Freedom is Space for the Spirit

by Glen Hirshberg

"Freedom is Space for the Spirit" by Glen Hirshberg is a fantasy about a middle-aged German, drawn back to Russia by a mysterious invitation from a friend he knew during the wild, exuberant period in the midst of the break-up of the Soviet Union. Upon his arrival in St. Petersburg, he begins to see bears, wandering and seemingly lost.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Fantasy, Short Stories, Fiction, Russia, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Novella

51 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2016

About the author

Three-time International Horror Guild Award Winner Glen Hirshberg’s novels include The Snowman's Children, The Book of Bunk, the Motherless Children trilogy, and Infinity Dreams. He is also the author of four widely praised story collections: The Two Sams, American Morons, The Janus Tree, and The Ones Who Are Waving. A five-time World Fantasy Award finalist, he has won the Shirley Jackson Award for the novelette, “The Janus Tree”. He also publishes new fiction, critical writing, and creative nonfiction in his Substack newsletter, Happy in Our Own Ways (https://glenhirshberg.substack.com/), and offers classes and manuscript coaching and editing through his Drones Club West activities (dronesclubwest@outlook.com). He lives with his family and cats in the Pacific Northwest.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The bald man stopped laughing, kept smiling. But this was a smile Thomas recognized. Every Russian he’d ever met had a version of it. “New Russia. Old Russia. The price is the same for both. I’m sorry. I hope you find your friends.”

review to come

read it for yourself here:

http://www.tor.com/2016/04/06/freedom...

[Tadiana ✩Night Owl☽ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Review first posted on Fantasy Literature:

In this melancholy and wistful fantasy set in modern-day Russia, Thomas, a German man in his forties, receives a strange telegram from Vasily, a Russian friend from his youthful days, when they lived through the exciting, crazy days of the Soviet Union breakup. Vasily’s telegram extends an enigmatic but insistent invitation to come visit and see what’s “happening now,” so Thomas reluctantly leaves his pregnant wife and travels to Russia.

When he arrives in St. Petersburg, Vasily is nowhere to be found, but what Thomas does find are a couple of dozen great, silent, shaggy bears, wandering through the streets of St. Peterburg, jumping on the buses … and, oddly, being studiously ignored by most of the inhabitants of the city. Stranger yet, these bears have no mouths at all ― only patchy fur where their mouths and teeth should be. Thomas slowly reacquaints himself with the city where he spent such an exciting year as a student, trying to find Vasily and trying to investigate and solve the mystery of the mouthless bears.

Freedom is Space for the Spirit immerses the reader in post-Soviet Russia, evocatively describing the people and place:

The buildings seemed to gray with each passing block, almost to shudder back in time to a darker, lonelier, more familiar Russia. What windows there were had drawn curtains in them … He wondered if there would be more signs out front, carpeting, perhaps a few of those craggy, hunched Russian women the state had always planted inside and at the doors of every museum he’d ever been to in this country, to glower at attendees, daring anyone who crossed their path to ask a question, disturb the silence.

This leisurely-paced novella is more about theme than plot, using the mouthless and frustrated bears as a symbol of the current plight of Russia and its loss of hope from the heady days of glasnost. I found my attention repeatedly wandering due to the slow pace, and the mystical cause of the bears is explained only in the vaguest terms. In the end, Freedom is Space for the Spirit didn’t really resonate with me, but I think for the right reader it will be a profound and moving experience.

[Andi Rawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review to come.

[Melora · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was attracted to this short story by the gorgeous cover art, and delighted when the story measured up to its cover. It is odd, wistful, and sad. Especially sad. But memorable, and well done. My thanks to the author, illustrator, and Tor for making this available online.

[Andria Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

How am I supposed to review this? This was lovely and beautiful. 5 ⭐

[Frank Errington · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, allow me to comment on the cover. It's what made me purchase this novella, that and I recently read Good Girls by Glen Hirshberg which I thoroughly enjoyed. Kudos to Greg Ruth who really captured the essence of the author's work with his art.

Freedom is Space for the Spirit is far from horror, more fantasy than anything, but it is definitely one of my favorite reads so far this year.

After receiving a telegram, calling him back to Russia, Thomas returns to the place of his youth, a place of so many memories, so many friends left behind. "The names chimed in Thomas like bells rung for the dead, even though he had no reason to think any of them had died. They just stopped being who they were, same as he had. Grown up, given in, gotten married, gotten tired, gotten sane."

Called back to St Petersburg by his former friend and mentor, what Thomas finds is far from anything he expected. Free bears. free as in roaming the streets, riding on buses, left to wander, they had become a part of the landscape. What does it all mean? For me, it means an extremely enjoyable read.

Freedom is Space for the Spirit is currently available as an e-book from Tor Books.

Recommended.

Glen Hirshberg has won three International Horror Guild Awards (including two for Outstanding Collection), and his novella, The Janus Tree, won the inaugural Shirley Jackson Award in 2008. He also has been a Bram Stoker Award finalist and a five-time World Fantasy Award finalist. He lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife, son, daughter, and cats.

[DarkChaplain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Freedom is Space for the Spirit is an odd one. It is weirdly nostalgic, atmospheric and manages to draw the reader right into the scene it is trying to set. It is also somewhat ambigious with its message, and the things you will take away from it will likely differ from those of other readers.

I love that. Being german myself, a lot of things here connected with me very well. A few aspects hit close to home that way. But I've never been to Russia, and still the story managed to give me a feeling of familiarity with its depictions of the cold streets of St. Petersburg, the snow, the general attitude of the faceless masses, the young people with their phones.. Even the bears.

With all its angles on new and old, tradition and new trends, wisdom born from experience and naivety of youth, and the nature of art, this story managed to be surprisingly thought provoking and expressed a sense of loneliness in a changing world that I didn't expect going into it. It was a fantastic experience that took me places and made me consider aspects of life. As such, it definitely succeeded for me.

It won't be for everyone, no doubt. It marries a sense of realism with the abstract and harbors a weirdness that might not be obvious from the start. It worked for me, though, and all these things are reasons why it did.

[Jackie Keller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautifully written. A story about growing old and forgetting, about the death of hope for the future.

[Paulo Vinicius Figueiredo dos Santos · Rating 3 out of 5]

Essa é uma narrativa bem curiosa. Vou contar um pouco e a partir daí discutimos por que eu não curti tanto. Temos Thomas e sua esposa que estão para ter um filho e o marido é chamado por seu amigo Vasily para ver o que estaria acontecendo em São Petersburgo, um lugar que eles lutaram a boa luta durante o final do regime de Gorbachev. Anos agitados em que era preciso lutar por um ideal. Thomas vai até lá, mesmo relutantemente, e acaba se deparando com um lugar diferente demais da cidade que ele se lembrava. A modernidade havia chegado na Rússia e as pessoas parece que vivem um outro momento. As memórias do passado são apenas isso: memórias. Mas, uma coisa chama a atenção de Thomas: ursos vagam pela cidade livremente e as pessoas parecem não se importar com a presença deles. E Vasily parece ter sumido da face da terra.

A narrativa tem aquele quê de realismo mágico embora seja difícil categorizar isso em um romance desse estilo. O narrador usa a terceira pessoa para contar uma história repleta de simbolismos e metáforas que ajudam a dar um ar místico a tudo. O estilo descritivo do autor colabora com o clima estranho de uma cidade transformada. O protagonista é quase um estranho, alguém que não combina com o espaço ali. Na minha percepção, Thomas consegue ser mais bizarro naquele ambiente do que os ursos propriamente ditos. O elemento fantástico não é o ponto principal, servindo como faísca para mover a história para frente. O conto possui várias interpretações possíveis sendo que vai caber ao leitor reconhecer os símbolos fornecidos pelo autor e encaixá-los dentro de uma opinião sobre o que foi lido.

Thomas é um homem que já passou por muita coisa em sua vida. Mas, sempre houve uma paixão por aquilo pelo qual ele lutava. Os momentos de panfletagem, de luta social, de ver que uma enorme mudança estava prestes a acontecer, movia ele e a seus companheiros. Até o dia em que o muro de Berlim caiu... e o regime soviético também. Mas, o que vem depois? Essa busca por um novo ideal se mescla com novas necessidades vindas com a maturidade. Ao se tornar pai, Thomas agora tem outras responsabilidades. Ele quer imaginar um mundo melhor e mais tranquilo para seus filhos. Mas, ao retornar para a Rússia ele percebe o quanto as pessoas podem facilmente se esquecer daquilo que um dia foi importante. Valeu a pena a luta? Será que não saímos de um regime x para entrarmos em um sistema y e as pessoas continuam a ser exploradas do mesmo jeito?

O que os ursos significam? Vou tentar explicar o que eu entendi sem dar spoilers. Para mim, os ursos remontam a momentos anteriores à nova Rússia e até mesmo à formação da União Soviética. Em um momento em que as pessoas tinham uma razão para viver e para lutar. Em que o real motivador para tudo era sobreviver mais um dia. Quando tudo tinha significado, mesmo que o cotidiano fosse difícil. O fenômeno dos ursos nas cidades nada mais é que o encontro entre o velho e o novo, o tradicional e o contemporâneo. O quanto nos descolamos e achamos o passado desinteressante. Por mais que os ursos urrem e corram, as pessoas estão encerradas em suas próprias existências, individuais dentro de si mesmas e não se lembram mais do coletivo. Isso veio a partir do novo sistema que privilegia mais o eu do que o nós.

Enfim, achei o conto estranho aonde ele precisa ser. Mas, não é uma leitura fácil, sendo bem árida em alguns momentos. Sabe quando você lê, lê, lê, lê e lê e não entende nada? Precisei voltar algumas casinhas, reler certos trechos e mesmo assim acho que não absorvi tudo. Faltou também uma resolução para o protagonista porque o autor deixou o final aberto e interpretativo demais. Gosto de finais abertos em alguns momentos. Da maneira como foi feito, não ficou legal.

[Amit · Rating 5 out of 5]

And Thomas realized she was right. Not that he’d ever seen this happen before, or ever would again, but there was no question: that, right there, was how a mouthless bear roared. And now, it was doing it harder, positively bellowing its…whatever it was—frustration? Hunger? Desperation? Loneliness?—in absolute silence.

Ah! Just look at that gorgeous cover! I very much get attracted to it because of it & yes the tale right? I just loved it, no doubt! The story plot was related with the cover the way it shown of course. I think it could be a novel. While I finished it I have that kind of feeling that there's should be more. I wish it has more potential to read. But apart from all it satisfied my need of read...

Thanks to the author for that Russian based short story...

[Alenka of Bohemia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So this gorgeousness (what a cover art!!!!) was the first post I saw on my tumblr dashboard today.... and I was just struck. Immediatelly I proceeded to Goodreads where I found out this is a 30-page novella that is FREE to read online. So I went ahead and read it.

And it was weird. Intense. Atmospheric. A story which starts as a nostalgic cry of a middle-aged man who misses the intensity and craziness of his youth quickly turns into a short mystery/magical realism piece just filled with the heaviness of the grey winter skies. True, the ending was a bit lackluster and overal I just craved MORE of all the story elements involved, from the shamans and Russian vastness and all those friggin bears. But what a read nontheless!

Thank you booklr for this one!

[Rita · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't really get the point of the story. There were men becoming bears who killed themselves in the end... and that's it.
I wouldn't say this was a bad story, I liked reading it, knowing more of Thomas, of his past, all the things he had done. He had his part in history and his memories were enjoyable. I just can't understand the whole bear thing... That's it.

[Rashida · Rating 3 out of 5]

Weird, but kind of haunting. This was unlike anything I've read in while. Not sure whether I liked it or not, but I'm sure the atmosphere evoked in this will linger for a while.

Also, what a beautiful cover!

[emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

hauntingly sad and beautiful.

[Katherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A chilly, melancholy novelette about a few different kinds of magic. The magic of memory, the magic of revisiting old haunts, and about actual old magic.

[Ab · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hirshberg has seemingly a limitless imagination... i wish there was more about the bear ceremony, more of the shamans, more of the old world, but this story was still pretty amazing... hoping to visit Russia someday, and experience the enigmas, the counterposition of new and old...

[Chiara · Rating 2 out of 5]

This story is really short – my ebook shows a little over 50 pages – and this is also its biggest problem. The protagonist, Thomas, is a middle-aged German man who receives an invitation from his old friend Vasily to go to St. Petersburg. When he gets there, Thomas starts looking for him, but he soon realises that the city has changed in ways he could have never imagined: bears without mouths roam the streets, and the citizen walk around them as if nothing is amiss.

The story then follows Thomas as he tries to find his old friend and unravels the mystery surrounding the bears with the help of Ana, his friend’s niece. Doesn’t that sound incredibly interesting? And what about that beautiful cover? I knew the story was fairly short, but I went in expecting to find so much wonder! What I got instead was a story that wastes too much time in the beginning to introduce the protagonist, and doesn’t spend nearly enough to explain the actual mystery.

Almost a third of the story goes by while we meet Thomas, who lives with his pregnant wife, and then follow him in his train journey to St. Petersburg after receiving the telegram from Vasily. None of these things add anything to the story: the wife disappears from view – and thought – until the very end; and during his stay on the train, the protagonist participates in some kind of student party, whose only purpose is to remind him he’s not a young man anymore. During the scene there are a few hints at some of his past, but nothing is really explained and thus it could have been taken out of the story to leave more space for important stuff.

Even when he’s finally in St. Petersburg, aside from introducing the bears and the character of Ana, very little happens and he just wanders around looking for clues about his friend’s whereabouts. It felt like the story didn’t have a direction, but was only trying to waste some time before getting to the point, so that it could be called “story” and not just “idea”. Because that’s what it was: the beginning of an idea, a beautiful scenery, but nothing more. Even when we find out where the bears come from, the explanation is vague and unsatisfying. I would have loved for the story to start in St. Petersburg, maybe with Thomas glancing at the telegram that brought him there just to give some context, and then explore the consequences of the bears living in the middle of the city and expand on the research Vasily has conducted to get the result he has. Instead we get a quick report of Vasily’s past, a pretty ending scene, and that’s it. All in all, if felt like a wasted occasion. So much more could have been done with this premise.

[Wyatt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Over the last couple of years Glen Hirshberg has become one of my favorite authors. This fantasy is as acquainted with loss, grief, and change as any of his horror stories. As with most of Hirshberg's work, setting is important and the reader is taken on a journey through a St. Petersburg, Russia where mouthless bears roam free.

The protagonist, Thomas, is summoned to Russia by Vasily, an old friend. Upon arrival, Thomas finds he has no clue where to find Vasily, or why he was summoned to begin with. Following his instincts, he unravels clues to the origins of the bears and Vasily's involvement in unleashing the Bears on St. Petersburg (if unleashing can even be considered the correct term).

Besides Hirshberg's command of language, it's the themes and metaphors that really bring this piece to life. From mouthless bears, to the use of the Pavlov Institute, to the banner with the saying Freedom is Space for the Spirit, and even Vasily's "joke," where he sits in the abandoned gorilla cage in order to reveal to Thomas what he's done; all of it combine for a thoughtful, fantastic tale.

Because the story is more "literary" than a lot of genre fare, it won't resonate with everyone, but for me, it was one of the best reads so far this year.

[Alex Sarll]

A wintry tale about people who remember the fall of Communism but are disillusioned with what came after: "Warsaw was just another anywhere now, even its formidable ghosts roped off, penned in their carefully preserved ghetto habitats, exactly as threatening and sad as snow leopards at a zoo." The comparison prefiguring the story's infestation of ragged, mute and largely ignored bears in "poor, confused, mafia-infested, Starbucks-infected, Putinized, brutalized, baffled, beautiful St. Petersburg: a memory from an even more savage, beautiful time we’ve all forgotten, or denied, or repressed, or dreamed." It's a wonderful image for the new Russia.

[Marco · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting novelette, that mixes fairy-talish, fantastic, and folk / traditional elements, with historic events, and political commentary.
This is the story of a middle-aged German, drawn back to Russia by a mysterious invitation from a friend he knew during the wild, exuberant period in the midst of the break-up of the Soviet Union. Upon his arrival in St. Petersburg, he begins to see bears, wandering and seemingly lost...
Freedom is Space for the Spirit made me wish I had a better understanding of recent and contemporary Russia history to better appreciate it.

[Maria Cecília Miscow · Rating 5 out of 5]

amigos,

se eu nao tinha falado da Tor para voces antes, então peço desculpa e segue o link:
http://www.tor.com/
Essa querida aí posta seus contos (este inclusive) para todo mundo ler, então em epocas de crise financeira e vontade de ler qualquer coisa, não se contentem com frasco de shampoo, leiam algum conto da Tor.

[Maggie Gordon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An odd little story about Russia and the massive changes it underwent after the end of the Cold War. There are bears with no mouths. Try getting that image out of your head tonight :l

In any case, the story flowed very well. Hirshberg is a fantastic writer. If you are familiar with Russian history, this story will probably have a lot of meaning for you.

[Chris Loop · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dont judge a book by its cover, but feel free to read it because of its cover. Knowing nothing about this short story I gave it a read because of the illustration on the cover. I enjoyed this quick romp through a Russia with the odd appearance of disformed bears. The story works in this short format, but has enough intrigue that I think could be expanded into a full length novel

[Chrysa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a short story that spoke of art. As in, it worked like art does for me. It conveyed a sadness that comes with age progression and change. It thrived greatly on Nostalgia, melancholic reminisce of the past. Most importantly, it was peculiar. By the end of it I got a hopeful feeling though.
Wonderfully written, a great read.

[Rebekah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story was fun and well worth a read, but oh wow, that cover is so beautiful I want to plaster it across my walls. Just gorgeous stuff all around.

(Proper review to follow)

Read it for yourself here.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

The image of these lost and lonely bears wandering the wintery St. Petersburg streets is very evocative. However, other than recognizing bears as symbolic of Russia, the meaning of the story is lost on me.

[E.A. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmospheric. Full of doom and loneliness and snow. A creeping meditation on change, the ideas of the new and the wisdom of the old. Loved it.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a sad ending, yet it couldn't have ended any differently.

[Brenda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like this authors writing, but I don't understand what this was supposed to be about - luckily it was short.