Today I started reading Ivan Goncharov's Oblomov. I'm between 60 and 70 pages through it, while the book is over 500 pages, which I think counts as a novelette in Russia. Nonetheless, I'm greatly enjoying it so far.
The title character is a fading member of Russia's aristocracy, or a Tsarist failson if you prefer. He's lazy and scatterbrained, his servant Zakhar has to take care of all his responsibilities, and some of his friends seem to mean him ill. But he's an engaging character, as well as a funny one. I wonder if John Kennedy Toole had him in mind when he wrote A Confederacy of Dunces.
This book feels like something I've been looking for, something I might learn from. Determination is good, but it's not the only subject.
2 comments:
Probably unsurprising that your description of Oblamov's character and the fact he has a dedicated servant to look after his needs immediately reminded me of Bertie Wooster and Jeeves. The difference was evident the minute I looked up Oblamov. Wodehouse's main intent was to describe the comic elements of the idle British rich whereas Goncharev took a different approach to describe the realities of life through Oblamov. It sounds like an interesting book.
I'm afraid it's been too long since I read A Confederacy of Dunces to have an opinion. I remember John Kennedy Toole as a pretty sad man.
I liked what you said about 500 pages being a novelette in Russia. 'Failson' is a good word too and new to me - or did you invent it?
I enjoy the Jeeves and Wooster books. This one is a little different. Compared to Jeeves, Zakhar is much more openly cranky, as well as a little crooked. When it comes down to it he is loyal to his boss, though. Oblamov also has to deal with his best friend blatantly going after the one woman he's been in love with.
Toole was definitely a troubled guy, considering he committed suicide when he was in his early thirties. Which means that both of his novels were posthumous. The idea of adapting Confederacy into a movie turned out to be ill-starred as well. The actors considered for Reilly kept dying. I think John Belushi was one of them.
I can't claim to have invented "failson." It's a term from intra-left conflicts, but I'm using it for my own purposes.
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