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The Big Green Tent, Ludmila Ulitskaya, Farrar Straus and Giroux, 2015, (translated from the Russian by Bela Shayeviich, orig pub in Russia, 2011) 573 pp
Summary from Goodreads: The Big Green Tent
is the kind of book the term “Russian novel” was invented for. A
sweeping saga, it tells the story of three school friends who meet in
Moscow in the 1950s and go on to embody the heroism, folly, compromise,
and hope of the Soviet dissident experience.
My Review:
Imagine you are a boy growing up in 1950s Soviet Moscow. You are just a bit outside the norm for a schoolboy in those times, the type who is bullied, the type who has dreams about how his life might go. You find two other boys like you and form a bond that lasts for a lifetime.
Better yet, the three of you find yourselves in a class taught by a man who can bring literature alive and who takes you under his wing. You learn that not all of life needs to be lived in fear of the KGB, in lock step to Soviet rules and plans.
So do Ilya, who loves photography, Mikha and his bent towards writing poems, and Sanya, lost in the wonder of music, become touchstones for each other. Stalin dies, there is a moment of leniency when Khrushchev comes to power, and for young people the dissident life is the thing. People still betray others who are then sent to prison camps. Maybe because these things happen daily and young people often hate injustice and desire change, they believe they can make a difference.
Despite the continuing horrors of the times, this is a great novel in the tradition of great Russian literature but set in our times and written by a woman! Ludmila Ulitskaya revels in story telling and has clearly thought deeply about her country and the souls of the Russian people.
Her novel is filled with many characters, with the thrill of defying authority, with love and loss, joy and sorrow, bravery and cowardice. The pages fly by. No wonder she is one of Russia's most popular writers.
(The Big Green Tent is available in various formats by order from Once Upon A Time Bookstore.)
Sounds fascinating. I'm adding it to the list.
ReplyDeleteI wanted to read this one as soon as I heard about last year. Now I have and it was as good as, if not better than, I expected.
DeleteI would like to read this one.
ReplyDeleteYay! Do it!!
DeleteGreat writer :) I love Russian literature and this beautiful language that I learnt...
ReplyDeleteNice to have you back :)
Really? You learned and can read Russian? You are always surprising me! I feels good to be back. Thank you.
DeleteYes, I studied here in Geneva at the private Russian university. And I used it as part of my job. For a while, I worked for the Russian market and...Tada! I was, in the past, madly in love with a Russian guy. Now, he lives in Hong Kong, but we are still good friends.
DeleteI have loved the tradition of Russian Lit. Maybe too it gives us some hope to where we are now. It might take me awhile to read 573 pgs but I'm putting it on my list!
ReplyDeleteIt does give hope. Well, actually now they have Putin over there, but it gives courage when one needs to dissent! And it read surprisingly fast. She writes for plot, though with great characters, and the translation is so smooth.
DeleteI am so glad you read the book. I thought it was wonderful and we can learn a lot from it, something I always treasure.
ReplyDeleteRussian literature has always been special for me and I'm happy that there are still great authors out there who continue the tradition.
Happy Reading,
Marianne from
Let's Read
Yes wonderful. This one is going on my list of favorite books read this year.
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