The Slynx (New York Review Books Classics)

by Tatyana Tolstaya, Jamey Gambrell, trans.
The Slynx (New York Review Books Classics)  
published April 17th 2007 by NYRB Classics
binding Paperback
isbn 1590171969   (isbn13: 9781590171967)
pages 288
description Two hundred years after civilization ended in an event known as the Blast, Benedikt isn't one to complain. He's got a job—transcribing old books and...more
date added
03-11-07



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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 111)



Jason Pettus
Jason rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
06/22/07

Read in June, 2007
(Full review can be found at the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com].)

Ah, those Russian writers -- those crazy, drunken, angst-filled, delightful Russian writers! Mention the phrase "Russian literature" to most Americans, and you're likely to see the same mental images appear again and again; the dense books, the heavy symbolism, the perverse dark humor, and of course the national introspection, always the national introspection, as inherent a part of Ru...more
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Nate
Nate rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
12/07/07

bookshelves: some-favorite-novels
Read in December, 2007
"Give black rabbit meat a good soaking, bring it to a boil seven times, set it in the sun for a week or two, then steam it in the oven — and it won't kill you.

"That is, if you catch a female. Because the male, boiled or not, it doesn't matter. People didn't used to know this, they were hungry and they ate the males too. But now they know: if you eat the males you'll be stuck with a wheezing and a gurgling in your chest the rest of your life. Your legs will wither. Thick black hairs...more
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  4 comments

Phillip
Phillip rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
09/27/07

Read in January, 2005
Like Dostoevsky staring into the face of a post-apocalyptic future, The Slynx is a bawdy romp into the interior landscapes of a Russian post-nuclear future.

Part folk tale, part sci-fi yarn (not unlike Tarkovsky's Stalker, but cranked up on crystal meth) Tolstaya's language is as giddy as Gogol in Dead Souls and her universal themes are familiar to anyone that has rampaged Russian literature. The unique gift of this novel is really Tolstaya's sense of humor and her urgent prose.
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Molly
Molly rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/06/08

I read this book for my 21st Century Russia class this semester, in the culture segment. It is a post-apocalyptic story; very post modern. I really enjoyed it, but wouldn't have gotten as much out of it had I not had discussion with my professor (who is Russian). Some of the translations weren't quite accurate in meaning, and some of the cultural references went over my head. But I definitely enjoyed it.
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Angela
Angela rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
08/19/07

That book reveals a portrait of a nation cursed to have a tragic history but a remarkable, undistructible and astonishing literature..
This is a post-modernist masterpiece, in which Tolstaya reminds us of Gogol's "Death souls"..
The language is fabulous..and its meanings..sharp, ironic, "tearful"...
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Shawn
Shawn rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
01/25/08

bookshelves: own
Read in January, 2008
recommended to Shawn by: Nate Grover
Very interesting. I don't love it as much as Nate did. However, I did enjoy the style, especially the POV. It was a weird cross between third and first person. I don't think I could even explain the effect, one would have to read it to get it.
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  3 comments

Sam
Sam rated it: 1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars1 of 5 stars
04/12/08

Read in April, 2008
With great expectation I read this book, Russian writer, great grandniece to Tolstoy, very disappointed! I felt no emotional bond with Benedict, had to labor through the book... as usual great Russian imagination, metaphors but......
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Jeannie
Jeannie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/19/08

Read in January, 2007
Perfect post-apocalyptic dystopian novel. Extremely brutal in a way only mutant humans can be. Don't read on an empty stomach or a full one as the grotesqueries compound.
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Alina
Alina added it
03/14/07

delicious russian language
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Namrirru
Namrirru rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
07/12/07

bookshelves: russian, womens
Scarcastic, cute, and funny. Alas, not laconic. So after a long while, sarcastic-cute-funny becomes a bit tedious.
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hanna
hanna rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
09/10/07

i've been meaning to reread this. books are damned expensive in finland though.
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  1 comments

Callie
Callie rated it: 4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars4 of 5 stars
03/22/08

bookshelves: read-in-2008
Read in March, 2008
recommends it for: Russian lit fans
*whoosh* the sound of this going right over my head....
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Chia
Chia rated it: 3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars3 of 5 stars
03/14/07

bookshelves: jerseydays
Read in October, 2004
Starts off magnificently but piddles to a close.
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Yelena
Yelena rated it: 5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars5 of 5 stars
03/21/08

Fantastic!!! You either love it or you hate it.
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Patricia
Patricia marked it as to-read
02/01/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Max
Max marked it as to-read
12/22/07

bookshelves: fiction, to-read
 

Michela
Michela marked it as to-read (review of isbn 0618124977)
06/20/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Laura
Laura marked it as to-read
07/26/07

bookshelves: fiction, to-read
 

Reed
Reed marked it as to-read
02/28/08

bookshelves: to-read
 

Robert
Robert marked it as to-read
08/17/07

bookshelves: to-read
 


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book data (includes all editions)

avg rating (all editions): 3.93 (54 ratings)
avg rating (this edition): 3.94 (51 ratings)
number of reviews: 14






other editions

The Slynx: A Novel (Hardcover)









quote

"...a book is a delicate friend, a white bird, an exquisite being, afraid of water. Darling things! Afraid of water, of fire, They shiver in the wind. Clumsy, crude human fingers leave bruises on them that'll never fade! Never! Some people touch books without washing their hands! Some underline things in ink! Some even tear pages out!" more quotes »