Ludmila Ulitskaya
Autore di Una storia russa
Sull'Autore
Ludmila Ulitskaya was born in Russia and trained as a geneticist, she turned to writing after she had been stripped of her scientific credentials in the 1970's for translating a banned novel - Leon Uris's Exodus - into Russian. She lives in Moscow.
Fonte dell'immagine: Photo by Dmitry Rozhkov
Opere di Ludmila Ulitskaya
Семь концов света 2 copie
Istoriya pro vorob'ya Antverpena, kota Mikheeva, stoletnika Vasyu i sorokonozhku Mar'yu Semyonovnu s sem'yoj (2005) 2 copie
Медея и ее дети 2 copie
Бумажный театр 2 copie
Soniexka 2 copie
Чума, или ООИ в городе 2 copie
Весёлые похороны 1 copia
Providne priče 1 copia
Siromašni rođaci 1 copia
Just the Plague 1 copia
Al dumneavoastră sincer, Șurik 1 copia
Fetițele. Rude Sărmane 1 copia
Opere correlate
Read Russia!: An Anthology of New Voices — Collaboratore — 14 copie
Про любовь. Шесть современных рассказов / Über die Liebe. Sechs moderne Erzählungen (2013) — Collaboratore — 1 copia
Etichette
Informazioni generali
- Altri nomi
- Улицкая, Людмила Евгеньевна
- Data di nascita
- 21-04-1943
- Sesso
- female
- Nazionalità
- Russia
- Nazione (per mappa)
- Russia
- Luogo di nascita
- Davlekanovo, Bashkiria, USSR
- Istruzione
- Moscow State University
- Attività lavorative
- novelist
short story writer - Organizzazioni
- Institut de génétique Nikolaï Vavilov, Moscou (Professeur | Génétique | 19 68 | 19 70)
Théâtre musical juif de chambre, Moscou (Directrice, 19 79 | 19 82) - Premi e riconoscimenti
- Man Booker International Prize Finalist (2009)
Austrian State Prize for European Literature (2014)
Siegfried-Lenz-Preis (2020)
Utenti
Recensioni
The Big Green Tent di Ludmila Ulitkaya
I began this after my disappointment with “Sonechka” and my enjoyment of “Bronka” and “The Daughter of Bokhara.” I was apprehensive because this is a big book, close to 600 pages. I am more than pleased to report that it’s a remarkable book, one that demands attention, care, and a good chunk of time. It reminded me of Tolstoy in its ambitiously broad canvas. In a nutshell, the story follows the lives of three schoolyard pals for nearly half a century from their initial meeting. Ulitskaya does not tell her story in chronological order but jumps between characters as well as between different points in their lives. That said, she is in total control at all times: I never one felt lost or confused, although the cast is so large that I occasionally needed to figure out who some of the more minor characters were. The book opens with the death of Stalin and end with the death of Joseph Brodsky (in 1996); it takes the reader from Moscow to tiny villages; from high society to farm life. But the characters almost invariably shine and it was with great reluctance that I finally finished the book. Highly recommended.… (altro)
I am sorry to report that the title story in this book left me cold. I place some of the blame on the translation, which did not seem fluid (and in a few places, the English seemed flat out wrong), but it’s very hard to know how much of what I didn’t care for was the translation and how much was Ulitskaya. I rather suspect that this reads much better in Russian. I never warmed to the protagonist—Sonechka herself—and by the time I had finished this novella, I was more relieved than anything else. The story line is uncomplicated: we meet Sonechka as a young, introverted bookworm and follow her as she marries, becomes a muse and then a mother, sublimating her own interests to domesticate herself, dedicating her life to her husband and daughter. The much-older husband eventually immerses himself in his art…and then with a young woman who has been absorbed into the family, ostensibly as the daughter’s friend. As Sonechka deals in turn with love, loss, and neglect (by both her husband and her daughter), whether Ulitskaya has something to say—at least based solely on this book—remains in doubt. I will try again soon, but this hasn’t given me great cause for optimism.
[Added later:]After being less impressed than I expected by "Sonechka," I decided to read the remaining two stories in the same volume. I am pleased to say that I enjoyed them much more…enough so that I intend to go back and re-read "Sonechka." I suspect I may have judged it too hastily. Bronka and her mother come to Moscow after the war and as a girl, Bronka learns to cope with the dismal reality of life in 1940s Moscow through a taboo love affair. Everyone assumes she is just a confused and directionless teenager who gets pregnant repeatedly by the same unknown man but Ulitskaya argues that she in fact has found love and fulfillment. The emphasis is not on where her path leads so much as on the path, the journey, itself. In "Daughter of Bokhara" Anya devotes her life to her daughter Milya, who has Down’s syndrome. Anya, who knows she is dying, tries to teach Milya how to deal with life, even changing jobs to be near Milya and hunts for a good husband to take care of her. Once she has achieved this, Anya returns to Uzbekistan to die, leaving Milya intentionally and hoping her daughter will forget her. Both stories are powerful depictions of circumstances and fully realized characters. (By the way, in the course of reading about Ulitskaya online, I found this recent short video interview with her in Berlin, where she lives now. Though it—sadly—does not discuss her work and instead focuses on politics, it’s nevertheless well worth the time to listen to her thoughts, I think. There is also a long profile in The New Yorker by Masha Gessen; though it appeared in 2014, it’s a much more in-depth look at her writing.)… (altro)
[Added later:]After being less impressed than I expected by "Sonechka," I decided to read the remaining two stories in the same volume. I am pleased to say that I enjoyed them much more…enough so that I intend to go back and re-read "Sonechka." I suspect I may have judged it too hastily. Bronka and her mother come to Moscow after the war and as a girl, Bronka learns to cope with the dismal reality of life in 1940s Moscow through a taboo love affair. Everyone assumes she is just a confused and directionless teenager who gets pregnant repeatedly by the same unknown man but Ulitskaya argues that she in fact has found love and fulfillment. The emphasis is not on where her path leads so much as on the path, the journey, itself. In "Daughter of Bokhara" Anya devotes her life to her daughter Milya, who has Down’s syndrome. Anya, who knows she is dying, tries to teach Milya how to deal with life, even changing jobs to be near Milya and hunts for a good husband to take care of her. Once she has achieved this, Anya returns to Uzbekistan to die, leaving Milya intentionally and hoping her daughter will forget her. Both stories are powerful depictions of circumstances and fully realized characters. (By the way, in the course of reading about Ulitskaya online, I found this recent short video interview with her in Berlin, where she lives now. Though it—sadly—does not discuss her work and instead focuses on politics, it’s nevertheless well worth the time to listen to her thoughts, I think. There is also a long profile in The New Yorker by Masha Gessen; though it appeared in 2014, it’s a much more in-depth look at her writing.)… (altro)
– Vous savez, je suis microbiologiste, j’ai bien peur que l’objet de mes études ne soit soumis à d’autres lois.
– Comment ça, d’autres lois ? Comment ça, d’autres lois ? Dit le jeune homme en s’échauffant. Nous sommes tous soumis à la même loi, la loi marxiste-léniniste !
(...)
– Ça c’est incontestable, cela ne fait pas le moindre doute ! acquiesce Rudolf avec sérieux. Seulement, mes microbes, eux, ne sont pas au courant. (p. 21).
– C’était la peste, Dina. C’était juste la peste !
– Ce n’était que ça ?
Il hoche la tête.
– Et moi qui m’étais imaginé... (p. 128).
Ma première rencontre avec Ludmila Oulitskaïa, et ce n’est peut-être pas la meilleure façon d’aborder son œuvre, car ce livre est en fait un scénario, écrit à la fin des années 80, pour postuler, justement à un cours d’écriture de scénario. Mais le sujet, qui est devenu d’actualité (une épidémie létale qui pourrait devenir mondiale...), dans un pays qui est aussi d’actualité (la Russie... enfin techniquement l’URSS puisqu’on est en 1939), et le ton un peu grinçant de la quatrième de couverture m’ont convaincue. En fait pour être honnête, je n’avais pas vu qu’il s’agissait d’un scénario avant d’avoir lu quelques pages du livre et de me poser des questions sur le style un peu haché. Le fait qu’il s’agisse d’un scénario n’est pas vraiment mis en avant par l’éditeur, et c’est quelque chose que je n’ai pas vraiment apprécié…
Mais une fois ma déconvenue passée, je me suis laissée prendre par l’histoire. C’est un scénario, donc l’action est plutôt hachée et on ne s’arrête pas sur les états d’âme des personnages. C’est finalement un livre plutôt marrant, j’ai eu le ton grinçant que j’espérais. Voir l’appareil stalinien dans toute sa dureté se mettre en mouvement pour éviter une épidémie à son peuple bien aimé et bien protégé. C’est une belle ironie bien russe, et un joli pied de nez à un pouvoir un peu trop contrôlant pour être honnête. Ludmila Oulitskaïa semble s’être bien amusée dans cette histoire ; dans la postface (écrite après le début de l’épidémie de Covid), elle laisse entendre qu’il s’agit d’un fait réel. J’imagine que les réactions des différentes personnes impliquées sont elles imaginées, mais il est intéressant de voir comment la politique et la santé se mêlent dans le cas particulier d’une pandémie et d’un pouvoir autoritaire. On peut se demander si ce qui est décrit ici a quelque rapport avec ce qu’il s’est passé dans un pays comme la Russie ou la Chine lors de la crise du Covid. Mise en perspective intéressante… Même si ce bouquin n’est pas assez fouillé ni incisif à mon goût, ce fut un intermède plaisant et pas dénué d’intérêt au milieu de mes lectures actuelles un peu plus arides.… (altro)
Soniexka, edertasunik gabeko neskatoa, fantasiazko munduan
bizi den nerabea, literaturako pertsonaien ametsak ia
errealitatea bera baino biziago sentitzen dituen emakume gaztea,
Sonia emazte eta ama arduratsua eta azken buruan emakume
jakintsu, zuhur, ernea bilakatzera darama bizitzak, II. Mundu
Gerra aurreko urteetatik Stalin hil ondoko urteak bitartean
aldatuz doan SESBeko gizartean
bizi den nerabea, literaturako pertsonaien ametsak ia
errealitatea bera baino biziago sentitzen dituen emakume gaztea,
Sonia emazte eta ama arduratsua eta azken buruan emakume
jakintsu, zuhur, ernea bilakatzera darama bizitzak, II. Mundu
Gerra aurreko urteetatik Stalin hil ondoko urteak bitartean
aldatuz doan SESBeko gizartean
Liste
Female Author (2)
Monastic life (1)
Premi e riconoscimenti
Potrebbero anche piacerti
Autori correlati
Statistiche
- Opere
- 85
- Opere correlate
- 6
- Utenti
- 2,108
- Popolarità
- #12,210
- Voto
- 3.8
- Recensioni
- 55
- ISBN
- 336
- Lingue
- 22
- Preferito da
- 4