Como empezó todo

by Nikolai Bujarin

El manuscrito inacabado de la novela Cómo empezó todo que permaneció durante setenta años confiscado en los archivos del Kremlin fue escrito durante la estancia del autor en la cárcel mientras aguardaba su ejecución.
En el, en un tono lírico, Bujarin traza la trayectoria vital de Nikolai Kolia Petrov (su álter ego), desde la temprana infancia hasta la adolescencia. Se trata, pues, de una novela de formación en la que la presencia constante de la naturaleza y la afición que el joven protagonista siente por los seres que la habitan se mezcla con el retrato sociológico de la Rusia prerrevolucionaria, en especial de los funcionarios y del profesorado, y la evolución política de país en los albores de la revolución de 1905.

Genres: History, Russian Literature, Nonfiction, Biography, Russian History, Politics, Russia

Paperback

First published January 1, 1998

Reviews

[César Carranza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tengo mucho que decir de este libro, voy a empezar por la trama y la historia. El libro no está concluido, Bujarin no pudo terminarlo, es una pena, pero la historia está genial, va de un niño Kolia Petrov, que no es otro que el mismo Nikolai, uno lee su infancia y todo su contexto familiar, desde su migrasión a Besarabia como su regreso a Rusia, las cosas por las que pasaron, condiciones muy precarias, esto por las circunstancias históricas y, si es que se puede decir que es algo diferente, el sistema de valores familiar.

Leer esto es muy interesante, es sorprendente como uno de los fundadores de la unión soviética, era taaan sensible a todo, es la versión de él mismo de lo que fue su juventud, pero aún con esto, es increíble la sensibilidad poética que, al parecer, siempre tuvo, me parece un poco aplica para si mismo una frase que viene en el libro, "el camino al infierno está tapizado de buenas intensiones", digo essto porque también sorprende la sensibilidad a la mejora social que también siempre tuvo.

Por otro lado, la editorial, que siempre se ha caracterizado por hacer buenas cosa, además de que es bien cara, por lo menos en México, pero está bien, uno paga ediciones muy revisadas y traducciones sobresalientes, además del cuidado editorial, este caso es la excepción, tiene muchísimos errores, como si lo hubieran sacado al vapor, errores ortográficos, de redacción, inconsistencia en las transliteraciones del ruso, etc., en más de una ocasión regresé a una versión en ruso para comprobar si de verdad el escritor había cometido ese error (vg. confundir a Juan con Jonás en la biblia, etc.) y siempre fue el caso de la edición de pre textos. Es una pena porque es la única edición disponible de este libro interesantísimo, me parece no hace justicia al autor.

Lo recomiendo mucho, pero si hay que hacer un poco la vista a otro lado cuando uno se topa con tantos errores.

[Nicole · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best "Prison Novels" I've ever read. What I find most interesting about this book are his vivid recollections of childhood. I think anyone interested in the way a writer can "dig deep" into his/her memory would enjoy this book - Russian politics aside. It's beautifully written.

[Göksal Caner Malatya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ekim Devrimi'nin büyük teorisyenlerinden Buharin'in, Stalin döneminde tutuklu bulunduğu Lubyanka cezaevinde kaleme aldığı, kendi çocukluğunu ve Rusya'nın devrime gidişini anlatan otobiyografik romanıdır. Çarlık Rusyası'nın o boğucu atmosferini, kuşaklar arası çatışmayı ve Rus aydınının sosyalizmle tanışma serüvenini edebi bir estetikle yansıtır. Kurşuna dizilmeyi bekleyen bir devrimcinin, geçmişe dair hesaplaşmaları ve devrime olan sarsılmaz inancı satır aralarına gizlenmiştir. Hem edebi değeri yüksek hem de bir dönemin devrimci ahlakını yansıtan trajik bir belgedir.

[Revan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think that this book is very well written, but it was not quite what I was expecting. I hoped to learn more about one of the founding fathers of the USSR and his early life as a revolutionary. I ended up reading about Bukharin as a boy in Moscow and Moldova. Like I said, well written, but not set in the time period between 1917-1930.

[Jake · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bukharin was a communist leader from the beginning of the USSR. He was imprisoned and killed by Stalin in his Great Purge of competitors for power (Bukharin, ironically, helped purge Trotsky previously). This book was written while in prison. The title isn't so much about how the revolution began (which was what I had hoped for) but how his life began. It's a well written portrait of his childhood and life in late 19th century Russia, with only references to the political aspects leading to revolution. It ends in mid-thought and for some reason Stalin didn't burn his ex-friend's book.

[Artjom Aroutounjan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have had the pleasure to read Bukharin and the honor to have met him in my living lifetime. Here is a man bound to his ideology, a great idealist, with a visionary character and firm and strong hearted personality.

This book is an original diving into a revolutionary’s mind set and many experiences that he has gone through to form him for what he was. He was just and loving… The unfortunate regime was his worst enemy. Russia was his worst enemy as well as the West, but not the butterflies and his family.

I recommend any one reading this book without expectations. This book provides me a great deal of knowledge and understanding of what Russia once wanted to be, but end up being corrupted.

A.

[Denny Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I should wait to write this and let things settle, but I have a lot more reading to do. This book is a warm look at growing up in early 20th Century Russia. He set the stage and was never allowed to finish the play. This was written by a brilliant man who learned the world in a maelstrom of events and could have easily become a sage if only he was not shot by Stalin's men in that Soviet machine of depravity and fear. He joins a legion of remarkable humans wasted for no good reason in the Stalinist era.

[Ruben Florez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Señor Carranza, su párrafo o parrafada, se encuentra en difícil situación: " migrasión" " la historia....va de un niño" "tapizado de buenas intensiones" .Revise con franqueza su conocimiento ortográfico y de redacción en idioma español. Así evitará las confusiones mentales propias de quien exhibe tal confusión idiomática. Por eso decía parrafada al referirme al galimatías de su nivel idiomático. Le deseo suerte en el aprendizaje del idioma español.

[Sosen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the great lost novel of 20th-century Russia; perhaps Russia's best coming-of-age novel. It captures a forgotten era, when Russia was gradually taken over by the nation's children. The doomed author's masterfully-written reflections are full of history, nature, life, death; all of the insight you expect from Russian literature. It's remarkable that somebody who helped extinguish his own country's traditions could (or would) write a novel that stands with the greats of the 19th century.

[Dawn Wells]

Well written and very informative of the Soviet Union at the time. Captivating at times. Great history.