The Way of Muri (Hesperus Classics) by Boyashov, Ilya 1st (first) Edition

by Ilya Boyashov

A light, comical exploration of the significance of wandering and wanderers to the human condition, the wanderer here being the cat, Muri, displaced by war in 1992 from his village near Sarajevo On his journey from his war torn village, Muri the cat travels through Yugoslavia, Austria, Germany, Lithuania, Finland, and Sweden, meeting on the way an unlikely—but helpful—group of creatures, from a sperm whale to a paraplegic mountaineer and a wandering Jew. This is no children's book, but a witty exploration of the human condition through the people and objects Muri meets on his travels. Somewhere in the mix, Boyashov introduces us to two eminent professors, one from Cambridge, one from Geneva, who take opposite views on the question of whether man is in a perpetual and aimless state of wandering, or must always have a goal in mind. Like Sophie's World, this book is intended to be read on two levels—as a narrated story of real (fictional) characters and as an allegory.

Genres: Fiction, Russia, Fantasy, Contemporary, Animals, Cats

Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

About the author

See http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

Reviews

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very enjoyable and slightly nutty story mixing philosophy, animal behaviour, and whimsy to great effect. Cat lovers (and deniers) will particularly enjoy the straight characterisation of Muri, the eponymous feline hero of this book, a tom with an unbreakable spirit and a strong mind.

The lessons for us people is that The Path might not always lead somewhere, but that it is important to be travelling on it, either physically or spiritually.

[Jacq Jardin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muri, the cat and lead character, is an irresistible snob!

[Lammoth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Мяу, мяу, мяумяу миу! Мяу мяу?
Мрррррррр мррррррр.
Мяу мяу мииииау миииау. Миаау Миаау.
Мяу мяу мяу, мяумяу. Мяу мяу миу миу. Мю мяу мяу?
Мяу, мяу мррррр мяу! Миияу..мияу. Миуау мяу мяу. Мяу мяу мяаааааау. Мяу.
Мяу мяу мяу мяу. Мяу мяу мяу. Мяу!

Това бе ревюто на котешки, а сега ревю на езика на двукраките:

Иля Бояшов е руски писател, на когото му е хрумнала идеята да напише една история за котка - Мури. Нейният оригинален дом е разрушен по време на бомбардировките в Босна и тя тръгва да си търси нов уют, както и полагащото й се топло млекце, одеалце и двунога прислуга.
По време на пътуването си Мури среща различни хора, с различни вери и разбирания за света - техник мюсюлманин и астроном хърватин, група евреи напуснали Сараево, австрийски аристократ, а в книгата гастролират и други интересни животни - куче философ, странстващ кашалот и т.н. Мури, като всички котки, умее да вижда и духовете, живеещи сред нас.

Авторът ни загатва за основната идея още в началото на произведението:
"Животът е вечен път от една точка в пространството към друга, това е тъкмо времето, през което достойният добива знания, умения и вещина от способността да лои пеперуди, без да уврежда прашеца по крилата им, до изкуството да борави с мечовете дзу"
Идеята ми хареса, но уви на моменти е прекалено мудна, действията протичат бавно, а Бояшов излишно се е мъчил да философства и да придаде някаква философска тежест на романа. Затова в goodreads дадох три звезди от пет като оценка. Чете се лесно, малка е, но не е шедьовър.

ревю: http://lammothsblog.blogspot.com/2012...

[Anna-Maria Popova (Bookfan.tasy) · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Пътят на Мури” е книга за надеждата, за търсенето и намирането. Мури не е мечтател, той просто има цел и я следва докрай, за да си легне отново на любимото одеялце и да получи купичка с мляко.
Чудите се кой е Мури? Той е нахален котарак, живеещ в идилия в босненско село, докато не започват бомбардировките, а семейството му бяга без да се сети за четириногия си приятел. Романът дава интересна гледна точка на военните действия на Балканите през 90’те години. Бояшов умело борави с европейската история, с религиите и философските идеи на Изтока и Запада. Чрез странстванията на котарака и останалите герои, откриваме различните виждания на Пътя - безкрайно развитие или ясна цел, към която се стремим.
.
За кого е подходяща книгата?
- За фенове на Тери Пратчет, Дъглас Адамс и по-философската фантастика.
- За любителите на магическия реализъм, които не се притесняват от нелогични и странни случки, а търсят символиката в текста.
- За тези, с интерес в източната философия.

[Jelena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ovdje citalac moze da se poigra, zamisli da je macak i posmatra sve iz macje perspektive. Ako nista drugo, ucinice bar samo citanje zanimljivijim.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written, clever and funny. If you think this is a cute story about animals, you're wrong. This book is about the universal desire and longing for a "path" and purpose in life. History, philosophy and fiction blend delightfully to tell a tale of many travellers and their quest for fulfilment. Muri, the main protagonist begins his journey in Yugoslavia after the outbreak of war in 1992. He treks across much of Eastern Europe to reclaim his home. What happens on his journey is where the story takes place as his life intercepts various other displaced souls. Totally soul soothing book!

[Nickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fabulous book about travelling in the mind and body. Following various characters through war torn Bosnia, Russia, etc finding the meaning of life through philosophical discussion on the way! A great read!

[Maria Garalova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Обичам котките, въпреки че са неблагодарни същества. Хареса ми идеята за пътешествието на Мури и хората, които срещаше по пътя. Книгата ми беше подарена от жена, която не познавам, за което благодаря. Смятам да я запазя, защото е ценна и интересна.

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5☆

[Nigel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A whimsical paean to the need for a quest in life with staying in one place not a viable option. The central character is a cantankerous cat forced into a long trek after his house is destroyed in the Bosnian conflict of 1992. Alongside this story we also meet a globe crossing sperm whale, a mathematical goose, an obsessed astonomer, a princely Arabian pilot and a group of Jewish refugees amongst others. Throw in an occasional philosophical discourse and we have an incident packed short 152 page read. Whether there is a purposeful lesson in life here is debatable, but it's fun deciding.

[SSC · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a short and inspiring story with truly charming characters, all along the way playing out some pretty fundamental philosophical questions. Displacement caused by war, the pursuit of meeting basic needs, breaking away from comfort to search for higher purpose through journey and discovery or a new home. The style in which it is written and translated makes it irresistible.

[Pingasari · Rating 4 out of 5]

Philosophical in nature yet still an enjoyable read, the book gives interesting insights on what it means being human, and prompts the reader to re-think about the journey that is Life. But I feel the translator could have opted for simpler words instead of GRE-grade vocab to convey the same meaning.

[Ariya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Even though most of all the story line is rather capturing than boring, go and take a journey which is the main theme of this book doesn't buy me.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

И пошёл человек по земле, изгнанный из рая. И шёл он, пока не пришёл до места, ставшего его домом. И жил там, покуда не пришли другие люди, подобно ему из рая изгнанные, и выгнали его. И пошёл человек по земле дальше, лишённый крова. И так шёл он, отовсюду изгоняемый, покоя нигде не находя себя. И шли так все прочие люди, его изгонявшие, ибо изгоняли и их. И пришёл человек однажды туда, где было занято, и изгнал он там до него поселившихся. Такова история человечества, кратко изложенная. А теперь внимание к кошкам, живущим ради присущих им интересов. И пошли кошки следом за людьми, не желая оставаться в одиночестве, и наводнили они мир, не находя нигде покоя. И причина того в человеке заключалась. Кто шёл за ним, обрекал себя на жалкое существование. И стало ясно всем это, и поняли все тут сказанное, ничего не изменив, продолжая заданный жизнью круг, пока не посыпались бомбы на их головы. Тогда стало ясно окончательно: отныне можно изгонять, не имея целью овладеть землёю изгнанных, ибо силён в человеке дух силу показывать.

(c) Trounin

[Marina Maric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesantna knjiga!

Muri je mačak iz Bosne. On voli udobnost, ljude naziva dvonožnim slugama, koji mu obezbeđuju hranu. Kad izbije rat u Bosni on beži i naredne četiri godine će obilaziti Evropu: Hrvatsku, Austriju, Nemačku... Istovremeno pratimo i kita Dika, koji plovi svetskim morima, pratimo i gusana Timoša, koji satima deli trocifrene brojeve gakanjem. Ima tu i ljudi: šeik Abdula, koji želi da obleti svet, Kinez koji hoda po žici iznad provalije...

Maštovita i duhovita knjiga.

„Ako uporedimo težinu velikog mozga i težinu kičmene moždine drugih životinja, dobićemo sledeću sliku. Kod riba taj odnos jednak je jedinici (1). Kod konja – dva i po (2,5), kod mačaka – četiri (4), kod majmuna osam (8). Kod delfina je trideset i šest (36)! Kod čoveka je taj odnos pedeset (50).“

[Ozakiaun · Rating 5 out of 5]

หนังสือว่าด้วยการเดินทาง มีความเป็นปรัชญาแฝงอยู่ไปทุกอณู ย่อยไม่ง่ายเท่าไหร่ มีจุดที่แอบคิดว่าคนเขียนมีมุมมองแบบปิตาฯ misogyny (ไม่)หน่อย แต่ว่ามันมีซีนที่ชอบมาก ๆ พีคมาก ๆ ในใจหลายซีน อย่างเช่นพาร์ทของเฮเลมเคที่พยายามปีนเทือกเขาแอลป์แล้วเถียงกับครูฝึกที่พยายามห้าม แล้วก็ซีนของคนขับรถบรรทุกชาวเซอร์เบีย ตัวละครหลักอย่างมูรีก็แสบมาก แต่ก็มีเอกลักษณ์มาก ๆ เหมือนกัน

[moomooread · Rating 3 out of 5]

“เพราะทุกสิ่งเกิดมาเพื่อเดินทาง” คือใจความที่หนังสือพยายามเสนอ เราอ่านแล้วรู้สึกเหนื่อยมาก เพราะทุกตัวละครเดินทางหาจุดหมายของตัวเองตลอดเวลา และตัดสลับตัวละคร/ฉากบ่อยมากจนบางครั้งก็มึน อ่านได้เรื่อย ๆ แต่ถ้ากะจะอ่านคลายเครียดเบา ๆ นี่ไม่ค่อยแนะนำเท่าไหร่

[Aleksandra Ćukić · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lepo sam se zabavila čitajući ovu knjigu. Sad stalno gledam mačka i pitam se da li i on razmišlja kao Muri ☺🐱

[Sarah Cook · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book but didn't care about anyone or anything in it. YMMV

[K · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Way of Muri starts out strong--a witty and clever cat observing humans, and using them to get what he wants. Human frailties and stupidities are displayed and discussed by animals and spirits. Rather good for the first half of the work, and then it wanders as if the author lost track of his premise. Too bad, but worth reading for the observations of humanity.

[Audrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love a cat narrator!!!!! Got boring at the end

[Bistra Ivanova · Rating 1 out of 5]

ами нямах намерение да я довършвам, но така се случи, че чаках поръчката си в о!шипка 40 минути сама и от скука прочетох последните 80 страници

книгата може би има добра идея - разходка през европа в средата на 90-те през погледа на един арогантен котарак (истински използвач - когато получи това, което иска - топло легло и вкусна храна - тутакси зарязва човека, който се грижи за него; ето защо не харесвам котките), НО романът е така фрагментарно написан, че на места въобще не схващах логиката между отделните абзаци

по някое време престанах да се чудя откъде се появиха тези кашалоти, какъв е този въжеиграч, онзи човек с мечтата за къщата-рай, която никога не искаш да напуснеш, философите-кучета и всички останали...

най-странно ми се видя, че книгата е получила голямата литературна награда на русия "национален бестселър" (2007)

[Kate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Is the journey the destination, or the destination the journey? Ilya Boyashov tries to answer this question with a whole host of characters - human and animal.

If you're going to read this book, you can't really take it at face value as just a story. Sure, Muri the cat is on the hunt for his family when his home is destroyed and they leave without a trace (pretty much the gist of the storyline), but I found it easier to get into the book the second I started to dig deeper into philosophical thinking.
Yes, I love reading books that are just a simple, straight forward story of the good guy/girl triumphing over the bad guy/girl, because honestly, after a day at work it's nice to read something a bit less mind-taxing, but if you want a book that will get you wondering about your own journey, and what you're doing with your life, I definitely recommend you read this book.

[Melissa Cabbage · Rating 2 out of 5]

Like always, if I could give half stars, this would be a 2.5 stars but to say that this book is nothing spectacular isn't very fair. It's not my usual kind of book, and I have to keep reminding myself that this is fiction (although I often end up believing in all of the historical events as if they really happened... they didn't, right?). But apart from the weird jumping from events to events without a single traditional chaptering, and the confusing debates of the philosophies (which honestly I don't really care for), I quite enjoy reading about all of the animals and their journeys. Yes, I am for the notion of "animals with cognitive abilities" so screw whatever that scientist or researcher or philosophist says.

[Mark Iliff · Rating 4 out of 5]

An extraordinary story of a war, a cat and a journey, which I loved, intercut with some weirdness about sheiks flying round the world and so on that I could have done without. There’s probably some clever underlying theme that ties it all together, but I wasn’t bright enough to spot it.

Sticking with the cat, the depiction of humans’ unrequited loyalty rings so true while the narrator inhabits the cat’s motivations so entirely that you always end up seeing things Muri’s way. I’ve never read anything quite like it.

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story. Not that anything delightful happens exactly but I very much enjoyed Muri the cats journey and the fact that he is depicted exactly as I imagine cats to be. well done to Hesperus Press who have done a superb job of translating this story into English. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a quirky story that keeps to the point and is understated in its cleverness.

[Joanne Chalkley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book but had a few false starts (entirely due to my own reading priorities) best read in a chunk or, even better in one go. It was an unusual read, it took some time to get used to the separate stories. I would recommend it as a thoughtful, thought provoking read.

[Woravich Sittiwang · Rating 1 out of 5]

อ่านแล้วเหมือนผสมเรื่องที่เหมือนจะเกี่ยวข้องกันแต่ไม่เกี่ยวข้องเลยให้สบสันไปหมด ความไม่เชื่อมโยง อะไรคือความเชื่อมโยง และที่สับสนที่สุดตอนนี้คือ ไม่เข้าใจว่าทำไมถึงยกมูรีเป็นตัวเอกของเรื่อง เพราะในเรื่องพูดถึงมูรีมีประมาณ 20% ได้มั้ง.. ดังนั้นขอมอบดาวหนึ่งดวงนี้ให้กับความผีของแมวมูรี

[Sonja]

Sebi ću dodijeliti 4 zvjezdice za strpljenje. Ima mnogo knjiga sa ovom tematikom koje su kvalitetnije. Priznajem, knjiga me je iznervirala na početku i poslije više nije mogla ničim da me natjera da promijenim mišljenje.

[Dóra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't like cats.