The book "Aviator" appeared on sale in the spring of 2016. In the few months that have passed since then, she has a crowd of fans. What is the reason for this success? Let's try to figure it out.
A few words about the author
Evgeny Vodolazkin does not need a special introduction. Not so long ago, he was known only in scientific circles: Doctor of Philology, employee of the IRLI RAS, specialist in ancient Russian literature. Today he is known not only in Russia, but also abroad. He is called "Russian U. Eco" and "Russian G.G. Marquez, āand his books immediately become bestsellers. Yevgeny Vodolazkinās book āAviatorā appeared on sale several months ago. It will be discussed in this review, but first a little more history.
Early works
Vodolazkin began his writing career when he was already over 30. But the start was swift. In 2010, the novel Solovyov and Larionov was nominated for the Big Book Award. The next novel Laurel, in the opinion of the entire reading community, was the main event in Russian literature in 2012. The following year he won the Yasnaya Polyana Prize, established by the Leo Tolstoy Museum.
After such success, readers eagerly awaited what else Evgeny Vodolazkin would write. The Aviator was well known long before the release. It is not surprising that he instantly became a bestseller, and, in addition, entered the list of nominees for several prestigious literary awards: Russian Booker, Big Book, Book of the Year.
The storyline of the novel "Aviator" (author Evgeny Vodolazkin)
The novel begins with a simple tie. The main character, Innokenty Platonov, wakes up in a hospital ward. He does not remember who he is, nor how and why he was hospitalized. Gradually, his memory begins to return. And although these memories are rather fragmentary and do not concern events, but rather sensations (smells, touches, tastes), he soon already knows that he was born in 1900, lived in St. Petersburg ... That's just how this is possible and what kind of illness happened to him, if itās 1999 now?
Genre
Formally, the novel can be called fantastic. Although no less, it applies to the historical genre. Of course, it is not worth looking for descriptions and evaluations of socially significant historical events in Aviator. But with what care and attention the author writes the smallest signs of the time: cinema, the first electric trams, family orders, views of St. Petersburg at the beginning of the 20th century ... And the word āaviatorā itself is saturated with the romance of the past.
However, the author warns his readers from a literal understanding. Aviator is not a profession, it is a symbol. This is the image of a person who looks at what is happening from a bird's eye view, sees everything differently and draws completely unexpected conclusions: āI thought about the nature of historical disasters - revolutions there, wars and other things. Their main horror is not shooting. And not even in hunger. It is that the lowest human passions are freed ā(Vodolazkin,ā The Aviator ā). Reviews of the novel show that such a way to voice your ideas can be effective.
Receptions
The novel is written in the form of diary entries of the protagonist. This is a very winning authorial move. The reader is simultaneously given the opportunity to learn about past events from the mouth of an eyewitness and to hear an assessment of the present from the mouth of an outside observer. Although the task is quite complicated. After all, the author had not only to study in detail the life of two different times, but also to seriously work on the language of the novel in order to reflect the different style, intonation and pace of speech at the beginning and at the end of the 20th century.
Separately, it should be said about the sense of humor that distinguishes Yevgeny Vodolazkin. "Aviator", reviews confirm this, thoroughly saturated with humor. Isnāt Zaretsky ridiculous, having figured out how to steal sausage from the factory? Doesnāt the idea of āāinviting Platonov to appear in an advertisement for frozen vegetables cause a smile?
Ideas
The central problem of the Aviator is its relation to history. How do the general history and the private history of the individual relate? What gives an idea of āāhis life more - knowledge of the political system and social issues or stories about how his mother cooked and how the sun shimmered in the hair of his beloved woman? Vodolazkin teaches us to be careful about sounds, smells, phrases. They may never get into history books, but they are the essence of man.
Another, no less important question: can time serve as an excuse for a person? Do inhumanity and chaos of the environment allow us to step over our moral principles? Of course not. About this book "Aviator". The author Evgeny Vodolazkin recalls that at the Last Judgment everyone will be held accountable for their lives, for their personal stories.
Literary roll call
It is no secret that contemporary novels, especially those that claim to be philosophical in depth, contain many hidden and explicit references to literary works of the past. Using this technique and Vodolazkin ("Aviator"). Reviews and references to the novels of Defoe and Dostoevsky are often found on the pages of his book.
However, there are more hidden, but no less important roll calls. They attracted the attention of critics and bloggers who wrote their reviews of the novel. Alexei Kolobrodov, for example, finds in Vodolazkin many of the ideas of Lazar Lagin, the author of āOld Man Hottabychā and āBlue Manā. The author of the YouTube channel āBiblionariumā saw similarities with the āLuzhin Defenseā by V. Nabokov, A. Solzhenitsyn's prose and, strangely enough, with D. Keyes's āFlowers for Algernonā.
Reader Reviews
There is not a single thing that everyone would like equally. For every book, film, play, you can find reviews that are directly opposite to each other. The book "Vodolazkin - Aviator" was not an exception, the reviews on which are very diverse. Although in fairness, we note that the positive prevail among them.
Some are seduced by the unhurried rhythm of the narrative. Another remembered Petersburg, described with love and good knowledge of the city. Still others find ideas and thoughts in the book that are consonant with their own. The āBiblionariumā mentioned earlier gives the novel the following characterization: āRomantic, but without pink snot; tragically, but without moaning; philosophically, but without pathos. "
Many people note that they liked the book extremely, especially impressed by the readers that it was written in the genre of historical fiction. Although the idea of āāa fantastic element, as well as the theme of Soviet repression, is not new, it is written in a completely new way. No extra fantasies, a lot of inner peace and ethical dilemmas. The end, however, is not entirely clear to many. Readers ask: will there be a continuation or is it such a thing?
To the question about the ending of the novel, the author has to answer quite often. Although the open finale is not a new phenomenon, which, in addition, provides a huge scope for reading thoughts and interpretations, not everyone likes it.
Aviator (Vodolazkin's book): critical reviews
Critics in assessing this novel turned out to be much more restrained than ordinary readers.
Dmitry Bykov praised the fact that the author did not follow the beaten track, did not speculate on the success of the previous novel, but tried to find something fundamentally new: a new form, new characters and a new language. However, he admitted that the book "The Aviator" is not close to him either in design or in the method of execution.
Galina Yuzefovich, noting the similarity of āAviatorā with Shalamovās and Prilepinās works, nevertheless placed him above the others. In her opinion, Solovki in Vodolazkin is portrayed more truthfully and more terribly than in his predecessors.
But Andrei Rudalev could not find anything new and interesting for himself in the novel. In his opinion, the author simply does not know how to create living heroes whom the reader will empathize with. All characters come out of him with one-sided, simplified, "plywood". And the aviator himself is nothing but a piece of ice. As the story unfolds, the ice melts, and by the end there is only empty space.
Alexey Kolobrodov also could not explain the hype surrounding the book of such an author as E. G. Vodolazkin āThe Aviatorā. Reviews from an enthusiastic audience are unconvincing for him. The abundance in the novel of allusions and intertexts, the inappropriate claims of the author for philosophical depth, according to the critic, do not yet make the novel a literary masterpiece. All these are external attributes, and inside, if you look, an emptiness.
Author's attitude to reviews
According to disinterested sources, Aviator leads in book sales ratings. The book, Vodolazkin cannot but see this, is surrounded by hype. Moreover, not only positive, but also negative reviews influence the increase in popularity. The author himself jokes about this: "All advertising, except for the obituary."
However, following this joke, he admits that the age has already passed when fame was an end in itself. Yes, reviews, both pleasant and not very important for the writer, because he writes in order to be heard. And if they didnāt hear him, if he couldnāt convey his ideas to someone, then he needed to figure out why. So, you need to look for new words, tricks, stories. In general, any criticism, if taken constructively, is useful to the writer.
Filming Suggestions
In interviews with journalists and in meetings with readers, the author admitted that he had already received a number of proposals for the adaptation of his novel. This story is really easy to remake in film format. Vivid images, changing times and places of action - all this should make the tape exciting and spectacular. However, there are some difficulties.
Firstly, it is hardly possible to fit the entire content of the novel into a one-part full-length film, and Vodolazkin has a prejudiced attitude towards the series . Secondly, the issue of the degree of participation of the author of the novel in the process of creating a film should be resolved. Two options are possible here. In the first case, the author sells his idea to producers, and he is eliminated from participation in the creation of the film. True, as a result, the plot may change beyond recognition, so that the author will not even want to be mentioned in the credits. In the second case, the author must control the process of creating the film at all stages. And this requires him and additional knowledge, and additional time costs. It turns out something like the second birth of a work, but already within the framework of a different kind of art. Evgeny Vodolazkin will choose which option and whether the film will be shot, no one knows yet.
One thing is clear right now: the book Aviator (author Evgeny Vodolazkin), the reviews of which we highlighted today, has taken its place among the best works of modern Russian literature.