The book relies so much on drugs and insanity that I would classify it as sci-fi if I had to, but not as fantasy. Still, I would put it in a category with other drug literature as a specific genre called exactly that - drug literature.
Political correctness is the pettiest form of casuistry.
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
ἡ δὲ κἀκ τριῶν τρυπημάτων ἐργαζομένη ἐνεκάλει τῇ φύσει, δυσφορουμένη, ὅτι δὴ μὴ καὶ τοὺς τιτθοὺς αὐτῇ εὐρύτερον ἢ νῦν εἰσι τρυπώη, ὅπως καὶ ἄλλην ἐνταῦθα μίξιν ἐπιτεχνᾶσθαι δυνατὴ εἴη. – Procopius
Ummaka qinnassa nīk!
*MySmiley*
Russian Book Club: Chapaev and Pustota or Buddha's Little Finger
- 16/05/2010 03:42:07 PM
964 Views
I'll have my full thoughts up in a few hours
- 16/05/2010 04:33:54 PM
622 Views
Could you give me a better reference as to where that was in the book?
- 17/05/2010 03:09:16 AM
603 Views
Chapter 5, just before Kocurkin appears for the first time. *NM*
- 17/05/2010 02:34:30 PM
279 Views
In Russian it says "succubus" became the Russian "suka" or "bitch" *NM*
- 17/05/2010 02:49:03 PM
355 Views
Ahh, so the English version is closer.
- 17/05/2010 07:38:35 PM
640 Views
This reply is mostly empty of thoughts. 
- 16/05/2010 05:37:54 PM
619 Views
- 16/05/2010 05:37:54 PM
619 Views
I'll wait until it is substantially empty but nominally full, then. 
*NM*
- 17/05/2010 03:09:52 AM
319 Views
*NM*
- 17/05/2010 03:09:52 AM
319 Views
OK, here's what I wrote for the OF Blog on this book
- 17/05/2010 02:22:18 AM
645 Views
I like the way your review is an un-review.
- 17/05/2010 03:08:20 AM
567 Views
That's what I wanted to convey, since it's hard to be definitive with such a work
- 17/05/2010 03:16:19 AM
672 Views
I wouldn't term it "fantasy".
- 18/05/2010 02:24:40 PM
599 Views
My thoughts.
- 17/05/2010 02:16:11 PM
644 Views
Pelevin isn't a real Buddhist, he's a superficial pop-culture Buddhist.
- 18/05/2010 02:33:37 PM
663 Views
Re: Pelevin isn't a real Buddhist, he's a superficial pop-culture Buddhist.
- 18/05/2010 10:37:36 PM
590 Views
It is apparently called Clay Machine Gun in the UK.
- 17/05/2010 02:41:41 PM
618 Views
It's Čapajev a Prázdnota (Chapaev and Emptiness) in Czech
- 17/05/2010 07:46:14 PM
657 Views
In Russian prazdny or prazdnost' would mean "lazy, inactive" *NM*
- 18/05/2010 02:21:42 PM
300 Views
Bah. No bookshop in Edinburgh has it. Amazon will have to be my saviour.
- 18/05/2010 12:56:28 PM
516 Views
I like this passage about 10 pages from the end of the book on Russia
- 17/05/2010 02:56:49 PM
642 Views
I think the pseudo-Buddhist bit is not as good as the Russian vodka psychology.
- 18/05/2010 02:35:07 PM
605 Views
Perhaps
- 18/05/2010 02:38:24 PM
557 Views
All and none. Russia is a paradox, but one that can be explained.
- 19/05/2010 03:30:58 PM
611 Views
Re: I think the pseudo-Buddhist bit is not as good as the Russian vodka psychology.
- 18/05/2010 11:12:10 PM
660 Views
And I still don't have a copy of this book!
- 17/05/2010 07:37:35 PM
666 Views
I'll bet you could find a Russian version online if you searched rambler.ru. *NM*
- 18/05/2010 02:35:49 PM
315 Views
Re: I know a weird "lending library" sort of site that can give you the English version.
- 20/05/2010 12:48:57 PM
756 Views