The Russian Girl
- Book Review,
by Kingsley Amis
From Publishers Weekly
This time out Amis pere has written a sort of dourly comic version of le Carre's The Russia House. English expert on Slavic languages Richard Vaisey, married to dreadful but wealthy Cordelia, falls for visiting Russian poet Anna Danilova, who seeks English celebrity support to get her brother out of a Moscow jail (the time is the period surrounding the failed coup against Gorbachev). This presents an agonizing dilemma for the lovelorn Richard: Anna is a terrible poet, so what is he to do? And how is he to keep her and suspicious Cordelia apart? In lighter hands this could be the stuff of a lively contemporary farce, and there are certainly some comic moments: Cordelia, for instance, is a brilliant creation, and her extended revenge, when Richard finally plucks up the courage to leave her, is horrifyingly hilarious. But Amis's awkwardly plodding style, admired though it may be in England, and the rather dim characterization of Richard, allow the story to be only fitfully amusing. At least Amis's customary misogyny is all concentrated this time on the fearful Cordelia, and in Anna he has created one of his more believable and likable women. Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
Dr. Richard Vaisey is an esteemed scholar at the London Institute of Slavonic Studies whose wife, Cordelia, has perfected the art of manipulation. When Anna Danilova, an obscure Russian poet, asks his help in freeing her brother from a Russian jail by making her "famous" and thus calling world attention to the brother's plight, Richard finds himself torn between his growing passion for her and his outright dislike of her poetry. Realizing what is going on between her husband and "the Russian girl," Cordelia, plots revenge. Vaisey's conflicting emotions allow Amis, in his acerbically witty way, to explore the nature of art, criticism, academic integrity, and, ultimately, love. Even Americans come in for a tongue lashing--"if . . . a book had to be a novel, then let it contain as little fiction as possible. Maybe it is that Americans are a nervous lot and the idea of somebody inventing people and events out of imagination, out of nothing makes them uneasy." While Richard's dilemma drives the plot, it is Cordelia's nastiness that provides the real spice. She is a wonderful character whose idiosyncrasies will be appreciated by Amis's many fans. For most academic and public libraries. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 1/94.- David W. Henderson, Eckerd Coll. Lib., St. Petersburg, Fla.Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Amis, famous for Lucky Jim and The Old Devils (1986), is back with his twenty-first novel, a tongue-in-cheek tale of Anglo/Russian intrigue, academic nonsense, and domestic blisslessness. Dr. Richard Vaisey, a professor at the London Institute of Slavonic Studies, is our befuddled hero who, in the politically correct 1990s, is "out-of-date" because he "knows a lot." He knows a lot about Russian literature but not much about anything else. He's married to a rather familiar Amis type, the dotty, old-moneyed Cordelia. Like Shakespeare's Cordelia, she's loyal according to her bond, which Vaisey forcefully releases her from as he stumbles into an affair with a brash young Russian poet, Anna Danilova. Anna is an irredeemably awful poet--making it all the more likely, in Amis' estimation, that she will be celebrated in British academic circles. Anna manipulates Richard in an attempt to make herself sufficiently famous to put pressure on Moscow to free her imprisoned brother--of course, he's not some famous dissident but a dissolute criminal. Somewhere in all this Cordelia goes ballistic, and Richard has to move out; moreover, he's discredited academically, though his colleagues (who clearly don't "know a lot") want him out anyhow. Richard gets a better job, however, and the girl--Anna--in the end. Not a major effort from Amis, but he's completely in control of his material and, for him, in rather playful form. John Mort
From Kirkus Reviews
As pleasantly cantankerous as ever, the venerable Kingsley Amis (We Are All Guilty, 1992) once again casts his gimlet eye on the vanities of the age. Breezy drawing-room comedy here disguises his serious commentary on the relations between art and politics. Coming from Amis, of course, this 21st novel is also another salvo in the war between the sexes. Richard Vaisey, a distinguished scholar of Russian literature at the London Institute of Slavonic Studies, gladly suffers marriage to his peculiar wife, Cordelia, a beautiful heiress with an odd accent and a talent for pinching pennies. Once Richard's attentions begin to focus on the visiting poet, Anna Danilova, he realizes how truly nasty Cordelia is. Anna, for her part, poses a more interesting problem. She has come to England to enlist support for her ne'er-do-well brother, a petty convict in a Soviet jail. Because this is set before the collapse of communism, her plan involves establishing herself as an important artisitic critic of the regime. Unfortunately, Richard thinks her poetry is dreck, an opinion shared by the famous novelist in exile, Kotolynov. While Richard's best friend, the wealthy Czech, Crispin Radetsky, enlists the powerful in Anna's support, Richard himself comes undone. He neglects his students; Cordelia disappears; and he finally understands what a ``randy bastard'' he's become. Running off with Anna is a matter of prudence, not morality, for Richard, who contemplates the severe financial consequences of his act. Meanwhile, the scorned Cordelia proves to be a shrew of truly Amis-like dimensions, orchestrating her revenge with totalitarian glee. Though Richard compromises his sense of artistic merit for his love of Anna, things turn out okay in the end. After all, everyone here is terribly droll and sophisticated when it comes to plain adultery. Vintage Amis--as divisive, compelling, and hilarious as the Bobbitt trial. -- Copyright ©1994, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Book Description
In Dr. Richard Vaisey, a fellow at London's Institute of Slavonic Studies, pomposity wrestles integrity for dominance. The balance wavers in the presence of his wife, a woman with the social skills of Genghis Khan. Then Vaisey meets Anna, a Russian poetess with more charm than talent. A request that he endorse her work for political -- and romantic -- ends puts his virtue to the test. "A cause for celebration. . .as serious comedy it earns a high place in the Amis canon." (Spectator)
From the Publisher
8 1.5-hour cassettes
Buy from Amazon
Compare Prices
|
|
Home
