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Russian Disco
Born in Moscow, Wladimir Kaminer emigrated to Berlin in the early '90s when he was 22. Russian Disco is a series of short and comic autobiographical vignettes about life among the émigrés in the explosive and extraordinary multi-cultural atmosphere of '90s Berlin. It's an exotic, vodka-fuelled millennial Goodbye to Berlin. The stories show a wonderful, innocent, deadpan economy of style reminiscent of the great humorists. [Several of his European editors make a comparison with current bestseller David Sedaris.] Kaminer manages to say a great deal without seeming to say much at all. He speaks about the offbeat personal events of his own life but captures something universal about our disjointed times.
176 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2000
96 people are currently reading
1098 people want to read
About the author
Wladimir Kaminer
82 books116 followersRussian-born German short story writer, columnist, and disc jockey of Jewish origin. Kaminer emigrated to Germany in 1990.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews
July 3, 2009
If you're in Berlin, and ask around for a good book featuring Berlin, chances are- you'll be recommended Russian Disco. It's not that good. It's a series of short observations from a Russian Jew who came to Berlin after the fall of the wall, and the *hijinks* of the looney characters he meets along the way. Poorly written, with no thread for a true narrative- the best you can get out of this is a vague sense of the disarray of Berlin post-communism. "We came, they gave us identity cards!" "We squatted places that were left and they were ours!" "We were all strangers- the Vietnamese, the Russians and Africans!" His insights only go as far as one foot in what is essentially an eight foot deep situation. Read it if you're bored, and on the toilet, in Germany.
August 13, 2011
Ein wirklich belangloses, überflüssiges und recht uninteressantes Buch, dem ich 1.5 Sterne gebe für folgende Qualitäten ; jeweils einen halben Stern:
- man kann es sehr schnell durchlesen
- ich bewundere jeden, der es schafft ein Buch in einer Sprache zu schreiben, die nicht seine Muttersprache ist (auch wenn "Russendisko" nicht gerade besonders schönen Stil aufweist)
- ich habe zwei Mal laut gelacht (in der Anekdote über die türkische Katze)
Das war's - nicht empfehlenswert!
- man kann es sehr schnell durchlesen
- ich bewundere jeden, der es schafft ein Buch in einer Sprache zu schreiben, die nicht seine Muttersprache ist (auch wenn "Russendisko" nicht gerade besonders schönen Stil aufweist)
- ich habe zwei Mal laut gelacht (in der Anekdote über die türkische Katze)
Das war's - nicht empfehlenswert!
October 24, 2019
Dort, wo ich herkomme, ist das Leben zum Leben ungeeignet.
Entsprechend sucht sich der Russe mit jüdischem Hintergrund ein neues gelobtes Land, in dem das Bier billig ist und die Penner angeblich ein stabiles soziales System vorfinden - und findet es in Berlin. Dass manches doch schwieriger ist als gedacht, und manches viel einfacher, und manches ganz und gar unbegreiflich, und anderes praktisch genauso wie vorher: das beschreibt Kaminer in seinem Buch.
"Russendisko" ist eine schwer greifbare Textsammlung. Kaminers trockendunkler Humor ist manchmal schwer zu erkennen, hin und wieder dient er eher dazu, den Wahnsinn manch alltäglicher Dinge besser hervorzuheben - ich sah ihn neulich in einer Dokumentation über die 90er Jahre im Fernsehen, und er faszinierte mich in seiner etwas lethargischen Art. Man fühlt sich in "Russendisko" in einer Melange aus Geschichtsbuch über die russischen Auswanderer - oder die russischen Einwanderer? -, über die Berliner Nachmauerfallszene und einem absurden Theaterstück mit autobiografischen Zügen des Autors. Woher Kaminer kommt und wohin er geht, und warum er das tut, bleibt offen, er sagt selbst, dass er eigentlich "zum Spaß" nach Deutschland gekommen sei. Die Auseinandersetzung mit seinen Berlinern, seien es Vietnamesen, Türken, Russen oder hin und wieder sogar Deutsche, erinnert mich in einer seltsamen Art und Weise an Kishon, der etwas ähnliches mit seinen Israelis tut, und sich auch irgendwie ähnlich liest.
Kleine Anekdoten, geschrieben in kurzen, prägnanten Hauptsätzen, bilden ein für mich spannendes Bild einer Zeit und Gesellschaft des Berlins der Jahrtausendwende. Zum Schmunzeln und Eintauchen in eine fremde Welt.
Entsprechend sucht sich der Russe mit jüdischem Hintergrund ein neues gelobtes Land, in dem das Bier billig ist und die Penner angeblich ein stabiles soziales System vorfinden - und findet es in Berlin. Dass manches doch schwieriger ist als gedacht, und manches viel einfacher, und manches ganz und gar unbegreiflich, und anderes praktisch genauso wie vorher: das beschreibt Kaminer in seinem Buch.
"Russendisko" ist eine schwer greifbare Textsammlung. Kaminers trockendunkler Humor ist manchmal schwer zu erkennen, hin und wieder dient er eher dazu, den Wahnsinn manch alltäglicher Dinge besser hervorzuheben - ich sah ihn neulich in einer Dokumentation über die 90er Jahre im Fernsehen, und er faszinierte mich in seiner etwas lethargischen Art. Man fühlt sich in "Russendisko" in einer Melange aus Geschichtsbuch über die russischen Auswanderer - oder die russischen Einwanderer? -, über die Berliner Nachmauerfallszene und einem absurden Theaterstück mit autobiografischen Zügen des Autors. Woher Kaminer kommt und wohin er geht, und warum er das tut, bleibt offen, er sagt selbst, dass er eigentlich "zum Spaß" nach Deutschland gekommen sei. Die Auseinandersetzung mit seinen Berlinern, seien es Vietnamesen, Türken, Russen oder hin und wieder sogar Deutsche, erinnert mich in einer seltsamen Art und Weise an Kishon, der etwas ähnliches mit seinen Israelis tut, und sich auch irgendwie ähnlich liest.
Kleine Anekdoten, geschrieben in kurzen, prägnanten Hauptsätzen, bilden ein für mich spannendes Bild einer Zeit und Gesellschaft des Berlins der Jahrtausendwende. Zum Schmunzeln und Eintauchen in eine fremde Welt.
September 24, 2007
sau schlecht... unglaublich das so etwas verlegt wurde und immernoch wird...
October 18, 2024
Furchtbar! Ich hatte vorab gedacht, naja gut wird das nicht, vielleicht ist es einfach schlecht gealtert - aber es ist so unwitzig und misogyn und an vielen Stellen auf weirde Art und Weise essentialisierend und rassistisch, schade, dass es so ein Bestseller war 😪
Stattdessen lesen könnte man:
Die Verräter von Artur Weigandt (nicht wirklich humorvolles Buch, sondern teilweise sehr hart, aber es bedeutet mir viel 🖤)
Noch nicht gelesen, aber noch vor, weil die Autorinnen im Internet halt *wirklich* witzig sind:
Migrantenmutti von Elina Penner
Ein schönes Ausländerkind von Toxische Pommes
Stattdessen lesen könnte man:
Die Verräter von Artur Weigandt (nicht wirklich humorvolles Buch, sondern teilweise sehr hart, aber es bedeutet mir viel 🖤)
Noch nicht gelesen, aber noch vor, weil die Autorinnen im Internet halt *wirklich* witzig sind:
Migrantenmutti von Elina Penner
Ein schönes Ausländerkind von Toxische Pommes
November 4, 2022
gar nicht mal so lustig
January 12, 2019
Este é o segundo livro que leio de Wladimir Kaminer e termino com a mesma conclusão (apesar de ter mais dois livros dele para ler e tencionar lê-los; desistir é sempre a última opção nestas situações): não sou fã.
Kaminer pode ser um autor com um humor incrivel, muito divertido e tal, mas não me convence. Gosto de sentir alguma unidade quando leio um livro e não consigo sentir isso nos seus livros. Aliás, ainda consegui gostar menos deste livro do que do outro primeiro sobre os sírios na Alemanha.
Na verdade, senti que ao invés de falar da experiência russa em Berlim, que fala pouco quando esse é supostamente o ponto central do livro, o autor se perde numa série de observações aleatórias que podem fazer o leitor perder o interesse. A mim aconteceu-me isso e só li o livro até ao fim porque sou tremendamente teimosa, devo confessar.
Por isso, e embora o tema me interesse, não consegui gostar deste livro. Estava desejosa, ansiosa, por o terminar de ler. Só consegui gostar de um texto intitulado "conselho do pai", no qual o autor conta que o pai acreditava que, chegados a 1990 na URSS, a grande Liberdade é aproveitar o momento da era Gorbachov para se "pisgarem" dali para fora. E rápido. Porque aquela Liberdade é provisória e a tendência será para ela desaparecer novamente.
Kaminer pode ser um autor com um humor incrivel, muito divertido e tal, mas não me convence. Gosto de sentir alguma unidade quando leio um livro e não consigo sentir isso nos seus livros. Aliás, ainda consegui gostar menos deste livro do que do outro primeiro sobre os sírios na Alemanha.
Na verdade, senti que ao invés de falar da experiência russa em Berlim, que fala pouco quando esse é supostamente o ponto central do livro, o autor se perde numa série de observações aleatórias que podem fazer o leitor perder o interesse. A mim aconteceu-me isso e só li o livro até ao fim porque sou tremendamente teimosa, devo confessar.
Por isso, e embora o tema me interesse, não consegui gostar deste livro. Estava desejosa, ansiosa, por o terminar de ler. Só consegui gostar de um texto intitulado "conselho do pai", no qual o autor conta que o pai acreditava que, chegados a 1990 na URSS, a grande Liberdade é aproveitar o momento da era Gorbachov para se "pisgarem" dali para fora. E rápido. Porque aquela Liberdade é provisória e a tendência será para ela desaparecer novamente.
January 16, 2012
am liebsten würde ich Minuspunkte vergeben.
September 20, 2021
It takes self confidence of a >>>man<<< to take not only one, but a series of non stories and turn it into a >>>published<<< book. To be quite honest, I am impressed that this manuscripet went through a chain of commands and got approved for printing at every step. There was not a single executive who suggested "maybe a theme?", I imagine.
The "bite size" length of each chapter, must be a key to this book's success: what self respecting average reader would not be able to keep their attantion span focused for 2 pages and a half?
All this said, I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the process of learning German and wants to improve their reading skills.
The "bite size" length of each chapter, must be a key to this book's success: what self respecting average reader would not be able to keep their attantion span focused for 2 pages and a half?
All this said, I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the process of learning German and wants to improve their reading skills.
July 13, 2015
I had high hopes for this but was sadly disappointed. The stories were neither as funny nor as interesting as some of his other books. Maybe if I'd read it first before reading some of his other books it might have made this a more entertaining read.
It wasn't bad, just didn't quite hit the mark for me.
It wasn't bad, just didn't quite hit the mark for me.
May 6, 2012
The book is difficult to evaluate, because it's more about Russians (or post-Soviets, if you want), than about Berlin. To the ones who is familiar to both of them, the book has better chances to be liked.
I liked a lot, although there's no a big plot line within the book. Highly recommended to all Russians who want to explore Berlin and to all Germans, who want to understand Russians.
I liked a lot, although there's no a big plot line within the book. Highly recommended to all Russians who want to explore Berlin and to all Germans, who want to understand Russians.
May 27, 2017
Every story feels like the synopsis to a longer, more interesting story. Way to suck the life out of what must have been fascinating times.
November 27, 2018
Amüsante und kurzweilige Geschichten. Teilweise ist die Thematik 18 Jahre nach der Erstveröffentlichung immer noch erschreckend aktuell, besonders im Hinblick auf die deutsche Asylpolitik...
January 25, 2024
Habe es nur bis zum Ende gelesen, um auch mit gutem Gewissen die 1 Stern Bewertung abzugeben.
July 1, 2024
I had no idea that there were so many Russians living in Berlin and throughout Germany, though on reflection it seems kind of obvious, even their current ruler used to live there for a number of years.
This is made up of a series of short (most are 3 pages long) chapters, which offer a brief, yet deep or intense dives into a dilemma, scene or event and when put together these certainly build up quite a colourful and entertaining picture of what it is like for some Russians living in Berlin in the early 2000s.
This is made up of a series of short (most are 3 pages long) chapters, which offer a brief, yet deep or intense dives into a dilemma, scene or event and when put together these certainly build up quite a colourful and entertaining picture of what it is like for some Russians living in Berlin in the early 2000s.
January 2, 2019
Das Buch war eine echte Überraschung für mich. Ich musste es im Rahmen des Studiums lesen und hätte es sonst wahrscheinlich nie in Betracht gezogen. Ich fand es sehr unterhaltsam, vor allem der Schreibstil hat mir sehr gut gefallen. Nach ca. 100 Seiten hab ich eine längere Pause gemacht, weil ich das Gefühl hatte, die Geschichten wiederholen sich nur noch. Ich fand es dann aber doch bis zum Schluss sehr lesenswert.
July 22, 2019
An sich ein recht unterhaltsames Buch voller kurzer Anekdoten, allerdings frage ich mich warum einige davon es ins Buch geschafft haben, da sie mir eher sinnlos erschienen. Andererseits, wer weiß, vielleicht entgeht mir ja was als weder Russin noch Berlinerin.
January 4, 2024
Mér fannst þessi bók ágæt, það var engin spenna að lesa hana, engin boðskapur. gæti svo sem hafi lesið dagbók hjá vinum mínum en á enga sem búa í Rússlandi eða eru það gamlir að þeir lifðu á tímum Sovétríkisins.
Þessi bók er hugtakið “það er ekki leiðarendinn heldur ferðin sjálf” því þetta er um mann með engin markmið í lífinu.
Mæli með fyrir vini mína sem vilja lesa eitthvað sem reynir ekki á heilann, því þessi bók gerði svo sem ekkert fyrir mig.
Þessi bók er hugtakið “það er ekki leiðarendinn heldur ferðin sjálf” því þetta er um mann með engin markmið í lífinu.
Mæli með fyrir vini mína sem vilja lesa eitthvað sem reynir ekki á heilann, því þessi bók gerði svo sem ekkert fyrir mig.
December 27, 2020
Die unzusammenhängenden Anekdoten waren nicht mein Ding.
August 9, 2023
Schlimmstes Buch, was ich für Deutsch je lesen musste.
August 14, 2025
Lustiger Typ mit echt verrückten Geschichten aus dem Alltag und Leben
June 27, 2023
This is an authentic-sounding memoir of early post-Soviet immigration and life of immigrants in Germany. Written with good humor, it is fun to read and is definitely an eye-opener on that era.
April 1, 2024
Skítsæmilegt. Frásagnirnar voru bara of einsleitar og það vantar allan súbbstans. Sumt fyndið, annað ekki.
March 30, 2025
Ich finde, dass die Russendisco als Roman schlecht ist, aber sehr gut als ein Lernmittel. Es ist unkompliziert und mit dem wiederholenden Wortschatz. Man mit B1/B2 kann dieses Buch lesen und vielleicht ein paar Schritte in Deutchlernen machen
January 9, 2008
Rather than writing about this book, I'm kind of tempted to sit down and read it again. Kaminer's very quirky, nonlinear quasi-memoir of his life as a Russian expatriate in Berlin consists of about fifty 2-6 page vignettes that range from the poignant to the hilariously ridiculous. You are guaranteed to laugh out loud more than once along the thoroughly entertaining journey.
Kaminer is a brilliant observer of the day to day struggles of life who genuinely admires humanity for just getting up and trying every day. He is able to at once mock a person and convey a genuine empathy and even fondness for him or her. Yet if his powers of observation are extraordinary, his comfort with inaction is perhaps something less than heroic. He is thus irresistibly likable but hard to absolutely love or admire. Which I think is exactly what makes him so captivating as a storyteller.
The little stories told in this book unfold so quickly that to give even an excerpt would be to ruin Kaminer's gift for surprise. So I will simply say that I absolutely loved reading this book and dearly wish more of his work were available in English.
What is truly beautiful about Russian Disco is the way Kaminer—and here, his detachment is indeed a wonderful thing—leaves it entirely to the reader to discover the intelligence and craftsmanship that underlies the seemingly random collection of episodes. What emerges from it all is a subtly comprehensive view of the mysterious world Russians entered into in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a tentative freedom spread across the dissolving Soviet Union. We see people not rushing to embrace all things Western in a quest for the "warm sunshine of democracy" (to use a metaphor popular among American politicians), but rather, furtively spreading their wings just a little, as they quietly venture into the cool mist of uncertainty. Ideology is clear and simple; life is ambiguous, endlessly complex, and quite often utterly absurd. I am grateful Kaminer chooses to celebrate the latter.
As a final note, this book does present the American reader with just a few linguistic oddities that are momentarily distracting—not so surprising for a book written in German by a native Russian speaker, and translated to English by a Brit.
Kaminer is a brilliant observer of the day to day struggles of life who genuinely admires humanity for just getting up and trying every day. He is able to at once mock a person and convey a genuine empathy and even fondness for him or her. Yet if his powers of observation are extraordinary, his comfort with inaction is perhaps something less than heroic. He is thus irresistibly likable but hard to absolutely love or admire. Which I think is exactly what makes him so captivating as a storyteller.
The little stories told in this book unfold so quickly that to give even an excerpt would be to ruin Kaminer's gift for surprise. So I will simply say that I absolutely loved reading this book and dearly wish more of his work were available in English.
What is truly beautiful about Russian Disco is the way Kaminer—and here, his detachment is indeed a wonderful thing—leaves it entirely to the reader to discover the intelligence and craftsmanship that underlies the seemingly random collection of episodes. What emerges from it all is a subtly comprehensive view of the mysterious world Russians entered into in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when a tentative freedom spread across the dissolving Soviet Union. We see people not rushing to embrace all things Western in a quest for the "warm sunshine of democracy" (to use a metaphor popular among American politicians), but rather, furtively spreading their wings just a little, as they quietly venture into the cool mist of uncertainty. Ideology is clear and simple; life is ambiguous, endlessly complex, and quite often utterly absurd. I am grateful Kaminer chooses to celebrate the latter.
As a final note, this book does present the American reader with just a few linguistic oddities that are momentarily distracting—not so surprising for a book written in German by a native Russian speaker, and translated to English by a Brit.
April 28, 2018
2,5/5
Os textos de Kamine em "Balada Russa", apresentados como contos, assemelham-se mais a crônicas sobre a vida de imigrantes russos vivendo em Berlim. E tendo já vivido fora do país como estudante e trabalhador, e convivido com imigrantes do antigo bloco soviético, foi fácil identificar o jeito de ser, estar e viver dos personagens (reais, aparentemente) que passavam pelas crônicas.
No entanto, e talvez, esse tenha sido a razão pela qual não gostei muito do livro, apesar de os textos serem curtos, ligeiros e fáceis de serem lidos, além de o autor utilizar-se de um tom cômico. Mas, por vezes, repetem-se de forma cansativa. Deixou a desejar
Os textos de Kamine em "Balada Russa", apresentados como contos, assemelham-se mais a crônicas sobre a vida de imigrantes russos vivendo em Berlim. E tendo já vivido fora do país como estudante e trabalhador, e convivido com imigrantes do antigo bloco soviético, foi fácil identificar o jeito de ser, estar e viver dos personagens (reais, aparentemente) que passavam pelas crônicas.
No entanto, e talvez, esse tenha sido a razão pela qual não gostei muito do livro, apesar de os textos serem curtos, ligeiros e fáceis de serem lidos, além de o autor utilizar-se de um tom cômico. Mas, por vezes, repetem-se de forma cansativa. Deixou a desejar
January 27, 2013
Nice and easy read if you like the mash of Russians in Berlin and how cultures clash in a relaxed way. Having lived in Poland, i.e. Warsaw I consider it being "in the middle" - knowing that Poles don't necessarily like that view...(forgive me my Polish friends). You do learn about your place if you have a look to the left AND the right - and recognize how much you are influenced (or an influence). So... as this is a book about a Russian and his story in Germany, this is quite a Warsaw book for me.
June 10, 2019
This is a bad book.
Reading this book feels like asking that person in the office a question about work, and then having them tell you all of the random stories that pop into their head. They repeat themselves and stop halfway through a story because they get to the punchline that they wanted to say.
Do not read this. You will learn nothing other than a single man’s ill-natured opinions on his “friends” and neighbours.
Reading this book feels like asking that person in the office a question about work, and then having them tell you all of the random stories that pop into their head. They repeat themselves and stop halfway through a story because they get to the punchline that they wanted to say.
Do not read this. You will learn nothing other than a single man’s ill-natured opinions on his “friends” and neighbours.
June 30, 2008
Kaminer takes his inspiration from the grand tradition of Russian short stories by the likes of Chekhov and Babel. Not to be confused with the heart-rending prose of his literary predecessors, Kaminer's Berlin stories are light and amusing. These read like an anecdote someone tells around the kitchen table over a glass of vodka. Brilliant insights into the quirky culture of the German capital.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 181 reviews