The Russian Girl

by Kingsley Amis

“Sex, booze, and Russian intrigue . . . A cool cocktail mixed with parts of Updike and De Vries, with a peel of le Carré.”— The New York Times Book Review
 
Richard Vaisey is a respected scholar specializing in Russian studies when Anna Danilova arrives on campus. A visiting Russian poet with a mission more than literary, Anna challenges his integrity—and his marriage. Richard’s beautiful but unspeakably monstrous wife, Cordelia, seeks revenge on her adulterous husband, determined to ruin him by canceling his credit cards and reporting his car as stolen to the police. But Richard must face even further humiliating consequences, for the seductive Anna is also an irremediably bad poet.  
 
The Russian Girl is vintage Kingsley entertaining, thought-provoking, and wittily wise.
 
“A brilliant satire . . . Kingsley Amis can skewer the modern world like no other writer.”— Los Angeles Times Book Review
 
“Genuinely entertaining, and corrosively funny . . . Amis’s work is the result of beautifully organized and polished craftsmanship.”— The New York Review of Books

Genres: Fiction, Humor, Literary Fiction, Modern, Literature, Contemporary, British Literature

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1992

About the author

Best known novels of British writer Sir Kingsley William Amis include Lucky Jim (1954) and The Old Devils (1986).

This English poet, critic, and teacher composed more than twenty-three collections, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism. He fathered Martin Amis.

William Robert Amis, a clerk of a mustard manufacturer, fathered him. He began his education at the city of London school, and went up to college of Saint John, Oxford, in April 1941 to read English; he met Philip Larkin and formed the most important friendship of his life. After only a year, the Army called him for service in July 1942. After serving as a lieutenant in the royal corps of signals in the Second World War, Amis returned to Oxford in October 1945 to complete his degree. He worked hard and got a first in English in 1947, and then decided to devote much of his time.

Pen names: [authorRobert Markham|553548] and William Bill Tanner

Reviews

[Daniel Polansky]

Jesus, I carried this one around forever. It’s fine, it’s not bad, it’s like 20 other Kingsley Amis books, an aging academic and a cast of oversexed women and a hint of espionage. Will I Keep It: Doesn’t seem like it, no.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this up in the spirit of "doing" the Amises, but the theme follows quite nicely from Nabokov. Set right on the cusp of the collapse of the Soviet Union, a young Russian poet comes to London where the aging émigré community has become its own ethnicity; it's plain they'd hardly recognize any version of Russia, Soviet or after, that they might return to. The "girl" of the title takes up with an Englishman who is a professor of Russian literature, thereby ending his marriage, which allows us one of those exaggeratedly poisonous and vindictive divorce sequences that Amis père et fils both favor, one presumes on personal experience. Kingsley also takes a number of side-swipes at academic political correctness of the late 80s - also good for a laugh but already feeling a little overdone when the 1995 US paperback came out.

[Realini Ionescu · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Russian Girl by Magister Ludi Kingsley Amis, author of one of The All-TIME 100 Novels, Lucky Jim http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/05/l... and about another sixteen other masterpieces

10 out of 10





They have a warning at the news, when they are going to show you graphic images from a conflict zone, such as the war that the monster from the Kremlin has launched in Ukraine, and now there is maybe a need to say warning, this reader is such a fervent admirer of Kingsley Amis that he could be biased, and furthermore, the elation brought about by this Russian Girl could be seen as exaggerated by someone who is not so thrilled by the magnum opera of the one who was called the greatest writers of comedy in the second half of the twentieth century http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/e...



Anna Danilova is The Russian Girl, and as such we could take her for the main character in this brilliant novel, but we could also argue that Doctor Richard Vasey is in fact the central figure in the saga, notwithstanding the fact that it is pointless to try and establish the primacy, eventually by counting the pages, the times when one or the other has something to say, never mind the relativity of all this, for how do we then measure the importance of one or other uttering, is her flexibility more relevant, or the compromise he may make, does she risk more, or is his position more fragile and dangerous.

The Russian Girl has come to England with a mission, she wants to save her brother from prison, where he had been for years and more recently, regardless of the end of his jail term, he is kept inside, without the prospect of early, or any kind of release- we have details from the background, however murky, confusing the situation is in the Soviet Union of the early nineties, when they have brought to power the young – especially when compared with previous dinosaurs – Mikhail Gorbatchev, and notwithstanding the fact that the novel does not detail the situation in the old USSR, there are constant hints, situations and attitudes that are explained using transaction or the culture of the place



Richard Vasey falls in love with her and wants to help, however difficult this will be, given the quandary, or nearly impossible situation he will find himself in, seeing as he finds the poetry of the Russian Girl terrible (some others will refer to is as ‘shit’) and thus he will have to make a choice, sign the petition to release her brother, which says that she is a great poet and hence give up all he values in his work, his professional integrity, or refuse to sign (at the head of the paper, as Crispin will have it) and therefore provoke the end of the affair and destroy what has become the most important connection in his life…



Anna Danilova has a serious rival, Cordelia is the wife of the scholar and she is both hilarious and terrifying from one point on, she talks in a funny way, with ‘eggsbloding’ and ‘Greeg’ for Greek, but she has a very mean side, she only gives her husband cups of tea that are two thirds full, because the money belongs to her, and when she will get mad (spoiler alert, it will a Massive Attack, without the music of the band with that name) this frantic eejit blocks cards, empties bank accounts and embarks on a criminal offensive



Cordelia has a habit of calling up people to exploit them, to fetch fish and other small things she would much easier get in another way, but she is the sadistic type, and this modern Marquis De Sade has a sick pleasure in ordering about, her ex-husband, Godfrey (if that was his name, and not just something I misremember) tells the readers that she at once had several humans doing choirs for her, cleaning the house, arranging the food for large parties, where those unpaid in-effect-servants were not even invited to attend and were just doing these things because of the strain of masochism they must have had, but also, because they were extremely intrigued, puzzled by this extravagant, bizarre woman, who is hilarious in her ways in the first part, but becomes monstrous as we move on.

Indeed, there is dark humor in what Cordelia does, only the novel does gain intensity and becomes almost a thriller as we advance – presuming there is still someone reading at this stage, a spoiler alert might be needed, for some scenes here belong to the last chapters, which I thought marvelous, just like the rest in fact – and if in the beginning, the mischievous, sardonic, cutting, abusive spouse was provoking her husband, talking of the sexy voice on the phone, the Russian girl he now has, willing to meet her, interested in playing tricks and games with her, so that she might be humiliated and brought down, when the bond became stronger and she saw that she might lose Richard, the tactic changed.



He husband would reveal something from the past, and if this is revealed towards the end (the spoiler alert is still on, right?) it is still the added evidence that makes the case for sentencing this demon stronger (if there were such a court trial) for when Godfrey (or some other name) announced he is leaving his then wife, she would resort to the criminal underworld and have a whole building set on fire, in which one man was killed, and when the situation will be repeated with Richard, she has the same strategy, and when he wants to pay the bill at the hotel, he sees that he cannot, the police stop him on the street, because there is a complaint over the car, then at the house where Anna is staying with friends, the same thing happens, for they have had a call to investigate, and when he returns to ‘his house’, his key does not work anymore, and if Anna had entered the premises before, by just breaking a window, now Cordelia has installed an alarm, she as recorded the sounds of barking dogs that ‘seem to be the size of ponies’…furthermore, when he does get access into the interior, everything that he had had is gone, and I mean all, papers, clothes and any item has been sent for destruction



To make it amusing and somewhat terrifying, the thug moves on to destroy all the scholar has at the Institute, she takes revenge on poor Pat, for allowing Richard to enter briefly into his home, the poor woman will face shoplifting charges and more, and eventually, some criminals will tamper with the wheels of the car…



http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/r...

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[R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kingsley, approaching the finishing line of his career, talks about fear of women (bad political poets, vengeful crossword-puzzle-addicted harpies) and that cold and howling wind italicized as poverty. He also trains his eye on the draining paranoia of an unequal domestic partnership sour, souring, soured (revenge outsourced). For another look at this sort of material, at these money matters, at these women woes, at these daily drinks of the daily grinds, take a good long gander at Martin's vastly superior (bigger screen, bigger budget) Money.

[Eli Hopkins · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is pretty good, as is everything Amis does. But it's not nearly as good as Lucky Jim.

[Nathan Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book finds Kingsley Amis deep in his late-career misogyny, filled with a dark and sometimes cruel wit about people who range from slightly sympathetic to deeply and hauntingly odd.  That is not to say that this is a bad novel.  It is a good novel, but not good in a way that is likely to make the reader feel very good unless they are the sort that likes cynical appeals to men ditching their shrewish middle aged wives for younger and more attractive ones.  Does this book reflect the author's own bitterness about marriage?  Are the appeals the author seems to make to the worth of being loyal and dutiful as well as jealous of their personal integrity (when it comes to judgments about art) simply covers for the desire of the lead character, one Richard Vaisey, for an attractive Russian dissident trying to save her ne'er do-well brother from prison by acquiring a reputation as a great modern poet when her poetry is recognized by anyone who has read them as garbage?  Ultimately, the book attempts to pass of what Richard does as good and goes out of its way to negatively portray his wife Cordelia, but not in a way that makes this reader content.

This book is a love story, but the course of love does not run smoothly.  Married scholar Richard Vaisey meets Anna Danilova after she has come to England as a dissident poet seeking a reputation, and is curious about her poetry and disappointed by its quality.  While undeniably attracted to her, to the amusement of most people aside from his wife, who is quickly (and understandably) jealous, Richard finds himself being pressed into service to help Anna gain a reputation as a poet that would allow her to be a suitable critic of the Russian government so that her counterfeiting brother can be freed from prison.  Richard finds himself torn between his desire for Anna, which he succumbs to before too long, and his desire to retain his integrity by not viewing her poetry as good, but eventually he convinces Anna not to give up poetry and she resolves to write worthwhile poetry, and Cordelia changes the locks and makes sure that Richard ends up without any money, and the book ends with a sort of happily ever after where Richard finds himself love and a pretty and less shrewish partner and everyone gets what they author thinks they deserve in a novel that leaves a sour taste for this reader at least.

Ultimately, this book fails to provide the sort of insight into the battle of the sexes that one would expect.  Cordelia is viewed as being particularly evil and vindictive, coming from wealth and still having beauty despite being middle aged, and it is impossible that she could have been so nasty of a person and so condescending to everyone else and have a generally decent fellow like Richard marry her.  Clearly Richard's negligence of his duties as a husband to love and cherish his wife have something to do with the bitter woman she has become, and as Richard is clearly someone who is capable of love, love for the Russian language and its body of literature as well as the titular Russian Girl, one Anna Danilova, one wonders why it was that he failed in his duty to love his wife and have children.  After all, it appears that part of Cordelia's bitterness is not having any children, even if the characters mock what kind of woman she would have made as a mother.  The mocking in this novel comes off as cruel and unfriendly when it could have easily been otherwise.  

[George Siehl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An academic based novel set in Britain that embraces themes of love, vitriol, professional integrity, and international politics. A young Russian poet with a plan to use Western political pressure to free her brother from post-Soviet prison draws a noted professor of Slavonic Studies into her effort. Love and disruption follow, drawing in an odd mixture of characters, some of whom contribute to an examination of literature as played at the highest levels, another who displays the Hell-like fury of a woman scorned.

[Ian · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've read about 15 of Amis pere's books, and am a big fan. This, however, is probably the weakest of the lot. I kept waiting for something to happen, but its relatively long content is primarily used in dithering about by the protagonist in what should be an easy decision. The characters are typically well-developed, but little of Amis's usual wit and interesting plot elements are here. I'd give this one a miss....

[Keith Boadwee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Kingsley Amis but this book really didn't do it for me.

[Liza · Rating 2 out of 5]

прочитала, но зачем? единственное интересное — про любовь к отвратительной поэтессе (реалистично ли?). при этом всё натужно, видимо, должно было быть легко и смешно, но в итоге просто никак

[Sandi · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this but had a hard time understanding it

[Joe Shoenfeld · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed it more than I expected.

[Mellagirl · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was not my cup of tea at all. I found it to be a rather difficult and boring read. It was more of an academic read. I did not like the writing style at all.

[Colleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Comedy of manners, but not as superficial as Moliere. One of the most hilarious scenes in this book about a Russian literature professor, Richard Vaisey, is when he meets up with his wife's ex-brother-in-law, Crispin, and together they converse about a fictional Van Gogh painting (Hyacinths in a Yellow Vase) while eating in a restaurant famous for its 'gastronomic experience' (enjoyment of the food isn't the goal of the chef). Amis' ear for accents shows up in the professor's wife vocalizing every silent consonant in her eccentric speech. Her own name 'Nggornndeenlia' is Cordelia. Cordelia manages his home and rather than friends she's got acolytes. Which works alright for Dr. Vaisey until he falls in love with a young Russian poet whose modern poetry is absolute drivel. Russian politics under Putin vs. the resentment of ex-pats and ex-subjects of the USSR empire. Insanely jealous wife. Way too much vodka. The ideal of art vs. the reality of love. Selling your soul to the devil so you lose the power of seeing beauty. Academic rigor vs. modern academic values. Life is change.

[Karla Huebner]

I had mixed feelings about this and am still sorting them out. It's well written, often amusing; has some excellent lines. I suppose I was drawn to it at the moment because it's about a British Russian lit professor and his tangled love life; I have friends who are Russian specialists, my work deals with Czech culture and two of the characters are of Czech descent, and so forth. So certain aspects struck me as penetrating and hilarious. At the same time, it gradually became clear that the reason the protagonist has remained contentedly married for ten years is not that he's in love with his wife or doesn't notice her appalling personality, it's that all he really wants from her is good sex and the comforts her wealth provide. Which, since both parties were fine with that, would not have been a problem, I suppose. But he falls for a Russian who writes bad poetry. The author gives the impression that we should care about the ethical dilemma involved in Dr. Vaisey's choosing to lie about the poetry being good (not just to Anna but to the world at large, for political reasons), and indeed there is some temptation to care about that, but the author seems quite unaware that by making the wife such a monster and the husband a relatively sympathetic character (although, objectively, not an admirable one for any reason at all), and by presenting the poet Anna as an intelligent, likable person who for some reason is a devoted writer of inane poetry, the reader gradually gets the sense that despite the author's intent, this is actually a novel about privileged white men who really care nothing and understand nothing about the women in their lives, and about fairly intelligent women who are pretty much devoid of actual talent or productive occupation, and spend their time either drinking or causing psychopathic mischief. Yet I don't really think Kingsley Amis set out to write a book on about this aspect of gender relations. So I am rather perplexed.

[Patti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Richard is a professor of Slavic studies who thinks that reading English translations of Russian classics is a cop-out. He’s married to Cordelia, who controls the purse strings, but falls for Russian poet Anna, whose poetry leaves a lot to be desired. Herein lies the dilemma. Anna’s brother is in a Russian prison, and she has the idea that if she can gain some acclaim for her work in England, she will be able to pressure the Russian authorities into releasing her brother. To affirm her literary clout, Richard and his colleagues must sign a petition praising the value of her poetry. Richard, therefore, has to choose between maintaining his professional integrity and showing support for the woman he loves. He goes to some lengths to find someone who will dispute his low opinion of Anna’s poetry, but no such luck, even though he is moved to tears by one of her readings. So two questions dominate the story: Will Richard sign the petition? And will Anna still love him if he doesn’t? In case you’re feeling sorry for poor Cordelia, don’t. She is not a sympathetic character at all, and she goes on a vindictive tear that is possibly warranted with regard to vengeance against Richard, but the collateral damage is not. Despite the somewhat humorous turn of phrase now and then, this book just did not hold my attention. Occasionally it’s OK for me to read a book that makes me sleepy so that I can get some much needed rest. Still, I’d rather spend my time with a more riveting read.

[Jason · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was looking around in the local used bookstore for some Kingsley Amis that I had never read before. The guy said that this one rarely ever came in to the shop and so I picked it up, intrigued. It is from nearly the end of Amis' bibliographywhich I was not aware of at the time but now seems a bit obvious. The writing doesn't have that crispness that you see in Lucky Jim or The Anti-Death League.

Nevertheless, what Amis writes well about Englishness or more particularly those detailed social interactions that are so particular to the British upper middle class. That class is ably represented by Richard Vaisey, a Russian scholar at the London Institute of Slavonic Studies. He's an intellectual, repressed bourgeoisie married a wealthy and manipulative woman but thoroughly satisfied with his lot. The Russian girl he meets is Anna Danilova, a poet visiting England to raise support for a petition to free her brother, a petty thief unfairly held in a Soviet prison. Anna's poetry is sort of comically bad and Richard's struggle is with his attraction to her and his loathing of her poetry.

The situation will be familiar to anyone who has ever compromised their integrity for love. I can't say that I loved this book although it was interesting. In the end it seemed a bit too much like it was mocking the intellectual pretentiousness that Amis represented himself.

[Tony Nielsen · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Russian Girl was published in 1992 when Russia and Britain were still transitioning from the Cold War days. It does have a bit of a dated feel about it, unlike, for instance, John Le Carre who always seems to set the right tone, and even when his plots are set in say the '50's or '60's the writing still feels contemporary. That said I did enjoy Amis's story about the young Russian poet who arrives in London on a mission to enlist British support for her brother who's in a Soviet prison. Respected scholar, and Russian speaker and expert, Richard Vaisey becomes entranced by Anna, the poet, even though he thinks her verses are terrible. It doesn't stop him leaping into a relationship with her, going out on a limb to elicit support for her cause, and not surprisingly earning the wrath of his wealthy wife. A solid but unspectacular read, or am I being harsh ??

[Todd · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, like all of the novels by Kingsley Amis. It might not reach the incredible heights of "The Old Devils," "Lucky Jim," "Ending Up," or others, but it's pretty darned good. You know, the more time that goes by, the more Amis seems like a true original, one of the finest writers in the English language in my opinion. I keep searching for current writers that have that brilliant combination of hilarious and relentless pummeling of pretentious bullshit, foibles of humanity, etc. with such an underlying melancholy, compassion, and insight into mankind. I haven't found anyone that packs such a punch. Let me know if you have, I'd love to read them!

[Arjun Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm tired of books about professors as protagonists. It is not much of a relatable world, and there is so very little "professoring" actually happening that it is a moot point anyway.

I could not get a read on the time stamp. I am guessing 80s? Not very many cultural references to guide an inference.

That being said, the writing is lucid and intriguing, the moral conundrums are interesting, and the characters have real bite to them. Kingsley Amis is an automatic favorite with me because of Lucky Jim so I am willing to try about anything from him.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book finds Amis winding down as he approaches the end of an absolutely brilliant career. The high points show him at the top of his game, and the low points come off as uncharacteristically dull. In terms of pure pleasure from reading, however, KA is still my favorite indulgence.

[Dan Honeywell · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, however, the best character is the wife, Cordelia. Kingsley should've used her more and had some of the stuff she did at the end occur earlier in the book, and more of it. But overall, another great book from Kingsley Amis.

[Chelsea · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a bit hard to follow at first but once I got into it I couldn't put it down!
The dialect exchange is so realistic I can actually "hear it" and the plot is brilliant - hilarious at times.
I highly recommend this book!

[Tommy]

First American edition

[Pabarrett]

The Russian Girl by Kingsley AMIS (1994)

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it.

[Jc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reflective of Amis's disgust with the Soviet avant garde. "They're anti Soviet, therefore they must rock!" No, they can suck. Hard learning, but live with it.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A British professor of Russian Literature with a rich but psychopathic wife meets and falls for a young Russian woman who writes horrible poems. What can go wrong?

[The Book Girl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to come.. Loved it a lot!

[Martha]

slogged through