Synopses & Reviews
An absorbing novel of dissident life in the Soviet Union, by one of Russias most popular writers
The Big Green Tent is the kind of book the term “Russian novel” was invented for. A sweeping saga, it tells the story of three school friends who meet in Moscow in the 1950s and go on to embody the heroism, folly, compromise, and hope of the Soviet dissident experience. These three boys—an orphaned poet; a gifted, fragile pianist; and a budding photographer with a talent for collecting secrets—struggle to reach adulthood in a society where their heroes have been censored and exiled. Rich with love stories, intrigue, and a cast of dissenters and spies, The Big Green Tent offers a panoramic survey of life after Stalin and a dramatic investigation into the prospects for integrity in a society defined by the KGB. Each of the central characters seeks to transcend an oppressive regime through art, a love of Russian literature, and activism. And each of them ends up face-to-face with a secret police that is highly skilled at fomenting paranoia, division, and self-betrayal. An artist is chased into the woods, where he remains in hiding for four years; a researcher is forced to deem a patient insane, damning him to torture in a psychiatric ward; a man and his wife each become collaborators, without the other knowing. Ludmila Ulitskayas big yet intimate novel belongs to the tradition of Dostoyevsky, Tolstoy, and Pasternak: a work of politics, love, and belief that is a revelation of life in dark times.
Review
Praise for Ludmila Ulitskaya
“One of the most important living Russian writers.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story
“Ludmila Ulitskaya arrives here not just as a shrewd novelist, but as a wise and evocative artist.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
Review
“For Western readers, the novels sparkling imagery makes real the drab and dangerous Soviet era, with its scarcities and constant presence of the KGB. The characters are drawn with humor and melancholy yet endowed with hope and a love of literature. A great introduction for readers new to Ulitskaya.”
—Library Journal (starred)
“Compelling, addictive reading.”
—Masha Gessen, The New Yorker
Praise for Ludmila Ulitskaya
“One of the most important living Russian writers.” —Gary Shteyngart, author of Super Sad True Love Story
“Ludmila Ulitskaya arrives here not just as a shrewd novelist, but as a wise and evocative artist.” —The Philadelphia Inquirer
Synopsis
The Big Green Tent epitomizes what we think of when we imagine the classic Russian novel.
With epic breadth and intimate detail, Ludmila Ulitskaya s remarkable work tells the story of three school friends who meet in Moscow in the 1950s and go on to embody the heroism, folly, compromise, and hope of the Soviet dissident experience. These three boys an orphaned poet; a gifted, fragile pianist; and a budding photographer with a talent for collecting secrets struggle to reach adulthood in a society where their heroes have been censored and exiled. Rich with love stories, intrigue, and a cast of dissenters and spies, The Big Green Tent offers a panoramic survey of life after Stalin and a dramatic investigation into the prospects for individual integrity in a society defined by the KGB. Each of the central characters seeks to transcend an oppressive regime through art, a love of Russian literature, and activism. And each of them ends up face-to-face with a secret police that is highly skilled at fomenting paranoia, division, and self-betrayal. A man and his wife each become collaborators, without the other knowing; an artist is chased into the woods, where he remains in hiding for four years; a researcher is forced to deem a patient insane, damning him to torture in a psychiatric ward. Ludmila Ulitskaya s novel belongs to the tradition of Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, and Pasternak: it is a work consumed with politics, love, and belief and a revelation of life in dark times.
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About the Author
Ludmila Ulitskaya is one of Russias most popular and renowned literary figures. A former scientist and the director of Moscows Hebrew Repertory Theater, she is the author of thirteen works of fiction, three tales for children, and six plays that have been staged by a number of theaters in Russia and Germany. She has won Russias Booker Prize and has been nominated for the International Man Booker Prize. A strong advocate for freedom of expression, she recently published a volume of her correspondence with the imprisoned Russian businessman Mikhail Khodorkovsky.