A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia

Pelevin's short stories are surreal and absurdist - but so was the Soviet period of Russian history, which Pelevin writes about. The nonsensical nature of the stories may be off-putting to readers, as the situation, plot and resolution are all ... weird. For example, in "Vera Pavlovna's Ninth Dream" a femal bathroom cleaner philosophizes on the meaning of existence, stumbling into the metaphysical position of solipsism, potentially losing her mind (or, perhaps, changing her reality.) In "The Prince of Gosplan," working for the Soviet economic planning agency becomes a literal computer game, the object to control the characters to "level up" and advance.While each story is unique in its own right, they all share common themes: the characters all go through the motions of living while in reality they are asleep (as in the short story "Sleep"), each character following the central organization of Soviet life, no one complaining or raising a fuss, each person "living the lie" (to borrow from Havel.) Another theme that ties the stories together are the "inside jokes" that only Russians (or those familiar with the Soviet system) would be likely to catch: references and allusions to the "New Soviet Man", "socialist realism" and "What is to be Done" are likely to fly over the heads of most readers, but which I found worthy of a belly-laugh. The frustration with the Soviet system and the meaninlessness and bleakness of existence is also common to all the stories - whether it be a description of life in prison or a heavy-equipment operator seeking to bull-doze his way out of the system, Pelevin emphasizes if not the triumph of the human will to be an individual, then its struggle to do so. This is especially apparent in the title short story, "A Warewrolf Problem in Central Russia" (which was, incidentally, also my favorite of the collection.)While the stories are perhaps a bit "avant garde" in their surrealism and the Soviet-age references and jokes may be missed, this is an excellent collection of contemporary Russian fiction, and a marvelous read. Kudos as well to Andrew Bromfield, the translator, whose work with Boris Akunin's mysteries drew me to these stories. Highly recommended.

I love this writer. Had the book in the past and lent it away.. Used the werewolf story with my students for Halloween. Thanks Amazon

A great collection of stories. This is a good starting point for those looking to get into Pelevin. Genius.

My favorite collection of short stories by the author.

10+ stars actually.someone else already wrote this, but beg and pray for Viktor Pelevin's works!i read The Werewolf in russian, then in english, and the translation doesn't cut it. it's no one's fault, it's simply impossible to convey in english what Pelevin conveys in russian.my honest to God advice: his work is worth learning Russian, just to read it in the original. you will be amazed. and you will also understand why Pelevin is claimed to have monopolized the Russian bookmarket. :-)A.p.s. V.Pelevin's most recent and best stuff has not been translated yet (perhaps it's impossible to translate without ruining it or reducing it to sterility)."Generation P" and "Chapaev i Pustota" ("Chapaev and Void"). if you see a copy in english, get it right away and run with it.

First let me say that I reeeaaaallly enjoyed this book, but let me also state that I know that I missed alot of the inferences and sly winks. Though I am decently well read in Russian history (it's part of my own background) there are many current and historical references that are beyond most non-Russian Russians. It would be a much more enjoyable read if the translator had not only put in a glossary, but made some notes at the end of each story. Sort of an 'annotated' version, like they do with Shakespear.That said, my two favorite stories were 'Ninth Dream' about a solipsist toilet cleaner and 'the Chinese Fantasy' where an obscure Chinese Peasant is kidnapped by the KGB and ends up becoming a major minister in the Russian government. The total absurdity of these stories has to do with the survival instinct that has become part of the Russian psyche over the last three hundred years. Gogol was highly respected for his ability to write stories that said so much, by saying so little (to keep him out of trouble, as much as possible).One has to remember that this is a culture where the Czar, whether Ivan (who sent a Division marching towards Siberia) to Peter (who forcibly shaved off peoples beards, and ordered a city built on a swamp); to Stalin who had whole cultures (Crimean Tartars and Volga Germans) transported to the deserts of Kazahkstan, and just dumped there. Where a knock on the door in the middle of the night, meant certain death and anathema to the family. Parents begged their children to turn them in, so that the children wouldn't be punished for their parents imagined sins.When you grow up in a culture like the Marxist-Leninist USSR, where history is constantly rewritten (and people disappear and reappear in photographs), it's hard to take anything seriously. Tomorrow, seriousness could be determined to be anti-Soviet propaganda, and everyone is ordered to be merry (or else!).Years ago an immigrant friend of mine told me a story of how his mother would wait on line each day for two hours for toilet paper, even though she knew that the store was empty. She did this because it gave her time to spend with friends, get the latest gossip, look over the latest samizdat (underground publishing), and keep her mind off her hunger. She considered it time well spent. If you don't see the humor in this, don't bother reading the book.