Well, Viktor Olegovich completely bronzed and completely gave up on creativity, repeating the same topics for the hundredth time in almost the same words. It seems that he knows exactly what the fans want from him and confidently, with an unwavering hand, gives it to them. It seems to me that he could rivet six or seven such collections a year without much difficulty, because Pelevin can write such stories completely automatically. Sometimes it turns out better (“Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes”, “Thaghi”), sometimes mediocre (“Shadow Contemplator”), sometimes it doesn’t matter at all (“Hotel good incarnations"). But in general, the usual Pelevin consumer goods, which you can’t refuse high quality, but still with which you will not catch those chic minutes, which were in abundance while reading "Chapaev" or "Generation P".
I habitually swallowed the new collection, even rated something with high marks, but I understand that I definitely don’t want to reread it. And with Pelevin, this is my personal main quality control, “Chapaev and Emptiness” I re-read seven times, “Generation P” and “Numbers” - five times each, “The Holy Book of the Werewolf” - four. Yes, I even re-read the not-so-successful Amon Ra three times. And here there is no such thing. Emptiness, not under Chapaev be remembered.
Operation Burning Bush. It seems not bad, but at the same time there is absolutely nothing new in the story, not a single fresh thought, not a single new branded Pelevin paradox. He already had everything, including himself... But I remember the concept of power in Generation P and I understand that it was chic, bright, unexpected and at the same time not without meaning. There's nothing even close...
Anti-aircraft codes of Al-Efesbi. And this is a good story. True, good, witty, subtle. Probably the best one in this collection.
Shadow Contemplator. Predictable and boring.
Thagi. A funny story, however, somewhat reminiscent of Pelevin's old story about YTsUKEN, only it was even better there. But overall, I enjoyed reading it.
Hotel of good incarnations. And that doesn't fit at all. A kind of story on behalf of Captain Evidence, and only at the end with these angelic horns Pelevin tried to give it originality, but it was already quite late.
In general, not impressed.
And also by name. Why "Pineapple water for a beautiful lady"? It's not at all clear.
Approximately according to the same principle, Dontsova selects the names - so that they sound bright. By the way, "AVDPD" would be perfect for any of her books.
Score: 7
An absolutely epic anthology, the final victory of the forces of reason over the forces of good. Well, or vice versa.
If we take the collection as a whole, this is one of those works where the tone of the narrator is more important, in a broad sense, even than what he says.
It's like in the movie "Predator", when the character of Arnold S. at some point finally gets tired of all this partisanship and running around in the thicket of the forest and dancing laser sights on snags and leaves. Beret, smeared from head to toe with clay, climbs out onto the highest rock with a torch and is taken with terrible force yell!
In watching how simple great writer, tired of the Aesopian language and subtle satire about the text in the text that reads the text, and about the farming of sausage and vodka in Dostoevsky's cloudy Petersburg, at some point he says: "But how did you really get it!"
And he was blown away by the tower, and with a characteristic hiss, the Jedi lightsaber was activated and away we go...
There is always something at the same time a little ridiculous, and scary, and crazy, but it is always very majestic.
At such a moment, when it becomes really uncomfortable, and a thought flickers, as when watching some Russian festival movie (“are they completely crazy there?”), at that moment you understand where the pineapple water comes from, and how much in all this bitter self-irony, and why we still do not fly to the Asteroid Belt.
The author, who devoted quite a lot of time to the war against closed ones due to lack of funding windmills, on the blades of which the still half-erased "s.s.s.r." , all-round defense with a machine gun, because now instead of them it is necessary to resist such an ominous and all-encompassing storage facility, for which one Cervantes spear and basin will not be enough.
Refreshing, and, I would say, cathartic effect!
It's as if it turns out that no nuclear attack"Skynet" and the rebellion of machines was not and will not be, but everything was seized and divided a long time ago. In City 17, everything is under control, drones are patrolling the squares, zombies and headcrabs have subsided, the people are full, the Alliance is vigilant, and the Citadel is strong, and now you turn on the radio, but instead of the traditional address of Administrator Breen, through the noise of interference comes, for example: “. ..this is John Connor, and if you are listening to this, you are the resistance..."
At this moment, you understand something important about what is happening around, and, most importantly, about yourself.
Score: 10
The quietest English teacher Semyon Levitan, who as a child learned to read the Sovinformburo reports in the right voice, but with a wild local accent, becomes a tool of the Russian special services, the personal Voice of God of US President George W. Bush. and whistleblower terrible secret Kremlin leaders.
The unsuccessful Kremlin political strategist and propagandist Savely Skotenkov turns out to be the elusive Mujahideen Saul Al-Efesbi (“such a name is most likely connected with the fact that Skotenkov entered Afghanistan on a Turkish passport,” the author calmly notes) and begins to bring down American drones from heaven by the Word of God.
The frivolous regular Goa Oleg Petrov opens the abyss, looking out from his own shadow, the disillusioned Satanist Boris finds a way out to the adherents of full-fledged evil, and the beautiful lady Masha, under the guidance of a chatty angel, explores the beautiful, funny and, as a result, happily elusive world of glamor, cutting and naturalization.
I became a rabid fan of Pelevin over 20 years ago, from the German fascist stories and Werewolves of the Middle Strip. large form went worse, although «Empire V» liked it very much - but for some reason it became a reason for parting-so far-good. Accordingly, two next books I missed it without regret, I intended to do the same with the third - but I decided to take a chance. Which is very happy.
The collection "Pineapple Water" is quite modern, mockingly topical and over-relevant - and at the same time it is very similar to the adored "Blue Lantern" and, in general, to the early Pelevin. The early one butted heads with slightly different demons and would hardly have declared in the title an alternative to the readiness to give one’s life for the sake of loving women yes dishes. So it's the little things.
Finally, it is believed that the story of the loser-teacher, who turns the world on the tip, which is characteristic, of the tongue, was invented by the person who wrote “The Weapon of Retribution” and “Middlegame” (and the song “Glory to the Psychonauts” has nothing to do with it). That the avenger Al-Efesbi came out of the howling blizzard that gave birth to the programmer Gerasimov from the Yuletide Cyberpunk. That the shadow is the same hunk in profile, eternal evil catches up with those who go to him, not making out whether he is on foot or in a moon rover, and the exit from the crystal world differs little from the escape from the chicken coop.
Score: 8
The collection is divided by the author into two parts: "Gods and Mechanisms" and "Mechanisms and Gods". The first is devoted to the problem of turning a mechanism into God; in the story “Operation Burning Bush” this problem is presented in a literal sense, in the “Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes” - as the exercise of the power of the Word over a machine created by man in his own image and likeness, and, therefore, in some sense, and the likeness of God. The first story is rather parodic, besides it is very secondary, reminiscent of "Generation P" and "Empire V" at the same time. The second story from the first part of the collection is much more interesting - a vicious and thoughtful satire on the American military machine serving the Western consumer society, and also partly on Russia with its eternal gouging and traditionally belated gratitude to its heroes. But it is not limited to satire: it is also a curious science fiction philosophical fantasy on the topic artificial intelligence, which, developing, becomes a target of propaganda, which makes us look at cybersecurity problems from a rather paradoxical perspective.
The second part of the collection consists of three stories in which we are talking about the mechanism of the gods - about, in fact, what these gods are like “technically”, where they come from in our minds and what to do with them. And this second part is weaker - for the most part it comes down to naked philosophy in the spirit of subjective idealism with an admixture of dubious humor. Both “The Shadow Contemplator” and “The Hotel of Good Incarnations” say the same thing – we are all emanations of a deity, and evil and demons exist only in our sick imagination, that is, they are the shadow of our own fears. Metaphysical edification is set off by rude humor, but this does not save the situation, but on the contrary. Stands out from the general lovely story"Thugs" is a striking satire on fashionable "dark" cults and those who want to become adherents of "evil". Judging by the quotations on the Internet, this story has already become a classic.
Bottom line: a collection - it is a collection, albeit a conceptual one. From heterogeneity and inequality constituent parts it didn't save him. In general, it is quite worthy of reading, but I especially want to highlight the “Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes” and “Thugs”, the rest is for an amateur.
Score: 7
A collection of five short stories or short stories, maybe short stories. Depending on how someone understands what format. A collection not united by a common concept. Anyway, I didn't feel it. Each one is interesting in and of itself. Pelevin, in my eyes at least, has established himself as a master of unexpected endings. And the attempt to describe the birth of God in the human mind in the first story was very impressive. The same technique in the third story, but a little weaker. But the idea of talking with your shadow is no longer science fiction, but esoteric. To be honest, in the course of reading, I expected that not everything was clean there, but it was a sinful deed to think that the hero of the story had smoked, or had eaten too many mushrooms, but it also turned out funny, although I didn’t guess ...
All stories have tension. That is, Pelevin prepares the reader very well for unexpected turns plot. Although in the most fantastic of the stories, namely "The Anti-Aircraft Code ...", the ending is laid out in general terms at the very beginning. But I applaud in my heart. He has that very “fantastic realism”, no matter how paradoxical it may sound, which is necessary for a work with a fantastic entourage, which you can believe in. Although, what kind of entourage is there. Special forces are at war and have always been at war ...
The fourth story about the goddess Kali I read the fastest. That is, I understood the ending from another ten pages, but HOW this would happen, I was very interested.
And, finally, the final story caused me associations with the story of Natalia Darialova (the one who is “On everyone's lips”, and by coincidence, she is also the daughter of one of the Weiners. This is me to the fact that it certainly could not have happened without a dad) "Here is the end of eternity." The story is short, but when I first read it about ten years ago, it struck me. And here, too, comes in handy, a quote from Shenderovich, so hated by Pelevin himself (somewhere he flashed it):
"- Who are you?
Angel, why are there machine guns on the towers, and barbed wire on the fence?
Talkers in Paradise...
So, welcome to the "paradise" of the politically incorrect Pelevin...
Score: 8
After the novel "Numbers" I thought that for a very long time I would not read Pelevin's new things. Because the bandits, oligarchs, prostitutes and special services are fed up (I would put it in the words of Viktor Olegovich himself, but the moderators will not appreciate the mat). But it hasn't even been six months.
Seeing on the "beam" a collection of "Pineapple water for a beautiful lady" at a special price, I could not resist. In the heat of the moment I put it up for sale in advance, now I regret it a little, but not much - it was not published in such a way that it would be very good, the electronics will completely replace it.
[b]Operation Burning Bush (2010) 9
Despite the plug-, ugh, post-modern quotes, both technology (tooth filling - transmitter, voices and vans, hello, Gleb Golubev), and the religious-philosophical part itself (processing of the "Rose of the World" and other mystics), is stated so well that below 9 is impossible. And it is useful to convey information to the general public. That's just a quote from Chichibabin should have been made with reference to the author.
[b] Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes (2010) 10
Also a great thing. “You still don't have a democracy? Then we fly to you! - the topic is revealed brilliantly. Against the background of Pentagon figures, you begin to sympathize even with the Mujahideen. A slight nostalgia for the unfulfilled dreams of the 60s, and Viktor Olegovich's mockery of the society of consumerism, tolerance and false humanism has long been noticed.
[b] Shadow Contemplator (2010) 8
This time the source of inspiration was Plato + a tried and tested idea about the illusory nature of our world. Well, but Pelevin has already written on this subject.
[b] Thagi (2010) 10 .
And this is simply amazing!! A brilliant overview of "left hand ideologies", to use Daniil Andreev's terminology. Western Satanism - small horned livestock (c), "die, Denis, you can't say better." It is warmly recommended to all adherents of pure and not very evil
[b] Hotel of good incarnations (2010) 7
But this is a passing thing, not very interesting. New Russians again And some vague angel.
Total: in general 9 out of 10. There are more good ones.
Score: 9
When “t” came out, I already hoped for at least half the return of the beautiful Pelevin from the times of “Chapaev and Void”. But no. In “Pineapple Water”, he again slipped into little meaningful political-fly agaric verbosity, mixed with Eastern cultures and not burdened with the effervescence that we are used to from V.P. wait. What he used to be able to express in one phrase, now he stretches it into a whole story. The same “Anti-aircraft codes” fit into the story for three pages, and even “Operation Burning Bush” is generally secondary so much that it would be possible not to write. Pelevin clones himself once again, and this is sad.
Score: 4
Why: after my friend mentioned the ZENITH CODES in the context of modern combat robots, I re-read the ZENITH CODES first, and then the entire collection. Just awesome! What I love Viktor Olegovich for is his biting, cynical and topical imagery and metaphor.
No, of course, all his Buddhist reflections about the absence of a concrete Self, about the Atman and other things also give pleasure, but when he deconstructs some phenomenon with a biting, and with a mother, you understand that you can’t say it better.
And he always anticipates some things. Or simply Reality harmonizes itself with Pelevin's novels.
10(Masterpiece)
Score: 10
The 2010 collection Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady is very similar to the 2008 collection Farewell Songs of the Political Pygmies of Pindostan. And according to formal features (5 works each, two of which are larger than the rest and are practically stories), and according to the forms of presentation (ordinary stories + pseudo-documentary). But if the 2008 collection could be described as a rehash of old themes in a modern way, then the 2010 collection is something completely original and completely organic, whole. I think it would be more logical to call the book not "Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady", but "Gods and Machines", which is used in the table of contents. For this is the whole point of the collection.
Gods and mechanisms - their relationship is multifaceted and is revealed by Pelevin with different angles, using various artistic and plot means. But, interestingly, they remain the key idea in every short story of the entire collection:
Operation Burning Bush - by Mechanism main character becomes the voice of the Lord strong world this - the President of the United States. The phases and accents of the relationship between “God” and his chosen one are perfectly outlined, starting with a fright from a miracle and ending with sincere mutual care. Here it is perfectly clear that God is also responsible for the one whom he tamed;)
The anti-aircraft codes of Al-Efesbi - people create such living military mechanisms that they actually acquire a semblance of consciousness, artificial intelligence, and people, in turn, become like gods who molded something thinking out of metal and conductors. But how alive this artificial mind is to be learned from the story. Perhaps the "gods" even overdid it.
Shadow Contemplator - here is demonstrated the mechanism of connection with something mystical, divine, through its own shadow, which knows much more.
Thagagi - shows the mechanism of work of the World Evil sect. What should be the real Evil, and what kind of service it expects from its loyal subjects.
The hotel of good incarnations - the mechanism of the appearance of the deposit of life of some abstract Masha is described with the help of a divine angel, informing Masha what and how awaits her. That is, the mechanism of the birth of the spiritual before the birth of the physical.
Thus, the conjugation of the terms “gods” and “mechanisms” runs like a red thread through the entire collection, which is very pleasant, a serious approach is visible, no matter what anyone says about some lazy Pelevin, who began to write recent books left foot, if only they were allowed to print. I repeat, the collection "Pineapple Water ..." is more harmonious than the previous similar collection. A long time ago I planned to read only one of these collections and hesitated for a long time which one to choose, because, rounding off, the reviews were approximately equal in criticism. But now I am definitely convinced that this book is stronger. And this does not diminish the advantages of "P5", in which the wonderful "Hall of Singing Caryatids" and "Assassin" are wonderful. Just as wonderful in "Pineapple Water ..." - "Operation Burning Bush" and "Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes". And the latter, in general, for me personally, are simply beyond praise, for a long time Pelevin did not come across such a quality.
But what about the title of the collection? Of course, I remain of my opinion, but Pelevin's move is also very interesting: to name the collection in such a way that it will be mentioned only once, in the very last story, in the third paragraph from the end. To some extent witty, also to some extent a very sonorous title for the collection, I believe, provided the proper marketing effect.
Score: 9
Everyone who expected a new book by Viktor Pelevin got exactly what they wanted.
A lot of words have been said here on absolutely all acute topics and on all topics that are now in the language. There is everything from the reign american president George W. Bush and resolving issues in military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan, to the most famous and scandalous site to date, WikiLeaks.
For all lovers of such literature using corporate identity Pelevin is an excellent book. For everyone else - the usual ordinary literature that will pass by.
Score: 7
A fairly even collection, released in 2010, again gave rise to discussions around creativity Viktor Olegovich. Like, everything or more? The answer is inside.
The first story of the collection, “Operation Burning Bush”, is a completely traditional thing for Pelevin, allowing again marry post-Soviet realities with mysticism, and current politics with timeless irony. The hero of the story is a modest English teacher Semyon Levitan. From the famous speaker of the same name to him mysteriously got a unique voice with the ability to conjure, frighten or inspire hope. This gift attracts the attention of the FSB: with the help of a cunning transmitter, Levitan will become the voice of God, sounding in the head of President George W. Bush. and inciting to all sorts of nonsense for the good of Russia. But in order to speak convincingly in the name of God, one must become at least partially God himself, and Semyon embarks on a strange journey through the depths of his personality...
The second story, indirectly related to the first one, is “The Protective Codes of Al-Efesbi” - the story of the Russian Lawrence of Arabia, or, if you like, Baron Ungern. On the assignment of intelligence, the young intellectual Savely Skotenkov is sent to Afghanistan to fight American unmanned aircraft. Wandering through the desert in the company of the Mujahideen, looking for magic words that can bring down deadly war machines on the ground, he gains the wisdom of the East and achieves success in his lonely war, but soon he is not needed by his own country and falls into the hands of enemies.
The story "The Contemplator of the Shadow" serves as a detailed explication of Shakespeare's "he who wanted to catch a shadow, happiness is his destiny." Indian guide Oleg Petrov grows a shadow at home to answer his questions about the universe. The Indian theme continues in the story "Thagai" - about the search for a deeply secret sect of thieves-stranglers, worshiping the goddess Kali.
Everything ends with the “Hotel of Good Incarnations”, at the end of which the meaning of the name is also clarified: what kind of pineapple water and why for a beautiful lady. And why here - in Russia, and indeed in this world - it is better not to be born.
Score: 8
It is difficult to find something in common between these stories, except perhaps for some humorous-ironic-satirical orientation. In any case, "Pineapple Water" cannot be called a thematic collection - these are just those stories of Pelevin that are too small for a separate publication. Nonetheless, this collection A must read for all fans of the author.
Five (actually six) paradoxical stories. Of course, traditional Pelevin solipsism is also mixed here, but there is much more intelligible wit and satire.
Score: 7
No matter what they say, no matter what envious enemies write, the first decade present century Russian literature, like the last century of the twentieth, passed under the sign "P". Over the years, a lot of good authors and a few great writers, but about whom else did they write so much, and once zealously argued? Whose books are still waiting for readers, whose books cannot go unnoticed even by ardent critics of Pelevin's work? Starting usually with the fact that the writer "took the path of self-parody" and reading it - only to be disappointed, critics are in no hurry to put an end to this, but begin to prove their assertion. Yes, so zealously that you soon realize that he did not write worse and his new book must be read!
Pelevin and EKSMO are building a marketing policy in such a way that they do not allow people to forget about themselves. As soon as the controversy over the “T” was noisy, a collection of new stories and short stories was released (only one was published earlier). Part one deserves the main attention - “Gods and Mechanisms” - about the secret life and exploits of the modest heroes of our special services unknown to the public ... Pelevin obviously does not like all kinds of “organs”, but writes about them all the time ... What to do if the “colonels” mean so much in today's Russian society. The author doesn’t really like humans either, but it’s not about gophers to write about!
The story of Syoma Levitan from Odessa in the story "Operation" Burning Bush "" is written out "sincerely", so that empathy " little man” will be undeniable for most readers of Pelevin's prose. Growing up to a “bald Jewish loser”, Syoma is the owner of the gift “to speak with a voice afterlife»Yes, and he knows English - it is no coincidence that many years later he meets a childhood friend who has become a general of the FSB during this time. After training in the “sensory deprivation chamber”, Semyon becomes a “psychonaut” and begins to “work as God”! Establishes contact with President Bush, embodying the dogma of the Americans about God's chosenness of America - this is how Operation Burnt Bush begins. "God's" revelations and recommendations force Bush to make often ridiculous decisions, and what to do - "I have no other God for you ..."
In the course of the story, Pelevin gives brief sketches of modern life, the psychology of Jews, wonderfully describes all these “mystical trips” (they are also journeys of consciousness in esoteric worlds). Syoma really “knows God” - the only soul in the world ... The end of the story, as always with Pelevin, is sad: it turns out that the Americans control a similar method Russian rulers since the fifties - moreover, on behalf of not God at all ...
The modest hero of the Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes is Saveliy Skotenkov, a child of the era of primitive capital accumulation, the author of Cryptodiscourse,
which revealed the main contradiction of the 21st century, the contradiction between hydrocarbon despots and pipeline democracies. Well, where can he go with our bureaucracy, capable of mastering even the ancient Martian cult? With today's economic reality, which gives unlimited opportunities for parting with money? Only for courses high school FSB!..
Having learned a lot about UAV drones and the F.D.O.M. with a neural connection, Skotenkov in a green turban (like Saul Al-Efesbi) appears in Afghanistan and, without much straining, destroys nine superdrones at once! It is interesting to read even about production and technical details, not to mention the fact that Pelevin plays masterfully with words. Let his maxims: “The supreme power is simply the strongest wolf pack” or “The highest art of lying is not to lie all the time” - they are not “discoveries”, but all this still needs to be precisely and briefly formulated!
Of course, the story ends sadly... Having destroyed 471 "Freedom Liberator", Al-Efesbi does his job and ... leaves... Once in the village of Ulema, he philosophizes: "For the entire twentieth century, we, Russian fools, have been a generator that generates happiness Western world"... Isn't that right?
The second, smaller part of the collection - "Mechanisms and Gods" - is only a "voluminous" support for the first. Fully realizing that the truth is unattainable, Pelevin still likes to write about her search in "the era of primitive accumulation, which has entered a phase of unstable decay." Conjuring his own shadow in "The Shadow Contemplator", this modest "hero" comprehends something: "His body itself was a thought, the world was a shadow, God was a light..." Did knowledge bring at least a modicum of happiness? Rhetorical question...
The short story "Thagai" is for those who dream of becoming an adept of pure evil. And it contains many remarkable lines, for example, about “liberal discourse” in Russia as a sequence of noise and visual effects. The moral of the story is simple, but clear - do not dig a hole for others ... One could not write about the story "Hotel of Good Incarnations" if it were not for the question that arises - what kind of "pineapple water" is this? The reader will meet a mention of it - on the very last page end story...
The ubiquitous Dmitry Bykov has already managed to write: “I really like“ Pineapple Water ... ”is an accurate diagnosis of the whole literary activity Pelevin of recent years. How can I disagree, because I really like the social fiction of the writer, his satire on a philosophical lining, "tough, fun-cynical" prose.
Rating: no
Viktor Olegovich has established himself as a talented and versatile writer, able to capture the imagination and make you think. Therefore, from each new book, the reader expects not just high-quality literature, but something that made its way to the very “marrow of the bones” (as Chapaev and Void and Generation P had made their way before.)
If the reader begins his acquaintance with Pelevin from this book, it will be something like a revelation for him. If he has already read Viktor Olegovich, then he is unlikely to be very hooked. No, the author, as always, keeps his mark, but that's all. Again the same Buddhism, drugs, politics, the same allegories... If things go on like this, Pelevin's books will simply become boring. What to do, soup is soup, but sometimes you want borscht!
Victor Pelevin
Pineapple water for a beautiful lady
GODS AND GEARS
The author does not necessarily share the religious, metaphysical, political, aesthetic, national, pharmacological and other assessments and opinions expressed by the characters of the book, its lyrical heroes and figures of storytellers.
Operation Burning Bush
I'm the little jew who wrote the Bible.
For you to know, my name is Semyon Levitan.
I was born and raised in Odessa, at the fifth station of the Big Fountain. We lived very close to the sea, in a Stalinist apartment of the late thirties, inherited by my family because of a momentary and not entirely sincere closeness to the regime. It was a spacious and bright dwelling, but in its spaciousness and light, an inexpressible Soviet horror, which soaked all the buildings of that time.
However, my childhood was happy. The water in the sea was clean (although then it was called dirty), trams ran without interruptions, and no one in the city knew that instead of of English language children need to learn Ukrainian - that's why they sent me to an English special school. By strange coincidence, in its lobby hung a reproduction of the painting "Above Eternal Peace" by one of my great namesakes - Isaac Levitan.
I have nothing to do with this artist. But, according to my parents, I am a distant relative of the famous Soviet radio announcer Yuri Levitan, who in the forties voiced information bureau reports on the radio. It may very well be that it was the genes that gave me a strong and beautiful voice"mysterious silver-night timbre", as the school music teacher, who unsuccessfully taught me to sing, put it.
I have not seen documentary evidence of kinship - we have not preserved any archives. But family tradition forced my mother to buy a whole box of Levitan's records on flexible records made from old radiographs. I suspect that the same shade of reflected grandeur infected the preferentialist dad with the saying “I don’t play, but I keep the score.”
Listening to the measured, as if unhurriedly jubilant voice of Levitan, from childhood I was amazed at his strength and learned to imitate it. I memorized entire military reports and took a strange, almost demonic pleasure in being, for a few minutes, the mouthpiece of a fighting empire. Gradually I mastered intonation tricks Soviet announcer, and sometimes it began to seem to me that I was a real student of a sorcerer - my fragile voice suddenly exploded with a roar of thunderous words, as if backed up by all the tank power of Central Asia.
My parents were very impressed with my imitative talent. It was a little more difficult for other people.
The fact is that my native language was not so much Russian as Odessa. Both mother and father spoke the already practically extinct Russified Yiddish, which is so mediocrely portrayed by all the tellers of Jewish jokes. I can say that I grew up inside a bearded and not too funny joke, where the phrase “how much does this fish cost” sounded like “skilki koshtuye tsey fish”.
This specific Odessa parlance soaked into my vocal cords so deeply that all later attempts to overcome it were unsuccessful (looking ahead, I will say that a thick shadow of Yiddish fell not only on my Russian, but also on my English). Therefore, although the Levitan portrayed by me sounded completely natural to my parents, he made the visitors from Ma-a-askwa laugh to the point of colic. To me, their viscous, like condensed milk, northern accent seemed impossibly rural.
In the summer I was sent to a strange pioneer camp, located very close to my house - it was located in the building of a boarding school for the deaf and dumb, who, presumably, were taken to the north for the summer. In the ward of the pioneer camp, I entertained the stronger and more impudent guys with my little gift.
I must say that I was a weak boy. At first, my parents hoped that my height and strength were only temporarily suspended in some heavenly customs, and that I would still make up for it. But by about the sixth grade, it became completely clear that the pope did not create Goliath, but another David.
Wise Freud knowingly said that anatomy is destiny. My imitative talent was the only counterbalance to the cruel sentence of nature. But still, there was a counterbalance, and the gopniks with the hegemons did not beat me too often - I knew how to entertain them.
At first, I simply read the military reports, memorized by heart, full of wild geography - in the dark chamber they sounded like invincible Asian spells. But gradually it bored my listeners, and I began to improvise. And here it turned out amazing features my magical speech.
Any of the scary stories that children tell each other in the dark acquired a different quality in my performance - and frightened even those who usually laughed at horror stories. Moreover, the simplest words, addressed to my ward comrades in the dark hour after lights out, were suddenly filled with an eerie meaningful meaning, as soon as I uttered them in Levitan's voice.
Any ethnographer familiar with the characteristics of Eurasian childhood knows that in adolescent environment strict social protocols are observed, the violation of which is fraught with the same consequences as disrespect for prison taboos. But mine Magic power put me above such rules. In moments of impersonations, I could, as they used to say then, “babble” without any consequences, saying anything to anyone - and they resigned themselves to this, as if honoring the spirit that had descended on me. Of course, I did not perform such experiments in my usual emaciated capacity, when it became light in the ward.
There was, however, one annoying problem - I have already mentioned it. Some guys were immune to my magic. Moreover, I made them laugh. Usually they were Muscovites, brought to us by the currents of the Arctic air.
The reason was in my Odessa reprimand - it seemed to them ridiculous and incompatible with the formidable meaning of the spoken words. At such moments I felt something akin to the tragedy of a poet who is prevented by a slight burr from seducing the world with the spell of quite brilliant lines. But there were few Muscovites among my listeners, and some of them did fall under the blows of the dark wings of my demon, so I didn’t really worry about this issue.
I even became friends with one of the Muscovites. His name was Vlad Shmyga. He was a fat, gloomy guy with very attentive eyes and a perpetually sweaty hedgehog. I was flattered that he was one of those northerners who did not laugh at my reprimand, and he was undoubtedly impressed by my talent.
The author does not necessarily share the religious, metaphysical, political, aesthetic, national, pharmacological and other assessments and opinions expressed by the characters of the book, its lyrical heroes and figures of storytellers.
For you to know, my name is Semyon Levitan.
I was born and raised in Odessa, at the fifth station of the Big Fountain. We lived very close to the sea, in a Stalinist apartment of the late thirties, inherited by my family because of a momentary and not entirely sincere closeness to the regime. It was a spacious and bright dwelling, but in its spaciousness and light, the inexpressible Soviet horror that permeated all the buildings of that time was clearly present.
However, my childhood was happy. The water in the sea was clean (although then it was called dirty), trams ran without interruptions, and no one in the city knew that children should learn Ukrainian instead of English - so they sent me to an English special school. By a strange coincidence, a reproduction of the painting “Above Eternal Peace” by one of my great namesakes, Isaac Levitan, hung in her lobby.
I have nothing to do with this artist. But, according to my parents, I am a distant relative of the famous Soviet radio announcer Yuri Levitan, who in the forties voiced information bureau reports on the radio. It may very well be that it was genes that gave me a strong and beautiful voice of a “mysterious silver-night timbre,” as the school music teacher, who unsuccessfully taught me to sing, put it.
I have not seen documentary evidence of kinship - we have not preserved any archives. But a family tradition forced my mother to buy a whole box of Levitan's recordings on flexible records made from old radiographs. I suspect that the same shade of reflected grandeur infected the preferentialist dad with the saying “I don’t play, but I keep the score.”
Listening to the measured, as if unhurriedly jubilant voice of Levitan, from childhood I was amazed at his strength and learned to imitate it. I memorized entire military reports and took a strange, almost demonic pleasure in being, for a few minutes, the mouthpiece of a fighting empire. Gradually, I mastered the intonation tricks of the Soviet announcer, and sometimes it began to seem to me that I was a real student of a sorcerer - my fragile voice suddenly exploded with a roar of thunderous words, as if backed up by all the tank power of Central Asia.
My parents were very impressed with my imitative talent. It was a little more difficult for other people.
The fact is that my native language was not so much Russian as Odessa. Both mother and father spoke the already practically extinct Russified Yiddish, which is so mediocrely portrayed by all the tellers of Jewish jokes. I can say that I grew up inside a bearded and not too funny anecdote, where the phrase “how much does this fish cost” sounded like “skilki koshtuye tsei fish”.
This specific Odessa parlance soaked into my vocal cords so deeply that all later attempts to overcome it were unsuccessful (looking ahead, I will say that a thick shadow of Yiddish fell not only on my Russian, but also on my English). Therefore, although the Levitan portrayed by me sounded completely natural to my parents, he made the visitors from Ma-a-askwa laugh to the point of colic. To me, their viscous, like condensed milk, northern accent seemed impossibly rural.
In the summer I was sent to a strange pioneer camp, located very close to my house - it was located in the building of a boarding school for the deaf and dumb, who, presumably, were taken to the north for the summer. In the ward of the pioneer camp, I entertained the stronger and more impudent guys with my little gift.
I must say that I was a weak boy. At first, my parents hoped that my height and strength were only temporarily suspended in some heavenly customs, and that I would still make up for it. But by about the sixth grade, it became completely clear that the pope did not create Goliath, but another David.
Wise Freud knowingly said that anatomy is destiny. My imitative talent was the only counterbalance to the cruel sentence of nature. But still, there was a counterbalance, and the gopniks with the hegemons did not beat me too often - I knew how to entertain them.
At first, I simply read the military reports, memorized by heart, full of wild geography - in the dark chamber they sounded like invincible Asian spells. But gradually it bored my listeners, and I began to improvise. And here the surprising features of my magical speech came to light.
Any of the scary stories that children tell each other in the dark acquired a different quality in my performance - and frightened even those who usually laughed at horror stories. Moreover, the simplest words, addressed to my ward comrades in the dark hour after lights out, were suddenly filled with an eerie meaningful meaning, as soon as I uttered them in Levitan's voice.
Any ethnographer familiar with the peculiarities of Eurasian childhood knows that adolescents follow strict social protocols, the violation of which is fraught with the same consequences as disrespect for prison taboos. But my magic power put me above such rules. In moments of impersonations, I could, as they used to say then, “babble” without any consequences, saying anything to anyone - and they resigned themselves to this, as if honoring the spirit that had descended on me. Of course, I did not perform such experiments in my usual emaciated capacity, when it became light in the ward.
There was, however, one annoying problem - I have already mentioned it. Some guys were immune to my magic. Moreover, I made them laugh. Usually they were Muscovites, brought to us by the currents of the Arctic air.
The reason was in my Odessa reprimand - it seemed to them ridiculous and incompatible with the formidable meaning of the spoken words. At such moments I felt something akin to the tragedy of a poet who is prevented by a slight burr from seducing the world with the spell of quite brilliant lines. But there were few Muscovites among my listeners, and some of them did fall under the blows of the dark wings of my demon, so I didn’t really worry about this issue.
I even became friends with one of the Muscovites. His name was Vlad Shmyga. He was a fat, gloomy guy with very attentive eyes and a perpetually sweaty hedgehog. I was flattered that he was one of those northerners who did not laugh at my reprimand, and he was undoubtedly impressed by my talent.
There was something military-orphanage in him - only he wanted to be called not the son of a regiment, but the son of a detachment. His favorite epithet was "wretched," applied to everything from the weather to cinema. In addition, he had an unusual hobby.
He kept a dossier on every boy in our ward in a common notebook, which he kept in a bag of dirty linen under the protection of a few especially smelly socks. He showed it to me confidentially when we smoked raw Rostov cigarettes in the bushes near the dining room. The following was written about me:
Simon Levitan.
It has the ability to speak with the voice of the underworld, which makes it scary at night. It can not only scare the shit out of you, but also console and inspire. Thus, it has a unique ability close to hypnosis. Able to express himself beautifully and abstrusely, so that you seem to yourself an uncultured fool, but when he forgets, he begins to speak quickly and with a strong Jewish accent. Then the hypnosis is gone.
Of course, I knew all this about myself - I just formulated it a little differently. However, I have known myself for twelve years now, and Vladik singled out this semantic essence from me in just a few days. Moreover, in this short time he managed to do the same with the rest of the roommates, and this, of course, was impressive. Probably, it was then that I first realized that there are many other specifically gifted people in the world besides me, and one should be very careful to be proud of one's gift.
"Pineapple water for a beautiful lady" is a collection of short stories by Viktor Pelevin, which was published in 2010. The book consists of two unequal parts, the smaller of which is called "Mechanisms and gods", and the larger one - "Gods and mechanisms". It includes novels and short stories. The work was highly acclaimed by literary critics and was shortlisted for the Big Book Award.
Author's collection
According to many literary critics, "Pineapple water for a beautiful lady" was best book Viktor Pelevin over the past few years. Readers could fully appreciate the stories that echoed each other, and three independent stories written in the best traditions of the Yellow Arrow. At the same time, although the stories were good each in itself, critics noted that their author added, most likely, for a more solid volume.
In Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady, Viktor Pelevin deliberately abandons his diligent but somewhat monotonous gags, returning to the key in which his more early works belonging to the category of great creations.
A confident impression is created that both main characters of the writer have a lot in common with the author himself. In this article, we will take a closer look at the works that were included in Viktor Pelevin's collection "Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady".
"Operation Burning Bush"
"Operation Burning Bush" is a story that is included in the first part of Pelevin's book "Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady". The main character in it is Semyon Levitan, who has a very unusual hobby. Since childhood, he has been trying to parody and imitate the voice of the famous Soviet announcer, who spoke so often on the radio - Yuri Levitan.
When Semyon grows up, he starts working in Russian capital which has recently undergone a refurbishment. Semyon has a profession that was not in demand at that time - an English teacher, but at the same time he manages to find a job without any problems. Moreover, his knowledge is directly applicable. He is involved in a secret operation organized by the state security. Semyon's task is to portray the voice of God, with which he must first confuse and then force himself to obey the American president of those years - George W. Bush.
For Semyon, they promptly organize an accelerated course in theology, since he grew up in the Soviet Union, he is not very versed in religious issues. He takes these courses at a secret base, where he studies texts of religious content, while using drugs at the same time. During this very unusual experience for himself, he regularly experiences strong mystical experiences.
During the operation, unexpected circumstances are revealed. It turns out that the Americans are also planning a similar action, hoping to influence the leaders of the USSR and Russia, only they are looking for a person who could speak on behalf of the devil. As a result, Semyon portrays not only God, but also the devil. When the operation ends, his talent is so in demand that he is immediately shipped to Israel. So he again works for some kind of intelligence, not even fully understanding which one. Most likely, this is the CIA, Semyon believes.
The story is written on behalf of the protagonist with gloomy humor, which is present in many of the writer's works. At the same time, unlike many other books, in this mystical experience of the main characters fit into the framework European culture, which is monotheistic. In most of his other books, the writer transfers mystical experience to Eastern soil.
Interestingly, Viktor Pelevin got the idea to write this story from a real speech by American President George W. Bush. He repeatedly stated that God spoke through him, even claiming that it was God who ordered him to attack al-Qaeda and Saddam Hussein. He often enlisted the support of God in his speeches, especially when it came to starting a war.
"Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes"
This is the second story that is included in Pelevin's collection Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady. It has two parts. The first begins with the Americans in Afghanistan losing their effectiveness due to WikiLeaks revelations. Because of them, the world community constantly reproaches them for cruel and inhumane ways of waging war. In addition, they decide to use autonomous artificial intelligence based on unmanned aerial vehicles.
It is worth noting that the devices work very efficiently until an agent from Russia, Savely Skotenkov, arrives in Afghanistan. He is offended by both the West and Russia, so he begins to use reliable protection from drones. He writes slogans on the ground, to which artificial intelligence is constantly forced to be distracted. All this leads to regular accidents of these advanced devices.
As relations between America and Russia deteriorate, Skotenkov is recalled and then kidnapped when he returns to his homeland. This part is notable for its deep philosophical discussions about the possibility of the emergence of artificial intelligence in the future.
Under this title, the second part of the story "Al-Efesbi Anti-Aircraft Codes" is published. In it, Skotenkov is again in the spotlight. Almost the entire part consists of a monologue of the protagonist, written in an American CIA prison, in which they intend to turn him into a chronic player on the exchange rate.
Ultimately, it turns out that the monologue itself is not genuine. It is noteworthy that the story itself was written based on the "German Requiem" by Borges.
"Shadow Watcher"
A few stories stand apart in the book "Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady". A small work called "Shadow Contemplator" tells about the Russian guide Oleg, who lives in India. He tries to learn long meditations from his own shadow.
As a result, because of his experiments, he almost dies, and from the work it does not remain clear whether everything that the hero saw was an illusion or happened in reality.
There is a lot of irony in the story, dedicated to the attempts of a Russian person to penetrate into Indian culture. In this part of the collection "Pineapple Water for a Lady" Pelevin returns to Eastern culture.
"Thugs"
In the story "Thagai" comes to the fore minor character previous piece named Boris. He is looking for members of the mysterious Thaga sect, who are considered worshipers of the Indian goddess Kali. They offer her human sacrifices.
Boris is trying to infiltrate this sect himself. He succeeds, but he himself becomes the next victim. This story from the collection "Pineapple water for a beautiful lady" was first published in the magazine "Snob".
"Hotel of good incarnations"
AT final work this collection tells about the soul belonging to a girl who is offered by her angel to become the daughter of an oligarch.
After she learns the details of this reincarnation, she refuses to go on this adventure, and as a result loses her own individuality. It is in this story that a jar of pineapple water is found, which got into the title of the book.
Thematic table of contents (Reviews and criticism: literature)
previous related………………………………… next related
previous on other topics…………… next on other topics
On December 7, Pelevin's new book went on sale. The title has nothing to do with the content. The book consists of 3 parts. One short story, something like a short story, three short stories.
Pelevin developed his own style: a mixture of sarcasm and irony about Russian and world politics, economics, social situation and esoteric. In the most general form, the author has one thought - everything that happens in the world is terrible, but no more terrible than the fact that a person is mortal. The only reality is nothing, from which the world and each person came out and where everything will go. The gap that we consider our life, or even the life of the universe, is small compared to eternity, so there is no point in worrying about anyone.
In each of his works, these constituent parts are moved to different proportions. Sometimes it works out better, sometimes worse. It seems to me that he does better when one component prevails by 90 percent. For example, the stories in this book are almost entirely devoted to mysticism or esotericism.
The first story is called Operation Burning Bush.
The main character is Semyon Levitan. He is from Odessa. Since childhood, he imitated the announcer Levitan and learned to speak in an otherworldly voice, introducing listeners into a light trance. The only thing that spoiled the effect was the indestructible Jewish accent, which made the children from Moscow laugh. One of these boys was Vladik Shmyga. He liked to follow everyone and write in a notebook. She and Semyon even became friends a little. Then Semyon graduated from the Moscow Institute foreign languages, became a teacher at paid courses, did not marry, lived to be 40 years old. He considered his life empty, himself a loser. Once on the street he met Shmyga. He invited him to get into the car. It turned out that the boy Vladik knowingly wrote everyone down in a notebook - by the age of 40 he had become a general of the FSB. In the car, Semyon was injected with something in the neck. So Levitan ended up at the secret base of the FSB. Since then, his life has changed irrevocably.
A radio receiver was implanted in Semyon's tooth. The second one was in the tooth of US President George W. Bush. Installed by a dentist invisible front. The point was that Bush sincerely believed that he could communicate with God. Implanted technology provided such an opportunity. But it was necessary to make sure that Bush did not suspect anything: after all, it was he who only pretended to be a fool for the public, but in reality he was the smartest and most subtle person. But Americans love simple guys - that's what his team tried to do. All "Bushisms", for example, were invented by a special department.
It was necessary that the one who will portray God for Bush, himself believed that he is God. Semyon spoke good English, had a special voice, even a Jewish accent came in handy. The only thing left to do was to make it more convincing.
To do this, Levitan had to find God. A special training method was developed. Semyon drank a special composition of various drugs, but certainly on kvass for patriotism, and immersed himself in a closed vessel with salt water for sensory deprivation. After a short time, he ceased to feel his body, began to hallucinate, at this time all sorts of theological and religious texts, verses were read to him through the receiving tooth. Finally, the feeling of God came to him. He experienced ecstasy, shock, rethought his whole life. At the same time, Semyon does not know whether the acquisition of God was the result of psychedelic manipulations or whether it actually happened: after all, God can choose any way to appear to a person.
After that, Levitan was brought into contact with Bush, and Bush believed that he was talking to God. Semyon was supposed to talk to him on general topics, and instructions to Bush were given by "angels" who had to be obeyed. So Bush started a war in Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. But towards the end of his second presidential term, Bush confessed and told the story about the room of Gagtungr (the demon from Andreev's "Rose of the World") in the Kremlin. It turns out that not only did we manage to influence the behavior of the American president with the help of fake otherworldly forces, but the Americans have been doing the same with our rulers for a long time! It began with Stalin, who at the end of his life, having read Andreev, wanted to communicate with Satan. For this, a special room was equipped in the Faceted Chamber, where a throne was placed. The cunning Beria turned the Master's whim to his advantage. As soon as someone sat on the throne, a light bulb turned on and the “voice of Satan” went through the installed speaker, giving Stalin advice. When Beria fell, the man who spoke for Satan fled abroad and told the Americans everything. They found a channel and waited until Khrushchev wanted to sit on the throne and find out what Stalin had heard. And so all our rulers sat on that throne, and "Satan" told them what to do. So the Caribbean crisis, and Afghanistan, and Perestroika - it all came from there.
When Shmyga found out about this story, he was incredibly excited. He explained that he would not be able to simply tell that all our politics were dictated by false Satan, but if Russian President he will hear Satan himself, and then they will give him a record, then he will believe. Semyon was supposed to work as Satan again. To do this, he had to get used to the image of the Unclean.
Quite a few pages are devoted to what he experienced and experienced. He understood the connection between God, man and Satan, and he himself did not remember how he uttered the text proposed by Shmyga.
But Shmyga planned something bad. He had no intention of telling anyone that Satan was not real. Shmyga staged a Chechen raid on his own secret base to cover his tracks. They smashed everything there, killed other employees, and Semyon was handed over to the Americans.
Shmyga privatized the channel of communication with the president. For a lot of money, "Satan" now gave the orders needed by the oligarchs, bandits, etc. Semyon's voice was recorded on tape and used to bring the president into the right state.
The seeds are now being held in Israel, at the Dead Sea, in case a religious president is elected again in the US. He continues to commune with God every day in his bath, and he does not need anything else.
