9781641600699_

Today, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are counted among the best science fiction writers of the twentieth century, but their relationship with the late-Soviet literary establishment in their home country of Russia was often fraught. Acclaimed during the brief Khrushchev Thaw, the Strugatskys began to fall from grace in the late 1960s as publishers became increasingly reluctant to release their works. The authors inability to publish, however, diminished neither their productivity nor their popularity among readers. Their novels and short stories, retyped by hand, circulated widely through unofficial channels within the Soviet Union and occasionally turned up abroad in unauthorized translation.
The nested novels Ugly Swans and Lame Fate offer insight into this period of enforced silence. Never before translated into English, Lame Fate is the first-person account of middle-aged author Felix Sorokin. When the Soviet Writers Union asks him to submit a writing sample to a newfangled machine that can supposedly evaluate the objective value of any literary work, he faces a dilemma. Should he present something establishment-approved but middling, or risk sharing his unpublished masterpiece, which has languished in his desk drawer for years?
Sorokins masterwork is Ugly Swans, previously published in English as a standalone work but presented here in an authoritative new translation. Ugly Swans chronicles the travails of disgraced literary celebrity Victor Banev, who returns to his provincial hometown to find it haunted by the mysterious clammiesblack-masked men residing in a former leper colony. Possessing supernatural talents, including the ability to control the weather, the clammies terrify the towns adult population but enthrall its teenagers, including Banevs daughter Irma. Together, Lame Fate and Ugly Swans illuminate some of the Strugatskys favorite themesthe (im)possibility of political progress, the role of the individual in society, the nature of honor and courage, and the enduring value of artin consummately entertaining fashion. By turns chilling, uproarious and moving, these intertwining stories are sure to delight readers from all walks of life.

(*_*)9781641600699_

The nested novels Ugly Swans and Lame Fate offer insight into this period of enforced silence. Never before translated into English, Lame Fate tells the story of middle-aged author Felix Sorokin, who is asked by the Soviet Writers Union to submit a writing sample to a new computer program that will scientifically evaluate its "objective value" as a literary work. Sorokin must choose whether to present something establishment- approved or risk sharing his unpublished masterpiece.
Sorokins masterwork is Ugly Swans, previously published in English as a standalone work but presented here in an authoritative new translation. Its hero, disgraced literary celebrity Victor Banev, returns to his hometown to find it haunted by the mysterious "clammies"black-masked outcasts with supernatural talents who terrify the towns adult population but enthrall its teenagers, including Banevs own daughter.

Together, Lame Fate and Ugly Swans illuminate some of the Strugatskys favorite themesthe (im)possibility of political progress, the role of the individual in society, the nature of honor and courage, and the enduring value of artin consummately entertaining fashion. By turns chilling, uproarious, and moving, these intertwining stories are sure to delight readers from all walks of life.

...(*_*)9781641600699_

Never before translated into English, Lame Fate is the first-person account of middle-aged author Felix Sorokin. When the Soviet Writers Union asks him to submit a writing sample to a newfangled machine that can supposedly evaluate the "objective value" of any literary work, he faces a dilemma. Should he present something establishment-approved but middling, or risk sharing his unpublished masterpiece, which has languished in his desk drawer for years? Sorokins masterwork is Ugly Swans, previously published in English as a standalone work but presented here in an authoritative new translation. Ugly Swans chronicles the travails of disgraced literary celebrity Victor Banev, who returns to his provincial hometown to find it haunted by the mysterious clammiesblack-masked men residing in a former leper colony. Possessing supernatural talents, including the ability to control the weather, the clammies terrify the towns adult population but enthrall its teenagers, including Banevs daughter Irma. Together, Lame Fate and Ugly Swans illuminate some of the Strugatskys favorite themesthe (im)possibility of political progress, the role of the individual in society, the nature of honor and courage, and the enduring value of artin consummately entertaining fashion.

...(*_*)9781641600699_

Today, Russian authors Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are counted among the best science fiction writers of the twentieth century, but their relationship with the late-Soviet literary establishment was often fraught. By the late 1960s, publishers had become increasingly reluctant to release their works, but their novels and short stories, retyped by hand, circulated widely through unofficial channels within the Soviet Union and occasionally turned up abroad in unauthorized translation.
nThe nested novels Ugly Swans and Lame Fate offer insight into this period of enforced silence. Never before translated into English, Lame Fate tells the story of middle-aged author Felix Sorokin, who is asked by the Soviet Writers' Union to submit a writing sample to a new computer program that will scientifically evaluate its "objective value" as a literary work. Sorokin must choose whether to present something establishment- approved or risk sharing his unpublished masterpiece.
nSorokin's masterwork is Ugly Swans, previously published in English as a standalone work but presented here in an authoritative new translation. Its hero, disgraced literary celebrity Victor Banev, returns to his hometown to find it haunted by the mysterious "clammies"—black-masked outcasts with supernatural talents who terrify the town's adult population but enthrall its teenagers, including Banev's own daughter.
nTogether, Lame Fate and Ugly Swans illuminate some of the Strugatskys' favorite themes—the (im)possibility of political progress, the role of the individual in society, the nature of honor and courage, and the enduring value of art—in consummately entertaining fashion. By turns chilling, uproarious, and moving, these intertwining stories are sure to delight readers from all walks of life.

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