July 16th, 2024

People person: the greatness of Andrey Platonov

Andrey Platonov, a celebrated Russian writer born in 1899, is known for his diverse characters and deep exploration of human emotions. Despite challenges, his enduring narratives reflect love, endurance, and societal struggles.

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People person: the greatness of Andrey Platonov

Andrey Platonov, a renowned Russian writer, is celebrated for his creation of diverse and compelling characters. Born in 1899, he grappled with the complexities of Soviet society, facing challenges due to his refusal to conform to state expectations in his writing. Platonov's work, including novels like Chevengur and The Foundation Pit, showcases his unique style and deep exploration of human emotions. Despite facing criticism and limited publication during his lifetime, his stories have endured and continue to resonate with readers. Platonov's narratives often depict themes of love, endurance, and the search for wholeness in a troubled world. Critics praise his ability to capture the essence of Russian society, portraying individuals as collective orphans struggling in a changing landscape. Through his poignant storytelling, Platonov invites readers to reflect on the human condition and the power of connection amidst adversity.

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By @antonkar - 4 months
The Foundation Pit (Kotlovan in Russian) is great and Kafka-like: the Soviet people are digging a giant hole no one knows or remembers why and how deep. Eventually people start dying from the hard work and they are buried in the hole where others continue working
By @m463 - 4 months
had to look up bowdlerized...

> Expurgation. An expurgation of a work, also known as a bowdlerization or fig-leaf edition, is a form of censorship that involves purging anything deemed noxious or offensive from an artistic work or other type of writing or media

It wasn't clear if original version existed? I think of the bukowski mess

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/arts/poetry/bukowksis-poems-wer...

By @Ingaz - 4 months
Platonov is "must read" if you interested in Russian literature but he's not that great.

Vladimir Sorokin wrote that he was fascinated by Platonov but soon discovered that it's too easy to imitate Platonov style.

Platonov chapter in "Blue Lard" is even more Platonov than Platonov himself.

Disregard what I said I encourage to read "Chevengur" - it's super.

By @azubinski - 4 months
Unfortunately, Platonov could not stand the torture and in the second half of his life turned into a de facto mouthpiece of the regime.

However, he was not the only one, and in the end there were no others at all.

In any translation, his texts lose their meaning; now he is interesting only as another example of the work of the totalitarian selection of the “new useful people”.

By @ogurechny - 4 months
Platonov is so powerful that his works melt any petty ideological classification and critique (“X is good, Y is bad”).

And there's a cosmic scale from “The Motherland of Electricity” and “The Fierce and Beautiful World” to “The Seventh Man” and “Rubbish Wind”.

By @tama_sala - 4 months
Potato/ Jerusalem artichoke ? (“Erdapfel”) is my fav
By @lovegrenoble - 4 months
Thank you, will read for shure