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Published Jul 2014
288 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
One of Russia's finest novelists and an heir to the literature of Gogol, Bulgakov, and Nabokov, Andrei Bitov has been widely hailed as a progenitor of the postmodern novel. The Symmetry Teacher is his love letter to the art of storytelling. Layered with playful games between writer and reader, this delightful, challenging work explores the relationship between an author and his creations, and the sacrifices that a writer may make out of ardor for his art.
Bitov tells us that The Symmetry Teacher is the "echo" of a British novel that he once read and is now trying to reconstruct through the moth holes of memory and the fog of a foreign tongue. As the book proceeds, we encounter a series of curious episodes: A man meets the devil on a park bench and the devil shows him photographs of the fall of Troy, Shakespeare's legs, and a terrible event that will take place in his future. A king who reigns over all possible worlds and uses his power to remove stars from the sky turns out to be the compiler of the Encyclopedia Britannica. Villagers squabble over a self-proclaimed space alien, and a literary society decides that it will accept only new members whose works are unwritten. Through it all, Bitov proceeds with the wit and mastery of a fabulist in perfect command of his fables.
"Starred Review. Bitov, a pioneer postmodern writer, packs physics-defying deaths, mysterious doorbells, and space aliens into this lively literary feat." - Publishers Weekly
"A postmodern novel of dizzying intricacy. Bitov plays mind games of all sorts with his readers: he includes puns, excerpts from made-up novels, false footnotes and comments on nonexistent manuscripts...While Bitov's intelligence and gift for intellectual play are never in doubt, the novel hits the head rather than the heart." - Kirkus
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Andrei Bitov is the author of Pushkin House, Captive of the Caucasus, and The Monkey Link, among other works. He is a cofounder of the Russian PEN club and has received numerous awards and honors, including being named a Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters by the French government. He lives in Moscow and St. Petersburg.
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