The Star-Bear

by Michael Swanwick

A Russian émigré poet living in Paris is visited by a mysterious bear with an agenda…

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Historical, Speculative Fiction

20 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 7, 2023

Reviews

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

“The Star-Bear” by Michael Swanwick.

Meh. I read the blog about how/why the story was written and it didn’t help my “meh-ness” towards the story. Maybe I’m just in a mood right now.

2, didn’t do anything for me, stars.

[X · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just the right length.

[Kam Yung Soh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An exiled Russian writer living in Paris has an unusual encounter with a bear. By the middle of the story, the bear has started a conversation with the writer, trying to convince him to return to the Soviet Union, to be celebrated as a Soviet writer. Should he remain true to the reasons he left Russia, or return to a country eager for a propagandic victory?

[Helle M. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Meh

[Kieran McAndrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Russian poet living in exile in Paris is visited by a bear who offers him a chance to come home.

A story about the value of stories, and the freedom of being free.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Star-Bear was a weird little tale about a Russian poet and a bear. It had its good, insightful moments but mostly it was just okay.

[Per · Rating 3 out of 5]

https://reactormag.com/the-star-bear-...

[Katherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting allegory.

[Emy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A clever look at the nature of home, exile/emigration, and of belonging. Is the grass greener on the other side?

[Shiva · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn’t get it! Maybe it is a cultural thing, but I could not connect with the story. There was a lot of references to the sociopolitical surrounding the Soviet Union which just flies over my head. Swanwick uses words such as: the star, the bear, Russian literature, emigré society, Soviet, etc. These all come heavily loaded for me, yet very lightly treated here.

Was the story about literature? Or the emigré society or their paranoia, or something else?

“Why had he never seen the similarities of bears to the Russian language-so strong, so wild, so free? If only, he had thought then, I could write one perfect poem, I would die happy.”


2 stars
⭐️⭐️

[Courtney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read at https://reactormag.com/the-star-bear-...
I liked it, there were brief moments where it seemed like it was trying too hard and it kind of took me out of the story. But for the most part it was great. The ending (and the build up to it) were well done.
I think it did well constructing the Paris setting and I appreciated the Russian elements.

[José Alejandro Vázquez · Rating 3 out of 5]

Una premisa con mucho simbolismo para un cuento que habla de los intelectuales rusos que emigraron tras la revolución de octubre y un camarada oso. Pero fuera de eso, creo que le faltó contundencia al final.

[Barry · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting twist on art . . . and bears. Actually a 4.5.

[Alicia · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clearly an allegory for something, but I didn't get it.

[Heni · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm sure there's deep and profound meaning about the bear, but it eluded me. I can't understand the allegory at all

[glitrbug · Rating 5 out of 5]

Completely different, in an excellent way. I love a book that gives me something to think about. I wish my library had some of his books.

[Chrystal · Rating 5 out of 5]

I *loved* this story. It was short but every word counted.

[Daniella · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short story advent utilising tordotcom free fiction 24/24

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

link: https://reactormag.com/the-star-bear-...

[Beth N · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm often a fan of fiction whose genre is not easily defined. This is a speculative story, but its speculative-ness is slotted neatly within a literary framework, the weird resembling the sometimes dreamlike sequences in some 20th century European fiction.

One gets the impression that this is very much the effect Swanwick was reaching for: his main character a Russian author, surrounded by a literary circle in Paris, referencing Dostoevsky and Nabokov. The prose is somewhat more diffuse than that of these Russian titans, the language more relaxed. But then this is the joy of speculative fiction - it does not need to be a perfect imitation.

The bear is a somewhat obvious metaphor but nonetheless charming for it. My biggest criticism is that it never really amounted to anything. At the end of the story we return to a status quo, and the self-discovery appears to revolve more around confirming beliefs already held than finding new depths.

A well written story, but it didn't really do it for me.