Certain Finkelmeyer - Hardcover

Roziner, Felix

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 039302962X ISBN 13: 9780393029628

Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc, 1991

Synopsis

Aharon Finkelmeyer, a jewish poet living in Stalinist Russia, can only get his poems published by presenting them as the oral literature of an obscure minority group he has discovered, a masquerade that brings the KGB to his door

About this title

Reviews

Soviet emigre Roziner's compelling novel presents a complex view of Russian society, culture and politics under Stalin. Poet Aaron-Chaim Mendelevich Finkelmeyer, who works for the Ministry of Fishes in Siberia, is unable to publish his work because it does not boast of the greatness of the Soviet State. Pretending to have discovered the literature of a little-known ethnic minority, the Tongors, he "translates" the poems, which are really his own work, for publication in a magazine. But bureaucrat Leonid Pavlovich Nicolsky recognizes the writing as Finkelmeyer's own and draws the poet into a circle of writers, artists and intellectuals who meet in secret to discuss the exigencies of their art. The underground group is soon hounded by a government that suspects its most talented creative citizens of having committed crimes against the State, including the detestable "parasitism" of which Finkelmeyer is accused. Excellent characterization, fluid prose and taut, dramatic pacing lead to a shattering denouement. This classic view of a dissident's life, once circulated through the samizdat, is soon to be published in the Soviet Union. Roziner, whose previous books of fiction, criticism and history have not appeared here, should earn a wide audience with this powerful, poignant tale.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

This highly original novel by a Soviet author residing here portrays the life and loves of Aaron Finkelmeyer, an introspective Jewish poet. Rejected for admission to his chosen university because of his religion, Finkelmeyer finds himself drafted into the Red Army, which he survives by writing hackneyed patriotic verse. After his discharge, Finkelmeyer is able to publish his own work only by perpetrating a literary hoax--he poses as the "translator" of the oral literature of an ethnic minority group from Siberia. Eventually, he finds himself tried for "social parasitism," much like the poet Joseph Brodsky. This entertaining yet tragicomic novel, which details the tribulations of being an artist in modern society, should be read by anyone concerned with artistic freedom. It will be published simultaneously in the Soviet Union. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries with serious fiction collections.
- Amy Lewontin, Bentley Coll., Waltham, Mass.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: W W Norton & Co Inc
• Publication date: 1991
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 039302962X
• ISBN 13: 9780393029628
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1