Discovering Russian Literature discussion

Hello readers! Our next pick is Sleepwalker in a Fog by Tatyana Tolstaya.

Use this thread for all the discussions to the reading the collection as a whole. If you like seperate threads let me know.

Since there are 7 stories, please mark spoilers either by warning the other readers with ***spoilers included**** OR by simply using the formatting tips in Goodreads,(some html is ok)

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I'm dividing the book according to the thematic elements. Our reading/discussion schedule will be:


1st Division : Heavenly Flame, Most Beloved, Sleepwalker in a Fog (November 1 -15)

2nd Division: Night, The Poet and The Muse (November 16 - 23)

3rd Division: Serafim, Date with a Bird (November 24 - 30)

This thread seems to have gone quiet. So, I'll ask some general questions;

This is a short story collection; Do you prefer It to a novel or do you prefer a novel? What are the advantages?

Has the writers lineage affected her writing?

Vikz wrote: "This thread seems to have gone quiet. So, I'll ask some general questions;

This is a short story collection; Do you prefer It to a novel or do you prefer a novel? What are the advantages?

Has t..."

I'm reading this currently, yes, it's gone quite indeed. That's why I'm reading alone. I guess I'll be sending a massage.

This is a collection of short stories and I love I read so far and I've made a mistake up there it has 7 stories and a novella (Sleepwalker in a Fog).

I finished "Most Beloved" and "Sleepwalker in a Fog" and going though other. The prose is beautiful. There's something about Modern Russian writers that separate them from the rest. The stories alternate from being fantastic and magical and very factual in description. Reminds me a little of Oscar Wilde's The Happy Prince and Other Stories: The Young King; The Devoted Friend; The Model Millionaire but there the setting is completely fantastic. Tolstaya blends both.

********spoilers**********

Like in the "Sleepwalker" fantastic enters when life-deciding struggle. There Denisov learns that he needs a nightmare to be shaken out of his too conveniently arranged life. He is haunted by the fact he forgot his aunt, (Stalin sent aunt Rita to a labor camp) then after waking he realizes hew must atone for his long lie but the way he does it.

*******end spoilers**********

I love what I read so far and would love to have a discussion. I just don't want to add spoilers.

btw, the central characters (all of them perhaps) seem to suffer from a single wrong decision them made in past. It's like typical Thomas Hardy protagonists. Like, Zhenechka in "Most Beloved"

Sounds nice Amalie! I hope others will join. I was planning to read Buddha's Little Finger. I'll see if I can find it but I'll not be joining to this.

I didn't know she was a granddaughter of Tolstoy? Here's an article I found about her.

"Granddaughter of Russian classic author Alexei Tolstoy, writer Tatyana Tolstaya became TV show-woman"

http://english.pravda.ru/society/show...

I finished this. I'd not add any comments since there are no active readers, but you should read this if you get the chance. It's a great collection.
Personal favourites: "Sleepwalker in a Fog", "Night" and "The Poet and The Muse"