Petersburg (Russian: Петербург, Peterbúrg) is a novel by Russian writer Andrei Bely. A Symbolist work,[1] it has been compared to other "city novels" like Ulysses and Berlin Alexanderplatz.[2][3][4] The first edition was completed in November 1913 and published serially from October 1913 to March 1914 (and later reissued as a book in 1916).[5] It received little attention and was not translated into English until 1959 by John Cournos, over 45 years after it was written.[citation needed]
In 1922 Bely published in Berlin a revised edition which was shorter by a third than the first one. As Bely noted, "the new edition is a completely new book for the readers of the first edition". In the Berlin version Bely changed the foot of his rhythmic prose from anapest to amphibrach, and removed ironical passages related to the revolutionary movement. The second version is usually considered as inferior to the first one.[8]
The novel is the second part of Bely's unfinished trilogy East or West, while The Silver Dove is the first one.
Just after the conclusion of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905, Nikolai Apollonovich Ableukhov is given the task of assassinating his bureaucrat father, Apollon Apollonovich, using a time bomb supplied to him by a fellow radical, Alexander Ivanovich Dudkin. Nikolai Apollonovich spends much of his time dressing himself in a red domino costume with a black domino mask, making a fool of himself in front of Sofya Petrovna Likhutina, a woman who has rebuked his flirtations in the past. Instead of focusing on the immense task he has agreed to undertake he gets himself into the newspaper's gossip columns with his antics and attends a party. His father notices these exploits and decides that his son is a scoundrel. Dudkin himself answers to a higher power, a man named Lippanchenko who is the leader of their radical group. Eventually both Nikolai Apollonovich and Dudkin experience a change of heart about their mission, however there is much to detain Nikolai Apollonovich on his way to throw the bomb into the river.
CharactersEdit
Apollon Apollonovich Ableukhov - a senior official in the Russian Imperial government
Nikolai Apollonovich Ableukhov (Nikolenka/Kolenka) - Apollon Apollonovich's son; a student involved in radical politics
Anna Petrovna Ableukhova - Apollon Apollonovich's estranged wife and Nikolai's mother; lives in Spain
Sofya Petrovna Likhutina (Angel Peri) - a socialite who runs an informal salon from her apartment
Mavrushka - Sofya Petrovna's maid
Sergei Sergeyevich Likhutin (Seryozhka) - a second lieutenant in the Gregorian Regiment; Sofya's husband; Nikolai Apollonovich's childhood friend
Nikolai Stepanovich Lippanchenko (Lipensky) - attends Sofya Petrovna's salon; a provocator and leader of the radical terrorist wing of the party; based on Yevno Azef
Varvara Yevgrafovna Solovyova - an intellectual well versed in Marxist theory; friends with Sofya Petrovna; involved with the party
Nikolai Petrovich Tsukatov (Coco) - a wealthy man who hosts a ball attended by many of the main characters
Lyubov' Alekseyevna Tsukatova - Nikolai Petrovich's wife
Leib Hussar Shporyshev - attends Sofya Petrovna's salon
Baron Ommau-Ommergau - a "yellow cuirassier"; attends Sofya Petrovna's salon
Count Aven - a "blue cuirassier"; attends Sofya Petrovna's salon
Herman Hermanovich Verhefden - a clerk in Apollon Apollonovich's office; attends Sofya Petrovna's salon
Aleksandr Ivanovich Dudkin - a former political prisoner and local party operative reporting to Lippanchenko
Zoya Zakharovna Fleisch - lives with Lippanchenko; probably a party member
Pavel Yakovlevich Morkovin or Voronkov - possibly a secret policeman; possibly also a party member
Mindalini (Mantalini) - Sofya Petrovna's Italian lover
Bely drew many of his characters from historical models: Apollon Apollonovich shares many characteristics with Procurator of the Holy Synod Konstantin Pobedonostsev; Dudkin resembles the revolutionary terrorist Boris Savinkov; Lippanchenko shares many characteristics with the infamous double agent Yevno Azef.
There are similarities with James Joyce's Ulysses. The linguistic rhythms, wordplay, Symbolism, politics, and general structure and themes of the novel have all been compared to Joyce's novel, as well as the setting of the action in a capital city (Dublin; St. Petersburg) that is itself a character and the unusual use of humor. However, the differences are also notable; the English translation of Bely remains more accessible than Joyce, for example. Bely's work is based on a complex rhythm of patterns, yet does not use such a wide variety of innovations as Joyce.
The comparison of Petersburg to Ulysses has been made for both its symbolist style and for the centrality of the city within the narrative. There are many allusions within the novel to the city's history going back to its founding by Peter the Great, and it incorporates a number of literary allusions to literature set in Petersburg (especially The Bronze Horseman) as well as Russian literature in general. The characters such as Apollon Apollonovich and Alexander Ivanovich often merge with their environments, while the city itself forms a significant role in the story's unfolding.
The book was informed by many of the philosophies Bely and others of his time were concerned with, both political and spiritual. One of the major influences on the somewhat mystical tone of the book was Bely's experience with Rudolf Steiner and his philosophy of anthroposophy. The characters undergo various transcendent states, and these are generally drawn from Bely's spiritual studies. There are also discussions of Marxism and Friedrich Nietzsche's ideas, and, though the book revolves around a political action, much of it is concerned with spiritual states.
TranslationsEdit
There have been four major translations of the novel into English:
St. Petersburg (or Saint Petersburg), translated by John Cournos (1959, based on the Berlin version)[9]
In a review of all the existing English translations, Professor Michael R. Katz writes that, "if someone wants to read Bely's masterpiece and to understand most of it, then learn Russian and read it in the original; if he/she wants to understand some of it, then read Maguire and Malmstad's magisterial annotated, introduced, and reasonably well-translated scholarly edition; and if someone wants just to say that he/she has read Bely's Petersburg for the sake of adding one notch to his cultural gun [then] go read Elsworth's version."[10] In the Times Literary Supplement, Thomas Karshan noted that "Elsworth's version conveys little of Bely's sonic patterning" but that "McDuff's distinguished 1995 version does a good job of approximating the music of Bely's Symbolist prose poetry".[11]
ReferencesEdit
^Giansiracusa, Noah; Vasilyeva, Anastasia (2017-09-07). "Mathematical Symbolism in a Russian Literary Masterpiece". arXiv:1709.02483 [math.HO].
^Nabokov, Russian Writers, Censors, and Readers, Read at the Festival of the Arts, Cornell University, April 10, 1958
^Cornwell, Neil (2016-07-27). James Joyce and the Russians. Springer. ISBN978-1-349-11645-4.
^Barta, Peter I. (1996). Bely, Joyce, and Döblin: Peripatetics in the City Novel. University Press of Florida. ISBN978-0-8130-1450-0.
^Livak, Leonid (2018-12-11). A Reader's Guide to Andrei Bely's Petersburg. University of Wisconsin Pres. ISBN978-0-299-31930-4.
^Katz, Michael R. (Spring 2010). "'Petersburg' Only Seems to Exist--Bely in English Translation". The Slavic and East European Journal. 54 (1): 165–167.
^Karshan, Thomas (2009-01-16). "From oo to hem". Times Literary Supplement (5520): 21.
October 16, 2023
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This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Petersburg novel news newspapers books scholar JSTOR January 2020 Learn how and when to remove this template message Petersburg Russian Peterburg Peterburg is a novel by Russian writer Andrei Bely A Symbolist work 1 it has been compared to other city novels like Ulysses and Berlin Alexanderplatz 2 3 4 The first edition was completed in November 1913 and published serially from October 1913 to March 1914 and later reissued as a book in 1916 5 It received little attention and was not translated into English until 1959 by John Cournos over 45 years after it was written citation needed PetersburgCover of 1916 editionAuthorAndrei BelyOriginal titlePeterburgTranslatorJohn Cournos John E Malmstad amp Robert A Maguire David McDuff John ElsworthCountryRussia GermanyLanguageRussianSeriesEast or WestGenreSymbolist novel modernist novel philosophical novel political novelPublication date1913 1922Preceded byThe Silver Dove Today the book is generally considered Bely s masterpiece Vladimir Nabokov ranked it one of the four greatest masterpieces of twentieth century prose after Ulysses and The Metamorphosis and before the first half of In Search of Lost Time 6 7 In 1922 Bely published in Berlin a revised edition which was shorter by a third than the first one As Bely noted the new edition is a completely new book for the readers of the first edition In the Berlin version Bely changed the foot of his rhythmic prose from anapest to amphibrach and removed ironical passages related to the revolutionary movement The second version is usually considered as inferior to the first one 8 The novel is the second part of Bely s unfinished trilogy East or West while The Silver Dove is the first one Mikhail Chekhov as Apollon Apollonovich Ableukhov Second Moscow Art Theatre production of the novel 1925 Contents 1 Plot summary 2 Characters 3 Analysis 4 Translations 5 ReferencesPlot summary EditJust after the conclusion of the Russo Japanese War in 1905 Nikolai Apollonovich Ableukhov is given the task of assassinating his bureaucrat father Apollon Apollonovich using a time bomb supplied to him by a fellow radical Alexander Ivanovich Dudkin Nikolai Apollonovich spends much of his time dressing himself in a red domino costume with a black domino mask making a fool of himself in front of Sofya Petrovna Likhutina a woman who has rebuked his flirtations in the past Instead of focusing on the immense task he has agreed to undertake he gets himself into the newspaper s gossip columns with his antics and attends a party His father notices these exploits and decides that his son is a scoundrel Dudkin himself answers to a higher power a man named Lippanchenko who is the leader of their radical group Eventually both Nikolai Apollonovich and Dudkin experience a change of heart about their mission however there is much to detain Nikolai Apollonovich on his way to throw the bomb into the river Characters EditApollon Apollonovich Ableukhov a senior official in the Russian Imperial government Nikolai Apollonovich Ableukhov Nikolenka Kolenka Apollon Apollonovich s son a student involved in radical politics Anna Petrovna Ableukhova Apollon Apollonovich s estranged wife and Nikolai s mother lives in Spain Sofya Petrovna Likhutina Angel Peri a socialite who runs an informal salon from her apartment Mavrushka Sofya Petrovna s maid Sergei Sergeyevich Likhutin Seryozhka a second lieutenant in the Gregorian Regiment Sofya s husband Nikolai Apollonovich s childhood friend Nikolai Stepanovich Lippanchenko Lipensky attends Sofya Petrovna s salon a provocator and leader of the radical terrorist wing of the party based on Yevno Azef Varvara Yevgrafovna Solovyova an intellectual well versed in Marxist theory friends with Sofya Petrovna involved with the party Nikolai Petrovich Tsukatov Coco a wealthy man who hosts a ball attended by many of the main characters Lyubov Alekseyevna Tsukatova Nikolai Petrovich s wife Leib Hussar Shporyshev attends Sofya Petrovna s salon Baron Ommau Ommergau a yellow cuirassier attends Sofya Petrovna s salon Count Aven a blue cuirassier attends Sofya Petrovna s salon Herman Hermanovich Verhefden a clerk in Apollon Apollonovich s office attends Sofya Petrovna s salon Aleksandr Ivanovich Dudkin a former political prisoner and local party operative reporting to Lippanchenko Zoya Zakharovna Fleisch lives with Lippanchenko probably a party member Pavel Yakovlevich Morkovin or Voronkov possibly a secret policeman possibly also a party member Mindalini Mantalini Sofya Petrovna s Italian lover Matvei Morzhov a yardkeeper Dmitrich Semyonych the Ableukhovs doorkeeper Ivan Ivanych Ivanov a merchant Bessmertny a shoe salesman Neintelpfain a hack journalist Stepan Styopka a friend of Dudkin s Grishka a lackey in the Ableukhov householdAnalysis EditThis section needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources in this section Unsourced material may be challenged and removed April 2022 Learn how and when to remove this template message Bely drew many of his characters from historical models Apollon Apollonovich shares many characteristics with Procurator of the Holy Synod Konstantin Pobedonostsev Dudkin resembles the revolutionary terrorist Boris Savinkov Lippanchenko shares many characteristics with the infamous double agent Yevno Azef There are similarities with James Joyce s Ulysses The linguistic rhythms wordplay Symbolism politics and general structure and themes of the novel have all been compared to Joyce s novel as well as the setting of the action in a capital city Dublin St Petersburg that is itself a character and the unusual use of humor However the differences are also notable the English translation of Bely remains more accessible than Joyce for example Bely s work is based on a complex rhythm of patterns yet does not use such a wide variety of innovations as Joyce The comparison of Petersburg to Ulysses has been made for both its symbolist style and for the centrality of the city within the narrative There are many allusions within the novel to the city s history going back to its founding by Peter the Great and it incorporates a number of literary allusions to literature set in Petersburg especially The Bronze Horseman as well as Russian literature in general The characters such as Apollon Apollonovich and Alexander Ivanovich often merge with their environments while the city itself forms a significant role in the story s unfolding The book was informed by many of the philosophies Bely and others of his time were concerned with both political and spiritual One of the major influences on the somewhat mystical tone of the book was Bely s experience with Rudolf Steiner and his philosophy of anthroposophy The characters undergo various transcendent states and these are generally drawn from Bely s spiritual studies There are also discussions of Marxism and Friedrich Nietzsche s ideas and though the book revolves around a political action much of it is concerned with spiritual states Translations EditThere have been four major translations of the novel into English St Petersburg or Saint Petersburg translated by John Cournos 1959 based on the Berlin version 9 Petersburg translated and annotated by John E Malmstad and Robert A Maguire Indiana University Press 1978 based on the Berlin version ISBN 0 253 20219 1 Petersburg translated by David McDuff Penguin Books 1995 Petersburg translated by John Elsworth Pushkin Press 2009 winner of the 2012 Rossica Translation PrizeIn a review of all the existing English translations Professor Michael R Katz writes that if someone wants to read Bely s masterpiece and to understand most of it then learn Russian and read it in the original if he she wants to understand some of it then read Maguire and Malmstad s magisterial annotated introduced and reasonably well translated scholarly edition and if someone wants just to say that he she has read Bely s Petersburg for the sake of adding one notch to his cultural gun then go read Elsworth s version 10 In the Times Literary Supplement Thomas Karshan noted that Elsworth s version conveys little of Bely s sonic patterning but that McDuff s distinguished 1995 version does a good job of approximating the music of Bely s Symbolist prose poetry 11 References Edit Giansiracusa Noah Vasilyeva Anastasia 2017 09 07 Mathematical Symbolism in a Russian Literary Masterpiece arXiv 1709 02483 math HO Nabokov Russian Writers Censors and Readers Read at the Festival of the Arts Cornell University April 10 1958 Cornwell Neil 2016 07 27 James Joyce and the Russians Springer ISBN 978 1 349 11645 4 Barta Peter I 1996 Bely Joyce and Doblin Peripatetics in the City Novel University Press of Florida ISBN 978 0 8130 1450 0 Livak Leonid 2018 12 11 A Reader s Guide to Andrei Bely s Petersburg University of Wisconsin Pres ISBN 978 0 299 31930 4 1965 Nabokov s television interview TV 13 NY Nabokov and the moment of truth Archived from the original on 2021 12 21 via www youtube com Peterburg Polka Bely Petersburg www themodernnovel org Katz Michael R Spring 2010 Petersburg Only Seems to Exist Bely in English Translation The Slavic and East European Journal 54 1 165 167 Karshan Thomas 2009 01 16 From oo to hem Times Literary Supplement 5520 21 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Petersburg novel amp oldid 1124000569, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
