General,French (Language) Contemporary Fiction,History,Literary,Modern & contemporary fiction (post c 1945),Russia

The Life of an Unknown Man A Novel Lannan Translation Selection Graywolf Paperback Andreï Makine Geoffrey Strachan 9781555976149 Books Reviews

Beautifully written and evocative. Gives you a wonderful contrast between Russia today and Russia during WWII.
I love everything by Makine, and this is no exception. The man can write, he's brilliant. Part of this book puts you in Leningrad during the siege -- and though I've read and seen a lot about this horror, nothing gave me a clearer picture of what it must have been like to have lived (or died) through it. Despite this, the book ends with a feeling of hope, of a sort. Read it, you won't be sorry. And then, if you haven't already, read everything else Makine has written.
A wonderful translation of a beautifully written French novel. Andre Makine never disappoints. Overwhelming in its descriptions of pre and post war Russia.
Very interesting informative actually bought 2 more copies as gifts will keepit it as part of my library. a truly great book.
I enjoyed the first section, about a failed writer in modern times reckoning with the loss of his young lover. It had a bit of a wry Philip Roth edge to it. But the central part of the book launches into an extended story about the siege of Leningrad. Believe it or not, the author not only makes the siege of Leningrad into a romantic story, but in my opinion goes over the top, into schmaltzy territory. I lost a lot of interest when it became apparent that I was reading something that had been artfully crafted to be poetic and poignant, but had lost the heft of real life.
I couldn't get past the first few pages.
Interesting insight on Soviet versus post Soviet Russia. Well written, begins slowly but worth the efforte
The second Andrei Makine book I’ve read, “The Life of an Unknown Man,” is every bit as good—and as curious—as the first, “Dreams of My Russian Summers.” Both books tell of an uprooted Russian who becomes a Frenchman, now uncomfortable in both places, writing in French, thinking in Russian. The Unknown Man is an unsung hero of the Great Patriotic War who survived the siege of Leningrad, the battle of Kursk and years in the Gulag. He is discovered by the Franco-Russian narrator decades later, mute and infirm and about to be trucked off to a retirement home to die. Except he isn’t mute, he just needs someone to tell his story to.

The book is brief, but the narrative has a “Zhivago”esque sweep. The veteran’s tale of lost love and a life in limbo is counterpointed by the lovesickness of the equally displaced narrator, who has returned to his native Russia to recover from a failed affair in Paris. Structurally, the contrast is entirely in the old veteran’s favor, an epic overshadowing a sketch. The book is built as a series of short episodes, shellbursts illuminating a few moments of ecstasy and many of suffering. Russia’s tragedy and present-day triviality have rarely been depicted so forcefully.