Sandro of Chegem

by Fazil Iskander, Susan Brownsberger (Translator), Tadeusz Gosk (translator)

«Сандро из Чегема» — центральное произведение в творчестве Фазиля Искандера, живого классика русской литературы, подарившего ей теплый свет Абхазии, ее искрящийся темперамент, ее живую, страстную поэзию. Новеллы, составившие роман, выходили в разное время на протяжении многих лет, не раз были экранизированы. И постепенно «плутовской роман» (по определению автора) вырос в подлинный эпос. Жанровая принадлежность новелл, составивших эпопею, весьма разнообразна — мы встретим и драму, и сказку, и притчу, и даже лихой детектив. Рассказчик большинства из них, старый дядя Сандро, прожил долгую жизнь, полную прихотливых поворотов и ярких событий. Крестьянин, абрек, любовник сванской княгини, танцор, тамада, плут и мудрец — он многое повидал на своем веку и многое понял в этой жизни.

Genres: Fiction, Russia, Classics, Russian Literature, Historical Fiction, Satire, Novels

368 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Fazil Abdulovich Iskander, also known in Russian as Фазиль Искандер, arguably the most famous Abkhaz writer, renowned in the former Soviet Union for his vivid descriptions, mostly written in Russian, of Caucasian life. He has written various stories, most famously "Zashita Chika", which star a crafty and likable young boy named "Chik".

The most famous intellectual of Abkhazia, he distanced himself from the Abkhaz secessionist strivings in the late 1980s and criticised both Georgian and Abkhaz communities of Abkhazia for their ethnic prejudices. He warned that Abkhazia could become a new Nagorno-Karabakh.

He was probably best known in the English speaking world for Sandro of Chegem, a picaresque novel that recounts life in a fictional Abkhaz village from the early years of the 20th century until the 1970s, which evoked praise for the author as "an Abkhazian Mark Twain." Mr. Iskander's humor, like Mark Twain's, has a tendency to sneak up on you instead of hitting you over the head. This rambling, amusing and ironic work has been considered as an example of magic realism, although Iskander himself said he "did not care for Latin American magic realism in general". A section of the novel dealing with Sandro's encounter with Joseph Stalin was made into the Russian film Baltazar's Feasts, or a Night with Stalin in 1989.

Iskander lived in Moscow and was a writer for the newspaper Kultura.

Reviews

[Pennie Larina · Rating 5 out of 5]

И все-таки пять звезд.
Наконец-то появилась аудиокнига, которую я так долго ждала, и начитана она хорошо. При этом очередном прочтении не открыла для себя ничего особенно нового, кроме того, что Искандер любил причастия. По-прежнему все о Чегеме прекрасно, о Мухусе - нот соу мач.

[Katia26 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Искандер-Габриэль Гарсиа Маркес сына маминой подруги (на мой субъективны взгляд).
Серия новелл, рассказывающая, как остаться человеком-разумным в темные времена с редкими для русской (советской) литературы юмором и иронией.

P.s. Есть превосходно начитанная аудиокнига в исполнении Алексея Багдасарова

[Elena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Смешные поучительные истории из жизни абхазцев. Эти пронизанные любовью к своей родной земле истории затрагивают несколько поколений, описывают традиции и простой уклад этого народа в контексте глобальных изменений советской эпохи. Можно узнать много нового, улыбнуться тысячи раз, удивиться не меньшее количество раз. Книга это сборник новелл и рассказов и на самом деле не обязательно читать их все, но я не пожалела практически ни разу, что прослушала ее до конца в исполнении Алексея Багдасарова.

[Helene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best dang Abkhazian novel I ever read.

[Atreju · Rating 4 out of 5]

4,5 stars, really.
La piccola comunità montana di Cegem, in Abchazia, sforna personaggi memorabili, in quella che diventa una vera e propria epopea storica, tra gli ultimi anni del vecchio regime e quelli successivi alla morte di Stalin.
Tutto ruota attorno alla figura di zio Sandro e alla sua famiglia. Un personaggio mitico, il più grande Capo Tavola dell'Abchazia, di cui seguiamo le gesta fin da giovane. Sfiora la morte più di una volta, ma sempre fa ricorso alla sua qualità più grande: quella di arrangiarsi e cavarsela egregiamente in ogni situazione.
Il testo ha venature umoristiche e fortemente satiriche (i kolchoz, ad esempio, sono sfottuti alla grande!), anche se - come spiega l'autore nell'introduzione, non si è mantenuto nel tono interamente scherzoso che era nei suoi piani originari.
Questa saga famigliare è intrecciata alla storia dell'URSS e del Caucaso e spesso è solcata dall'apparizione in scena di Baffone Stalin e altri suoi turpi scagnozzi (Vorosilov, Berija e compagnia cantante). Due capitoli, in particolare, li ho trovati davvero superbi: "Il banchetto di Baldassarre" e "Il mulo del vecchio Chabug racconta".
Il primo è la storia di zio Sandro che partecipa (in qualità di ballerino del corpo di danza abchazo) a una cena in onore di Stalin, presente lo stesso Baffone e uno stuolo di gerarchi/funzionari di regime, sia sovietici/russi che transcaucasici. Il grottesco banchetto è descritto magistralmente, così come il carattere dei vari personaggi, Stalin e Berija in testa. Stalin che forza gli ospiti a bere, che cerca di metterli uno contro l'altro, Stalin che riflette sul suo destino ecc. ecc. Bella e spassosa anche la scena di Stalin che va a pesca con zio Sandro...
Il capitolo del mulo di Chabug (Chabug è il papà di zio Sandro) è altrettanto memorabile. Ricorda ovviamente il racconto lungo Cholstomer di Tolstoj. Anche qui la satira è di altissimo livello.
Unico neo, che non mi ha fatto dare le 5 stelle piene è il penultimo capitolo, dedicato a Tali, la figlia di zio Sandro. Troppo lungo e dispersivo, secondo me, quasi una caduta di tono anche se le esplicite allusioni e le battute su Berija, stupratore di ragazze, valgono da sole la lettura.
Si dà il caso che queste 600 pagine non chiudano la saga cegemiana, ma che siano appena la metà. Nell'introduzione si menziona la pubblicazione imminente (fine anni '80, in URSS) delle parti successive con il seguito delle avventure di zio Sandro, ma ad oggi in Italia, non mi risultano novità in tal senso e le storie presentate nell'edizione di Einaudi sono le uniche disponibili.

[Jennifer P · Rating 3 out of 5]

FINALLY done with the first book in my read around the world adventure. Looking for books from authors from Abkhazia kept leading me to Fazil Iskander. Sandro of Chegem was one of his most famous books and consists of multiple short stories that follow the life of Uncle Sandro from the 1880s to the 1960s, weaving in history, customs, and every day life of the Abkazian people.

This book was DENSE. Only being about 350 pages I thought I could quickly get through it in a few days or a week but there was so much condensed on the pages that I felt like it was a 700 page book. I enjoyed most of the short stories and the quirkiness of Uncle Sandro. Some of the stories were hard to follow and I'm not sure if some of it was lost in translation but I struggled through maybe 3 of them. I did enjoy a glimpse into the Abkhazian life over the decades and it was interesting to see how life evolved over time. I enjoyed how the stories were all told in relation to one family and their evolution throughout the history of Abkhazia. There was discussion of love, war, meeting Stalin, corruption, crime, slavery, racism, all the way down to a hilarious mule that reminded me of the donkey from Shrek. Out of all of the short stories I think Tali's, the mule, and Belshazzar's Feasts were the most enjoyable.

Overall I'm glad I picked this for Abkhazia but looking forward to continuing on my reading journey.

[Josh · Rating 5 out of 5]

If pastoral is, to mangle Empson, a way of putting the complicated into the simple, then Iskander's 700+ page superpastoral shows us the ways that the genre can also be used to perform the opposite and frankly more impressive trick, withdrawing the fleabitten rabbit of post-war Soviet Russia from what at first appears to be the pretty harmless-looking hat of an extended drinking story. As digressive as Sterne, as riveting as, I don't know, Grisham. Also, Susan Brownsberger's translation is funny. A funny translation! I have no idea how she did this, although the Russian Life bio of her reports that "The happiest years of her translating career were devoted to two volumes of Fazil Iskander's Sandro tales..." So, of course, joy had something to do with it.

[Mariangel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I increased one star after rereading the book 5 years later. I am more used to Iskander's point of view and fonder of his characters in this second reading.

I remember being slightly disappointed by the ending of Tali's story (one of the best) on the first reading, but this time it held up very well and the end fits with Tali's character.

I also appreciated much better the irony in Belshazzar's Feasts, where all the Abkhazian and Georgian regional leaders, gathered together at dinner, are shamelessly competing to gain Stalin's favor and put down their rivals, while Stalin is playing with them like a cat with mice.

[Yuriy Gritsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Откровенно, далеко не все новеллы мне понравились... Многое из описаний советского быта, просто было не интересно, а вот описания жизни и малочисленных традиций Кавказа, вполне может заинтересовать! На само деле моя оценка 3,5

[Dafne Flego · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my 2020 reading goals has been reading more other-than-Anglophone books. What better title to add to the list than a novel from an author I haven't heard of before, from a country I haven't heard of before! :P
Sorry, Abkhazians. :( If it's any consolation, I've since learned that I live on an island which the Greeks had named after a mythological one of your own. O.O

But back to the book... Reading it has been a humbling experience, in a way.
At the start of the year, I had just assumed that I am open-minded enough to relate to various peoples from various cultures with ease. I expected no difficulty whatsoever in immediately recognizing and appreciating the shared humanness, the shared experience, regardless of geographical and historical differences.

There was plenty of that, don't get me wrong, and I've enjoyed discovering similarities and differences between the cultures. Mostly. Some aspects read too alien for me.
All in all, reading "Sandro of Chegem" didn't turn out as enjoyable as I hoped it would be.
I think my issue mostly lies with the 20th-ct-Soviet politics. :(
Those parts simply didn't hold my interest. And they kind of are a big part of the Abkhazian experience depicted in the novel.
So I slogged for a while, when I expected to breeze through. :/

I still think the writing was strong, the content just wasn't relatable to me. :/

[Javier de la Peña Ontanaya · Rating 2 out of 5]

Es una colección de relatos, en ocasiones sobre Sandró de Cheguem y en otras ocasiones relacionados con él, pero con poco o nada que ver. Son relatos todos ellos ambientados en Abjasia durante la era soviética, lo cual ya es curioso e interesante de por sí. Hay muchos elementos de la cultura, historia y día a día de esta región caucásica, que es lo más interesante.

Por lo poco que aparece, Sandró de Cheguem es un verdadero personaje, de esos que marcan época. Por momentos recuerda a Zorba el Griego por la sabiduría de sus diálogos, pero es una lástima que aparezca tan poco. Hay algunos relatos interesantes, como el hombre que trata de ser eliminado por miembros del gobierno regional y, ante la incapacidad de eliminarlo a tiros se excusan en que tiene dos corazones y por ello no muere. El relato del burro y el del rapto de unas chicas para llevarlas al matrimonio son también interesantes por los detalles folclóricos, una mezcla de abjasio, georgiano y ruso del Cáucaso.

Es una pena que algunos relatos se hagan algo pesados y tengan tan poca relación, pero el hecho de haber leído a un autor ruso/abjasio —algo muy poco habitual y con la riqueza que ello implica— como Iskander ya es algo a tener en cuenta y por lo que merece la pena.

[Nemalevich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Читал, конечно, по-русски. Огромное удовольствие. В третьем томе начинаются рассуждения, поэтому пять с минусом.

[Victoria A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

ПОРА ЕХАТЬ!!!

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

если существует совершенная книга, то это она.

[Andriy Zhmundulyak · Rating 4 out of 5]

El tío Sandró es un personaje simpático, un abjasio inquieto, cínico, inteligente, pícaro, cuentista, pero sobre todo, perspicaz y carismático. Por este motivo la obra gira en torno a personajes que, o bien reproducen las vivencias que el propio tío Sandró les contó, o cuentan su propia experiencia; o las peripecias de otros personajes que guardan parentesco o algún tipo de vínculo o relación con aquel.

Fazil Iskander, al igual que hizo Mijail Sholojov en su Don apacible, nos expone dos realidades: el mundo que precede al régimen soviético y el soviético. Nos relatan dos realidades, la tradición del mundo zarista y la vida de aquella época frente al cambio impuesto por el realismo soviético, aunque en ocasiones resultará surrealista. La añoranza de un pasado que fue mejor, donde el príncipe de Oldemburgo no es ni más ni menos que un hombre idealista y de sentimientos débiles, a quién uno se lo puede meter en el bolsillo con simpáticos cumplidos... Que nada tiene que ver con el peligro que supone hacer eso mismo frente a un Stalin y su camarilla de burócratas. El mundo de ayer, de una aldea abjasia donde el modelo familiar preservaba un modo de vida que, si bien no estaba exento de errores, nada tenía que envidiar a las ciudades que se alimentaban del éxodo rural y, según avanza el libro, deforman al individuo, lo desarraigan y le hacen caer en los vicios y placeres inmediatos.

Personalmente es un libro que recomiendo para los interesados en el Cáucaso en general y Abjasia en particular. Para el lector al que le gusta la historia y literatura rusas, este tomo de algo más de 800 páginas (es una selección de algunos de los relatos que conforman una obra más extensa todavía), es un interesante retrato de una época, si Iskander fue censurado por el régimen soviético, personalmente considero que no se debe tanto a la crítica que le hace a Stalin, el cual fue bastante denostado por su sucesor, sino porque expone las vergüenzas de todo un régimen. Considero que la crítica más devastadora y mordaz que se realiza en esta obra está escrita de una forma aséptica, depende del propio lector entender la dimensión del mensaje, vamos con un ejemplo: cuando un artículo de periódico expone que los abjasios son un pueblo que llegó a las tierras que habitan hace menos de 3 siglos, estalla el pánico, pues aquellas gentes sí sabían leer entre líneas y veían en aquel endeble papel cómo se preparaba la alfombra roja para una inminente deportación en masa.

En definitiva, una obra que exhala la añoranza de un pasado que ya no volverá. La melancolía de un mundo mágico, de la belleza auténtica, de lo absoluto frente a lo absurdo del presente. La edición de Automática es muy buena, está dotada de un abanico de notas a pie de página más que necesarias que nos aportan tanto antecedentes históricos, explicaciones, como definiciones. Y si algo tiene especialmente bueno este libro, es que con alguna palabra nueva te irás al acabar su lectura.

*En el último relato aparecen en escena dos leñadores "hutsules", cosa que me gana y lo tenía que dejar reflejado por aquí.*

[Kurt Fox · Rating 2 out of 5]

To summarize and quote others that I agree with,
I almost DNF'd this book. " I am not able to understand why it is so popular, excepting it offers a glimpse into the Abkhazian life. Only being about 350 pages I thought I could quickly get through it in a few days but it felt like it was a 700 page book. Some of the stories were hard to follow and I'm not sure if it was translation but, regardless, I struggled with them. It was interesting to learn some about Abkhazian culture and the changes brought about by the rise of communism, but this book did not ever fully hold my attention. It is slightly amusing at some places, but mostly just boring tales about nothing. I'm certainly not sorry I read it, but I was relieved to finally reach the end. "

The thing about vignettes is that the sum of the parts do not make a novel, despite the word "novel" appearing on the cover. All we are getting is a window into a small part of the life of Sandro of Chegem, with each window acting as a different lens. We never get the full picture, and each vignette is just that; it is not really even short stories as a novel in miniature with a plot. Each is like a folktale, whimsical encyclopedia entry into the life of Abkhazia over the course of several decades. If the word "novel" conveys a meal with several courses, salad and dessert, then this is more like a round of appetizers at a party; little bite-size chunks to whet the palate but not satisfy the appetite. There is no depth here.

The chapter about Khabug's mule Blackamoor was interesting, at first. It reminded me of _Platero and I_ but from a first person mule POV, and later, a bit like _Black Beauty_ but without the grace of the first, nor the depth of the latter. Again, pretty much a tale about nothing, excepting perhaps, exposing a bit about Abkhazian national flavour.

[Lakmus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, not entirely finished, just a meager 1000 out ~1200 pages. But I am going to call this a day, mostly for reasons irrelevant to the quality of the book.
Read in the original Russian, as published by "Azbuka" in the "Big Book" series. Great quality, by the way, this (gargantuan) volume is really sturdy.

As for the book itself, it is a collection of short stories roughly revolving around one particular village in Abhasia, roughly focusing on Uncle Sandro and his adventures. Roughly. To me this book was described as a work that 'placed Abhasia' on the map of the literary world, the same way as Colombia was placed there by "One Hundred Years of Solitude". And it does pretty much that, although with less magic and more realism, except maybe for the heartbreaking chapter told from the perspective of the village buffalo. That one is just a work in its own right, imo.

It doesn't follow any plot — it sort of throws you at the deep end, like you were just spat out from a space-time traveling machine on the road to Chegem, and are being lead through all the meaningless and fascinating nuances of local life, with its gossip, old squabbles and unpaid vendettas, love affairs and daily routine.

You can read it all together or as individual stories, probably in any order, too. Like life itself, this book has no real beginning or end, it just runs out of pages on both sides.

[Rézina Dějová · Rating 3 out of 5]

Strejček Sandro je krátká sbírka povídek od nejznámějšího a nejmilovanějšího abcházského autora. Iskander se dá hojně sehnat v českých antikvariátech, a Strejček Sandro je jeho nejpopulárnější kniha.

Hrdinou příběhů je nejčastěji strejček Sandro - hrdý, trochu poťouchlý Abcházec, který mi lehce připomínal českého Švejka. Povídky popisují život a svérázné charaktery abcházského venkova zhruba mezi lety 1950-1970. Také různé společenské i životní události (jako když se zamilovaná nezletilá Sandrova dcera nechá unést starším mužem, aby se tak v očích společnosti stala jeho manželkou - brrrr). Kniha s nevídanou lehkostí naznačuje stalinismus nebo nedůvěru a nedůvěřivou odtažitost místních lidí vůči usedlým ne-Abcházcům, která se o pár desítel let později stane jednou z příčin Abcházsko-Gruzínské války.

[Kashif · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been enjoying these playful tales of the Caucasus, however it must be said the English translation is clunky, lacking in rhythm, often repeating terms needlessly; generally making it difficult to read. I am presuming this is due to translation, rather than present in the original text judging both by Iskander's critical acclaim and having read similar books from the region in this picaresque style.

[Gena Kukartsev · Rating 2 out of 5]

2/5. Эту книгу надо бы отредактировать, сделав в 3-4 раза короче. Я бы не стал ее заканчивать, если б мы не читали ее в семейном книжном клубе. Книга состоит из неторопливых абхазских баек всякого разного толка. Создает атмосферу и представление об образе жизни людей во времени и месте. И даже идет немного дальше: по словам автора эта книга не только об Абхазии, но и о любом патриархальном архаическом обществе. Пожалуй это так и есть. Но все же книга очень, слишком длинная и скучная.

[Adi · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of short stories, or rather novella, or perhaps even anecdotes. Regardless of the actual type of narrative, all these tales revolve around Sandro and his amazing adventures in and around the village of Chegem. Fazil Iskander uses a lot of humor and playfulness when describing his protagonist and how he interacts with the other characters. It was a fun read.

[Basil Goverdovsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Самый необычный эпос из всех, что я читал/видел.
Огромная книга, состоящая из множества (32) повестей, формально объединённых героями и местом действия, и больше ничем. Разве что ещё юмором — с его помощью Искандер снижает пафос жанра.

[Ben]

Trade Pb, ardis-vantage 1983 VG.

[Юлия · Rating 4 out of 5]

Милые, местами граничащие с притчами истории из жизни жителей высокогорного села Чегем. Очень много местных обычаев!)) Еле осилила все 8 частей. Особенно Интересны те, что про дядю Сандро и Сталина

[Josh Maher]

Fun book from Abkhazia, a more humorous look at the Caucuses.

[Trounin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Легко идти с улыбкой по жизни: улыбаться направо, улыбаться налево, улыбаться, глядя на солнце, улыбаться, глядя под ноги, улыбаться по диагонали, улыбаться идущим сзади, улыбаться горам, улыбаться морю, улыбаться вождю, улыбаться проблемам, улыбаться, начиная дело, улыбаться, улыбаться, улыбаться, а наулыбавшись, сказав множество искромётных слов в адрес всех, кто их мог быть достоин, кто их не мог быть достоин, сугубо из желания улыбаться ещё раз улыбнуться и, дополнив повествование сквозным персонажем типа Сандро из Чегема, опубликовав все с улыбкой рассказанные истории в литературных журналах, увязав весь накопленный материал в единое издание, будто бы и имеющих единую сюжетную линию, оной вовсе не имея… Не будет конца и края, ибо конец на краю, а край на конце. Так выпей же, читатель, за здоровье Сандро, за всех действующих лиц из сказаний о нём и за самого Фазиля Искандера. Действительность всегда должна восприниматься с осознанием лёгкости бытия. Пусть пьянят тебя, читатель, горы и горный воздух, прочее забудь, проблем нет, их никогда не было.

(c) Trouni

[Claire · Rating 2 out of 5]

I randomly picked this book up at a used book store last summer, intrigued by the back cover description of Iskander as the "Gabriel García Márquez of Abkhazia." This book is a series of semi-connected episodes, all involving or centering on Sandro, a virile tamada (toastmaster). It was interesting to learn some about Abkhazian culture and the changes brought about by the rise of communism (I had never even heard of Abkhazia before; formerly part of the USSR, it is now a de facto but unofficially independent republic located within Georgia), but this book did not ever fully hold my attention. Some chapters stood out, especially Tali, Miracle of Chegem, the final episode, and The Tale of Old Khabug's Mule, where the point of view unexpectedly shifts to Sandro's father's mule. I'm certainly not sorry I read it, but I was relieved to finally reach the end.

[Gremrien · Rating 1 out of 5]

I almost hated this book. I am not able to understand why it is so popular. It is funny at some places, but mostly just boring tales about nothing… maybe, with some pretension for “national flavour.” No, “плутовской роман” is not my cup of tea at all.

[Wrpainting · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while, but I loved the comic terror of Sandro as toastmaster at an important dinner that included Lavrentiy Beria, chief of soviet security, and probably Stalin's assassin.

[Suraj]

A great account of life in mofussil USSR under Stalin