His debut novel solovyov and larionov oneworld, 2018 was shortlisted for the andrei bely prize and russias national big book award. First published in russian in 20, eugene vodolazkin s laurus became an instant national success winning several of the most prestigious russian literary awards, among them the. Jan 08, 2016 laurus, by eugene vodolazkin, translated by lisa hayden, oneworld, rrp. As vodolazkin wrote in a 20 essay, contemporary russia desperately needs people who can pelt devils with stones, but even more, it needs those who can talk with angels. Also let me know if you have any good recommendations of. Nov 19, 2015 medievalist eugene vodolazkin is the author of laurus, a new novel set in plagueridden 15th century russia. Hayden, we have an even more radical example of the genre. And if youd like detailed analysis of the book through a much more sophisticated lens than mine, you should search his blog for his many posts on this book.
The book was published in multiple languages including romanian, consists of 328 pages and is available in paperback format. Indeed, solovyov and larionov is both in the grand and smaller russian traditions, a novel of fairly large though admirably circumscribed vodolazkin doesnt try to bite off too much scope, as well as one that captures small scenesfromlife very well. Evgenij vodolazkin author evgenij vodolazkin, 1964 in kiew. Thriftbooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. I found the internet and some herbal medicine books lent by a local russian doctor helpful. Laurus is a 2012 russian novel by eugene vodolazkin set in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries. The two main characters are particularly welldrawn, while many of the secondary ones. It is a time of plague and pestilence, and a young healer, skilled in the art of herbs and remedies, finds himself overcome with grief and guilt when he fails to save the one he holds closest to his heart. An expert in old russian literature, vodolazkin has worked in the department of old russian literature at pushkin house since 1990. Laurus is an exploration of the human condition in our own time but looked at with the wisdom of the people of another time.
I may have more thoughts about it when i read it again. Perhaps the jury that awarded laurus russias prestigious big book prize in 20 felt. It is needless to say for the ones who are familiar with this author, as he is known as an outstanding storyteller, keeping readers attention from cover to cover, bringing up unusual plots, interesting characters, describing the most interesting historic layers of the russian history and using most vivid language of. Laurus by eugene vodolazkin meet your next favorite book.
A quirky, ambitious book eugene vodolazkin succeeds gloriously. Laurus presents the translator with numerous other challenges, and ive found in email correspondence with some of the books translators into other languages that many of us had difficulty determining translations for names of certain medicinal plants. Apr 25, 2018 laurus by evgenij vodolazkin i have recently found myself engulfed and enamored by plants. Although god is vividly present in laurus, and nearly absent in the aviator, both novels are deeply concerned with right and wrong. First published in russian in 20, eugene vodolazkin s laurus became an instant national success winning several of the most prestigious russian literary awards, among them the national big book award and yasnaya polyana book award. Laurus by evgenij vodolazkin nook book ebook barnes. Laurus by evgenij vodolazkin author olga radetzkaja translator. Read online laurus by evgenij vodolazkin book or download in.
Here, he writes on using the language of the past to construct new meaning for the present, and how both the medieval and the postmodern influence his writing. Yet eugene vodolazkin, whose second novel, laurus, won both russias big book and yasnaya polyana prizes in 20, succeeds gloriously, giving us not just goodliness but an actual saint a. The main characters of this fiction, literature story are. Ken kalfus writes about laurus, a novel by eugene vodolazkin that is. Orphaned at a young age, he lives with his grandfather, christofer, who teaches him to heal the sick through prayer, a healing hand, and traditional folk remedies using plants and.
Eugene vodolazkin s laurus is one of those rare novels that once you start you wont want to put down, whether you are a person of faith or not. He is quick to dissociate himself from historical fiction. Laurus is a remarkably rich novel about the eternal themes of love, loss, selfsacrifice, and faith, from one of russias most exciting and critically acclaimed novelists. He is an expert in medieval russian history and folklore. In a seminar in london last autumn, vodolazkin described laurus in this way. The year of magical thinking by didion, joan the argonauts by nelson, maggie laurus by vodolazkin. The book s subtitle is, intriguingly, a nonhistorical novel. Eugene vodolazkin was born in kiev and has worked in the department of old russian literature at pushkin house since 1990.
Laurus book by eugene vodolazkin official publisher. Laurus is set in the late fifteenth and early sixteenth century and is basically the birthtodeath story of its protagonist. Looking back, a significantly high number of them were read while traveling wonder if theres something there in terms of enjoyment. In laurus, vodolazkin aims directly at the heart of the russian religious experience and perhaps even at that maddeningly elusive concept that is cherished to the point of cliche. His debut novel, solovyov and larionov was shortlisted for the andrei bely prize and the big book prize. A short introductory prolegomenon already summarizes it but, as the opening line noting. Laurus, his second novel but the first to be translated into. Eugene vodolazkin s the aviator explores this question through the experiences of innokenty platonov, who emerges from nearly a. Help us create the kind of literary community youve always dreamed of. Oct 24, 2019 i have always dreamed of coming to this country, and i finally did it, and on top of that, i became a participant of an amazing event, says writer and literary researcher evgeny vodolazkin. Gradually memories, adventures and visions, past, present and future begin to merge. It has already been published in twenty languages, attracting international attention. Buy a cheap copy of laurus book by evgenij vodolazkin. Hayden, vodolazkin recounts the mystical itinerary of a medieval man who passes from healer to holy fool, from monastic to hermit.
Haydens translations from the russian include eugene vodolazkins laurus. Vodolazkin, the author, is a midevil scholar who has recreated the alien nature of the midevil russian world wonderfully. Her blog, lizoks bookshelf, examines contemporary russian fiction. In truth, it reveals the deep humanism of the middle ages. Oct 10, 2016 in laurus, the second novel from eugene vodolazkin, a professor of medieval russian history translated by lisa c. If one or more works are by a distinct, homonymous authors, go ahead and split the author. Librarything is a cataloging and social networking site for booklovers. Laurus can be described as historical fiction, it takes place in 15th century russia, but that gives the wrong impression about the contents. A new novel by the russian medievalist eugene vodolazkin, laurus, recreates this fervent landscape and suggests why the era, its holy men, and the.
Aut or bestselleru laurus a jemne historicke fikce solovjov a larionov. Lavr russian edition russian hardcover july 24, 2018 by jevgenij vodolazkin author. Laurus evgenij vodolazkin the people in the trees hanya yanagihara the rival queens. Laurus by evgenij vodolazkin, translated by lisa c. Evgenij vodolazkin kiev, 1964 is a linguist and medievalist, specialized in ancient russian literature and promoted on the place of world literature in russian chronicle writing from the 11th to the 15th century. Inspired by his favourite book from childhood, innokenty attempts a. Hes a specialist in ancient russian literature and makes good use of his knowledge of ancient russian literature in laurus. Devastated and desperate, he sets out on a journey in search of redemption. He had four names at various times suggests, theres more to it all.
The first edition of the novel was published in 2012, and was written by evgenij vodolazkin. Obrazek na prebalu je od kultovniho umelce michaila shemyakina, ktery byl vytvoren specialne pro tuto knihu. London, 2015 this new russian novel tells the story of a fictitious 15th century saint, a wonderworker and healer. Its not complex in the sense of being opaquein fact, the. Feb 19, 2017 she came back with laurus by evgenij vodolazkin, eugene vodolazkin. May 23, 2017 by dpmonahan in books leave a comment. Click and collect from your local waterstones or get free uk delivery on orders over. Podle casopisu forbes a meduzy nejocekavanejsi rusky roman roku 2016. To ask other readers questions about laurus, please sign up. A number of you got the new evgeny vodolazkin novel laurus for christmas, and have been writing to tell me how great it is. Laurus by evgenij vodolazkin overdrive rakuten overdrive. Pdf laur book by evgenij vodolazkin free download 328.
I really have a hard time trying to figure out how to describe laurus. The new yorker a treasure house of russian medieval lore and customsa very clever, selfaware contemporary novela quirky, ambitious book. To quote mikhail lermontov, he said, it is the history of a mans soul. It does not simply tell a medieval story, it tells the story in a medieval way. In another, it is pointed, touching, and at times humorous, unpredictably straying from the path and leading readers along a wild chase through time, language and medieval europe vodolazkin has. A new novel by the russian medievalist eugene vodolazkin, laurus, recreates this fervent landscape and suggests why the era, its holy men, and the forests and fields of muscovy retain such a grip. Laurus is a modern russian novel, wonderfully translated to english. Dec 31, 2017 laurus evgenij vodolazkin the people in the trees hanya yanagihara the rival queens. The books author, yevgeny germanovich vodolazkin, was born in kiev in 1964. Haydens translations from the russian include eugene vodolazkin s laurus, which won the read russia award in 2016 and was also shortlisted for the oxfordweidenfeld prize along with her translation of vadim leventals masha regina. Explore books by eugene vodolazkin with our selection at. It won the big book award and the yasnaya polyana book award.
The laurus company publishing books of distinction. Jan 06, 2017 not counting rereads, i gave 17 books a 5star rating on goodreads this year. A powerful story about a russian orthodox healer, holy man, and pilgrim, laurus becomes a pilgrimage for each reader, one that surely will change your life if you are open to its beauty, depth, and truth. Evgeny vodolazkin is a new genius and his new book is a true masterpiece. Hayden, is the story of arseny, a fictional fifteenthcentury russian folk healer, holy man, mystic, and pilgrim. In his second offering, freshly translated into elegant and unwrinkled english by lisa c. Yet eugene vodolazkin, whose second novel, laurus, won both. I read laurus because rod dreher told me to, on his blog at least, and i do everything rod dreher says. Its language veers from archaicbathe thyself, yf thou wyltto modern slang, and its preoccupations range. Book description andrei rublev meets the name of the rose in this awardwinning novel a doomed love affair, an enthralling chronicle of the middle ages, a piece of biblical analysis, and a remarkable journey all in one. Read online laurus by evgenij vodolazkin book or download. Jul 09, 2018 laurus is a modern russian novel, wonderfully translated to english. We personally assess every book s quality and offer rare, outofprint treasures. These novels are fictional inquiries into how a person is to live, and how a person is to make moral choices, in a world where life is uncertain, events are chaotic, and justice frequently.
About the author eugene vodolazkin was born in kiev and has worked in the department of old russian literature at pushkin house since 1990. Laurus, which chronicles the life of a man who is a medieval healer, holy fool. Leaving behind his village, his possessions and his name, he sets out on a quest for redemption, penniless and alone. An expert in old russian literature, eugene vodolazkin was born in kiev in 1964. Laurus, his second novel, won both of russias major literary awards, the book book prize and the yasnaya polyana award. Evgenij vodolazkin, evgheni vodolazkin, jevgenij vodolazkin eugene vodolazkin is a russian scholar and author.
Im only about 100 pages in but i can tell this is going to be one of those rare books that i actually end up owning. Solovyov and larionov, andrei bely prize, big book award shortlist. Laurus, by eugene vodolazkin, english translation 2015. Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. I have often regretted the things i have said, but i have never regretted my silence. But right now i am still basking in the glow of a book enjoyed. Though secular readers may be inclined to consider the tales of his feats magical realism, everything in. The books eponymous hero is a healer who, in the course of his life, becomes a pilgrim, holy fool and hermit.
A russian novel about sin and redemption laurus by. I signed up for a course on spiritual herbalism with a healer in brooklyn, ny. Eugene vodolazkin is currently considered a single author. Oct 15, 2015 a new novel by the russian medievalist eugene vodolazkin, laurus, recreates this fervent landscape and suggests why the era, its holy men, and the forests and fields of muscovy retain such a. Eugene vodolazkin born 1964 is a russian scholar and author. With an overdrive account, you can save your favorite libraries for ataglance information about availability. Eugene vodolazkin s latest, laurus, is a book of names. Nov 01, 2018 vodolazkin, who only started writing in his early 40s, burst onto the russian fiction scene in 2012 with the publication of bestseller laurus, which has sold over 200,000 copies. He is an expert in medieval history and folklore and has numerous academic books and articles to his name. Janet fitch, larb in laurus, vodolazkin aims directly at the heart of the russian religious. Laurus books is the premier christian and nonfiction imprint of the laurus company, including christian nonfiction and fiction, educational and ministerial materials, and other works that do not violate christian values and ethics. Talk in english with some translation from russian, followed by drinks. Vodolazkin has what we would probably call, borrowing from his own terminology, a personalist view of history. Orphaned at a young age, he lives with his grandfather, christofer, who teaches him to heal the sick through prayer, a healing hand, and traditional folk remedies using plants and herbs.
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