The New Sweet Style

One would think that more attention would be paid to a writer with Vassily Aksyonov's history. Author of an anthem for his generation ("Ticket to the Stars"), he rankled his government so much with his phantasmagoric subsequent works ("The Burn," "The Island of Crimea") that he was compelled to emigrate. On US shores, he expanded his repertoire to include more straightforward fiction and created historical novels of the Stalinist era ("Generations of Winter," "The Winter's Hero"). In our post-Soviet age, however, the sex appeal of credentials like these has faded. Perhaps that was part of the inspiration for his latest novel, "The New Sweet Style." In it, Alexander Korbach, a leading figure of the Moscow cultural scene who models himself after Dante Aligheri, finds himself forced out of his country and underwhelmed by America's disinterested reception. While Korbach is occasionally bemused by his new surroundings, he's amost always amused; Aksyonov is similarly open-armed. His prose delights in idioms and puns of the sort that madden translators, and the novel ranges from reportorial descriptions of parking lots in Venice, California to lyrical speculations on cosmology, placing itself squarely in the class of loose, baggy monsters. Assisted by considerable authorial interruption, Korbach lurches from a seedy Inferno in 1980s California toward a unique Paradiso, a ridiculously sublime millennial reunion in Israel with the mummified remains of his earliest ancestor. It's impossible to discredit the work for its lack of cohesiveness, though, given its good-natured refusal to meet that expectation: "We do take leaps, even into the past, within our chapters--modernism is a contagious disease, ladies and gentlemen!" One of these leaps finds Korbach returning to the USSR to lead a revolution. Aksyonov somehow manages to equate totalitarianism with traditional realism, so that when we root for the hero to face down a tank, we're simultaneously rooting for the success of Aksyonov's sweet, idiosyncratic style.

Êíèãà íàïîìèíàåò ïî ñâîèì ìàñøòàáàì è àâòîðñêîé ñâîáîäå «Ñòî ëåò îäèíî÷åñòâà» Ãàáðèýëÿ Ãàðñèà Ìàðêåñà. Ðîìàí ïðîíèçàí ìîùíûìè è, ïîðîé, ïðîòèâîðå÷èâûìè âèáðàöèÿìè. ×èòàòåëü ñ îñîáî ÷óâñòâèòåëüíûìè ÷àêðàìè ðèñêóåò ïîïàñòü â ñîñòîÿíèå ïåðìàíåíòíîãî äóõîâíîãî îðãàçìà. Ïåðâûå ñòðàíèöû ðîìàíà, âåñüìà íàïîìèíàþùèå äèññèäåíòñêóþ ëèòåðàòóðó êîíöà âîñüìèäåñÿòûõ, ïðîñòî ðàñòâîðÿþòñÿ è çàáûâàþòñÿ â íåâåðîÿòíîì, ïî÷òè ôàíòàñòè÷åñêîì ñþæåòå, ïðîïèòàííîì êàê ñìîëîé ýìîöèÿìè, ýðîòèêîé, êàêîé-òî áåçóñëîâíîé è «íåïðàâèëüíîé» âåðîé â Áîãà. Ãëàâíûé ãåðîé ðîìàíà, áàðä, ïîýò è ðåæèññåð ìàëåíüêîãî íåóãîäíîãî ðåæèìó ñîâåòñêîãî òåàòðà «Øóòû», ñøèòûé èç ëîñêóòêîâ ïîðòðåòîâ Âûñîöêîãî, Âèçáîðà, Êîí÷àëîâñêîãî (åñëè íå îøèáàþñü) è, î÷åâèäíî, ñàìîãî Àêñåíîâà, âûíóæäåííî îêàçûâàåòñÿ â èììèãðàöèè â ÑØÀ. Àëåêñàíäð Êîðáàõ îáëàäàåò âñåìè îñîáåííîñòÿìè òàëàíòëèâîãî, íî ñîâåòñêîãî (ñëîâî èñïîëüçîâàíî êàê îïðåäåëåíèå) ÷åëîâåêà, ñ åãî ñòðàõàìè è ëþáîâÿìè, ìíèòåëüíîñòüþ è ãîòîâíîñòüþ ïîëíîñòüþ îòäàòüñÿ Ìóçå, áûòîâûì àëêîãîëèçìîì è îòãîëîñêàìè àðèñòîêðàòè÷åñêèõ ìàíåð. Ñîáñòâåííî, ïîëèòè÷åñêè-áûòîâàÿ ÷àñòü ñþæåòà çàêàí÷èâàåòñÿ, êîãäà Ñàøà ñëó÷àéíî (ñëó÷àéíî?) çíàêîìèòñÿ ñî ñâîèì äàëüíèì ðîäñòâåííèêîì - àìåðèêàíñêèì ìèëëèàðäåðîì Ñòåíëè Êîðáàõîì, ìàíèàêàëüíî óâëå÷åííûì èçó÷åíèåì ãåíåàëîãè÷åñêîãî äåðåâà ðàçáðîñàííîãî ïî ìèðó ñåìåéñòâà Êîðáàõîâ. Ê êîíöó êíèãè äèññèäåíòñòâî, ïîëèòèêà, âëàñòü, áûò, äåíüãè, «êîììóíèçìû», «êàïèòàëèçìû», ïðî÷èå «èçìû» êàæóòñÿ ìàëåíüêèìè âðåäíûìè íàñåêîìûìè, êîòîðûå, õîòü è ó÷àñòâóþò â ñþæåòå - íàñòîëüêî ðàçäðàæàþò ñâîåé ìåëî÷íîé áåññìûñëåííîñòüþ, ÷òî ðèñêóþò áûòü óáèòûìè ïî ìàëåéøåé ïðèõîòè àâòîðà. ×èòàòåëü îñòàåòñÿ íàåäèíå ñ ëþáîâüþ (êàê âñåãäà ó ýòîãî ïèñàòåëÿ - ïëàòîíè÷åñêè-ïîðíîãðàôè÷åñêîé, åñëè ñèå âîçìîæíî), «áîãîì-ïî-àêñåíîâñêè», îùóùåíèåì îòñóòñòâèÿ âðåìåíè êàê îäíîãî èç èçìåðåíèé è ëåãêèì ñòðàõîì ïåðåä ñâîèì ðàñòâîðÿþùèìñÿ â ïðîñòðàíñòâå «ÿ». Ýòà êíèãà - øåäåâð, ïðîòèâîðå÷èâûé è íåèäåàëüíûé, è èìåííî ýòèì ïîäêóïàþùèé. Âîçðàñò Àêñåíîâà âûäàåò òîëüêî íåäîñòèæèìûé äëÿ ìîëîäîãî ÷åëîâåêà óðîâåíü ìàñòåðñòâà, â ñóùíîñòè æå - òåêñò, êàê è ñàì ïèñàòåëü - íåâåðîÿòíî ìîëîäû. Highly recommended.