The Coast of Utopia I, II, and III

These three plays by Tom Stoppard bring to life some of the Russian revolutionaries during the period from 1833 to 1866.  Michael Bakunin and Alexander Herzen are particularly featured - Bakunin as a somewhat juvenile, but infectiously enthusiastic inciter of armed revolution and Herzen as a thoughtful, clear-headed intellectual who believes in incremental change.  Herzen to Bakunin:

Stop!- 'Destruction is a creative passion' You're such a . . . child! We have to go to the people, bring them with us, step by step.

Later, Bakunin offers a toast "The liberty of each, for the equality of all!" and Herzen objects "What does that mean?  It doesn't mean anything" and Bakunin replies "It means I am not free unless you, too, are free - and Herzen says "That's nonsense - you were free when I was locked up."  Herzen finally concludes

"I am devoted to you, Bakunin. I delight in the fanfare, no, the funfair of your pronouncements.  I would name my child for you, but equally I would name you for my child, because everything which is simple you make difficult and everything difficult simple.  You've made yourself a European reputation by a kind of revolutionary word-music from which it is impossible to extract an ounce of meaning, let alone a political idea, let alone a course of action". 

Stoppard's dialog is, naturally,  fast and clever, but there are moments of heart-rending tragedy, and the personalities are indelible.

Fathers and Children

Lauren has already reviewed this book by Turgenev , often published under the title Fathers and Sons, providing a nice summary of its depiction of two generations of Russians, the idealists of the 1840's (the Fathers) and the nihilists of the 1860's (the Children).

Turgenev's portrait of the self-proclaimed nihilist Bazarov provoked huge controversy: opponents of the utilitarian nihilists reviled Turgenev, denouncing Bazarov as a villain.  Most nihilists dismissed the portrait as a laughable caricature, though a few actually praised him as a "new man" of the type who would rejuvenate Russia.

 "Your sort, you gentry," Bazarov tells Arkady, when the two friends come to the parting of the ways, "can never get beyond refined submission or refined indignation, and that's a mere trifle.  You won't fight.....but we mean to fight.....we want to smash other people!"

Interestingly, one of the few people in Russia who seemed to accurately understand Turgenev's portrayal was Dostoevsky, who saw Bazarov as a tragic character, doomed to unhappiness by the contradiction between his sterile and brutal intellectual beliefs and his human needs and longings. Dostoevsky's praise and understanding helped forge a strong but brief friendship with Turgenev, which, however, was quickly dashed to pieces by their widely divergent views on religion and whether Russia's future lay in adopting western ideas (Turgenev) or seeking guidance from the true Russian character, which, in Dostoevsky's view, derived from a deep faith in Christ.

I really enjoyed the book, which is lyrically written, with great sensitivity to human love and loneliness. Though Bazarov is infuriating in his brutality, he is captivating in his passions and deep emotions.

Dostoevsky: A Writer in his Time

This book is a condensed version of a five-volume examination of the life, world and works of Dostoevsky, by Joseph Frank.  The condensed version still runs to over 900 pages.  But Frank writes beautifully and the condensation (by Mary Petrusewicz) is outstanding - so it is a pleasure to read.  Frank weaves together the story of Dostoevsky's life, the literary and political history of Russia from about 1830 to the early 1880's, and the development of Dostoevsky's thought,  in such a way as to illuminate clearly and forcefully the underlying beliefs and philosophical "arguments" that Dostoevsky converted so brilliantly into gripping characters and stories.  Frank's books have been described as magisterial, because, in addition to the thorough research and literary insight,  Frank also writes with tremendous empathy for human struggles and aspirations and the ability of artists to distill  these currents into profound works that stir the soul.  It is truly ennobling to read this book and feel the power of great art.  I have read several books by Dostoevsky, and found them to be thrilling, but always felt there were underlying currents I was missing.  Frank's work filled in these gaps for me - I have come to understand that each of Dostoevsky's books portrays political, religious, moral and philosophical ideas through the actions of the characters.  Dostoevsky led a tremendously dramatic and passionate life.  He was arrested along with other intellectuals for revolutionary ideas, sent before a firing squad, but saved by the Tsar at the last minute; imprisoned in Siberia for four years, and exiled from St. Petersburg for another six; suffered from frequent and debilitating bouts of epilepsy; was crushed by the early death of children; was terribly addicted to gambling for many years; but was a loving and devoted husband and father.  Late in life, he was revered as a virtual saint by all classes of Russians. But Frank's work is not hagiography - Frank depicts Dostoevsky's virulent anti-semitism and nationalistic fervor with honesty and censure.  More than any book I have read recently, this comes close to being life-changing.

Fathers and Sons

I realized I never made this post, even though I read the work last Christmas, so here goes: my thoughts on Turgenev's (1862) Fathers and Sons (Отцы и дети is actually Fathers and Children, although it's true that I don't recall any daughters in the novel).

This book is truly genius. I think of it often. The two generations under discussion are the Fathers (1840s) and Sons (1860s). The book describes (primarily male) family and friend relationships and the way that these interactions evolved during a time of major social change: the emancipation of the serfs occurred in 1861 and freed millions of people from serfdom, causing great upheaval in landed/aristocratic families and in society. The Fathers and Sons represent conflicting ideologies which are very interesting to consider, because their opposition foreshadows the 1917 revolution.

One of the two primary Sons in the book is Arkady Nikolaevich Kirsanov. He has recently graduated from St. Petersburg University where he became friends with a man named Bazarov. The Sons' values are boldly and at times offensively embodied by the larger-than-life Bazarov, a loud-mouthed, frog-dissecting, arrogant nihilist. These values include: egalitarianism, nihilism, and rejection of sentimentality and of bourgeois values.

The book begins with Arkady taking his friend Bazarov home to meet his father, the sensitive land-owner Nikolai Petrovich Kirsanov. Although Nikolai is one of the Fathers, he is liberal for his generation, and as an educated and thoughtful man is trying to make sense of and in some ways assimilate the liberal values of the youth while holding onto his appreciation of literature, the arts and the beauty of nature.

The conflicts in this book are fascinatingly timeless and really bear thought. Although I was not bowled over when I first read the book a year ago, it has been on my mind very frequently since and I have come to appreciate it very much.