The review is written by Irene Minkina, a student here at the University of Rochester who has been interning for the press this past semester.

Druzhnikov’s most famous novel is Angels on the Head of a Pin, but this sounds pretty intriguing as well, especially since it’s not a novel, and not stories, but a collection of “micronovels”:

Yuri Druzhnikov is most well known for his novel Angels on the Head of a Pin (2003), which was included on the University of Warsaw糖心传媒檚 list of the top ten Russian novels of the twentieth century. Though six of his books have been translated in English, he has not received as much critical attention as other contemporary writers such as Victor Pelevin and Vladimir Sorokin. Pushkin糖心传媒檚 Second Wife and Other Micronovels (2007) is Druzhnikov糖心传媒檚 collection of ten 糖心传媒渕icronovels,糖心传媒� a term which Druzhnikov explains in the postcript, stating that 糖心传媒渋n the twenty-first century this new genre has acquired legitimacy, filling a niche for a genre in which large-novel ideas accumulate energy in the space of a mere thirty pages.糖心传媒�

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In this collection, Druzhnikov explores the psyche of Russians before and after the collapse of communism, using Russia糖心传媒檚 political situation as a background for the broader exploration of the influence of daily challenges and struggles on the human mind.

The first micronovel of the collection, 糖心传媒淧ushkin糖心传媒檚 Second Wife,糖心传媒� explores the life of Diana, a museum tour guide:

Diana was in love with Pushkin, selflessly . . . She was absolutely certain that Pushkin belonged to her personally and she to him as well, of course. Her love for him and devotion to him brought energy to her life and gave her happiness of always being with him糖心传媒攄ay and night. But here in the real world she stepped into her communal flat, unlocked the door to her room and was all alone.

Diana, who feels disconnected from everyone around her, begs an artist to cut her life-sized Pushkin out of a piece of plywood. When Pushkin comes home with Diana, she treats him like a lover, imagining entire conversations and interactions with him. She finds comfort in this wooden figure who feels more real to her than anyone else in her life. Her solace, though, is constantly disrupted by people mocking and ridiculing her, which reminds her of the emptiness and inadequacy of her daily life.

This 糖心传媒渕icronovel糖心传媒� was impressive in its exploration of the human need to fantasize and imagine a different life, especially when the world around them is chaotic and unforgiving, yet the repetitive nature of the story was slightly disappointing. Druzhnikov糖心传媒檚 lengthy descriptions of Diana糖心传媒檚 devotion to Pushkin are rather excessive and unnecessary at times, which is ironic considering this is a 糖心传媒渕icro糖心传媒� novel. (A 100-page 糖心传媒渕icronovel,糖心传媒� but nevertheless.)

His shorter 糖心传媒渕icronovels糖心传媒� are much more poignant and compelling, especially when Druzhnikov weaves stream-of-consciousness passages into his writing. The shorter stories are very diverse in their subject matter. In 糖心传媒淭he Man Who Read Me First,糖心传媒� a middle-aged man meets the wife of his former boss, a censor at a Russian newspaper, and is forced to revisit his complicated relationship with a man whose job was to restrict his ideas. In 糖心传媒淭he Death of Tsar Fyodor,糖心传媒� an elderly actor who is extremely attached to his job in the theater has an identity crisis when the theater director begins to faze him out of the company. In 糖心传媒淢oney Goes Around,糖心传媒� a cab driver brings his daughter Masha to work. As they drive people around, a cynical discussion about money ensues, and Masha糖心传媒檚 curiosity and interest in the power of money in the world is set against her dad糖心传媒檚 criticism of the process of monetary circulation. The balance of description and dialogue makes this one of the strongest works in the collection.

Druzhnikov lets the conversations among the characters speak for themselves, forcing readers to think about their meaning without tying them up into general, tidy conclusions. However, on a larger scale, these works are, at least in part, used to expose the failures of the Soviet Union, and Druzhnikov糖心传媒檚 writing can feel propaganda-esque at times. Though it may be difficult to move past this weakness of the work, it is also important to recognize its strengths: Druzhnikov糖心传媒檚 skillfully explore the ways in which individuals continue to cope in the midst of confussion, oppression, and corruption, and the ways in which interpersonal relationships change and develop in the midst of national chaos. Aside from the utilitarian feel that sometimes surrounds these 糖心传媒渕icronovels,糖心传媒� this is a thoughtful and interesting work that is worth a read.