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Гусь Фриц
Россия и Германия. Наверное, нет двух других стран, которые имели бы такие глубокие и трагические связи. Русские немцы - люди промежутка, больше не свои там, на родине, и чужие здесь, в России. Две мировые войны. Две самые страшные диктатуры в истории человечества: Сталин и Гитлер. Образ врага с Востока и образ врага с Запада. И между жерновами истории, между двумя тоталитарными режимами, вынуждавшими людей уничтожать собственное прошлое, принимать отчеканенные государством политически верные идентичности, - история одной семьи, чей предок прибыл в Россию из Германии как апостол гомеопатии, оставив своим потомкам зыбкий мир на стыке культур, опасное наследство немецкого происхождения, немецкой крови; история рока как такового, досягающего от XIX века до наших дней.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2018
15 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
About the author
Sergei Lebedev
15 books50 followersSergei Lebedev was born in Moscow in 1981 and worked for seven years on geological expeditions in northern Russia and Central Asia. Lebedev is a poet, essayist and journalist. His novels have been translated into many languages and received great acclaim in the English-speaking world.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 27, 2019
A novel like an enchanting train ride that takes us deep into Russian history and national identity through the story of one exceptional family, passing through the graveyards of the past and upending a few bones in the process. The Goose Fritz comes on strong as a lyrical confrontation with a sometimes sinister, always fascinating, history.
This revelatory novel shows why Karl Ove Knausgaard has likened its celebrated Russian author to an "indomitable ... animal that won't let go of something when it gets its teeth into it." The book tells the story of a young Russian named Kirill, the sole survivor of a once numerous clan of German origin, who delves relentlessly into the unresolved past. His ancestor, Balthasar Schwerdt, son of a prominent surgeon, migrated to the Russian Empire in the 1830s, where he practiced alternative medicine, landing in the court of Catherine the Great. Schwerdt became captive to an erratic nobleman who supplied midgets, hunchbacks from Africa, and magicians to entertain the empress. Kirill’s investigation takes us through centuries of turmoil during which none of the German’s nine children or their descendants can escape their adoptive country’s cruel fate. Intent on uncovering buried mysteries, Kirill searches archives and cemeteries across Europe, while pressing witnesses for keys to understanding. The Goose Fritz illuminates both personal and political history in a passion-filled family saga about an often confounding country that has long fascinated the world. (less)
Review:
I never heard of Sergei Lebedev before ( for obvious reasons I become quite ignorant of the Russian literature of the last two decades - trying to make myself *less* ignorant of English and American literature took most of my free time :)), when I read the review in WSj I decided to give this one a try. It is a book that resonated with me deeply, however for a while I was not sure if that was because author and myself are more or less of the same generation and were born in the same part of the world, so what he would write was bound to reso0nate. However now when I am done I am pretty sure that in large part it was because the author possesses superb writing skill. I could not stop reading this book and while this is not the first book I could not stop reading in my life, it is one of the few ( and off the top of my head I really cannot remember that many ) where the "show not tell" maxim is really not applicable in my opinion.
Our narrator Kirill a historian who learned about his German ancestry from his grandmother is writing a book about his family and most of the characters we see through his eyes, he tells us his stories. He learns the stories from his research - both from reading books and talking to people. Some of the events of the past though he imagines, sort of connects the dots that he learns and supposedly he has a gift of imagining the past correctly. My point is that all that Kirill does is tells us, tells us, tells us and as I said, I was so engrossed in his telling. Bravo author, because as I said I rarely like a book written this way.
Of course through researching/ imagining his ancestors' stories, the good and bad, joys and pain (so much pain) they went through in the country who should have treated them far less cruelly Kirill learns more about himself, but I am pretty sure I cared far more about people whose lives he shared with us than about him. I am sure it was by design .
Themes of this book as I interpreted them were both uniquely Russian and sadly universal. Let's treat Russians of German identity horribly during the wars with Germany because *of course* they would betray Russia and start serving Germany. Of course :(. Revolutions, wars, Stalinism - Kirill's family went through all of this and almost nobody survived.
Accidentally this book has a couple of the most memorable descriptions of the soldiers with PTSD.
"“Firebrands,” whispered the colonel. “They were like firebrands. Then, at New Year’s. I can’t stand the sight of fire since then. I can’t eat shashlik, I instantly see that. But, but ... once a year... I go far away. Alone. To the village where I was born. There’s no village anymore, just three houses. I have a field there. When we were children we had a bonfire there when we pastured the horses. At the riverbank. A pure, good river. So there ... I gather branches. And have a fire. Just a fire. Alone under the sky. And I think I feel better.”
The colonel stopped talking, staring into the mouth of the Eternal Flame. Kirill felt a cast-iron exhaustion; but through it came a vague image suggested by the colonel’s words. The tanks moved on into the blizzard, as if they had never been there. The snow covered their tracks, and Kirill realized that this had been a rehearsal of the annual parade celebrating the end of the battle; the colonel had been remembering his winter storming of Grozny, his first battle, in the winter of 1994–1995, when the Chechen grenade throwers burned the tank columns that entered the city without cover."
I will leave you to discover the meaning of the title on your own.
I am still thinking about the ending. I think it is supposed to be good thing for Kirill, but who knows.
This revelatory novel shows why Karl Ove Knausgaard has likened its celebrated Russian author to an "indomitable ... animal that won't let go of something when it gets its teeth into it." The book tells the story of a young Russian named Kirill, the sole survivor of a once numerous clan of German origin, who delves relentlessly into the unresolved past. His ancestor, Balthasar Schwerdt, son of a prominent surgeon, migrated to the Russian Empire in the 1830s, where he practiced alternative medicine, landing in the court of Catherine the Great. Schwerdt became captive to an erratic nobleman who supplied midgets, hunchbacks from Africa, and magicians to entertain the empress. Kirill’s investigation takes us through centuries of turmoil during which none of the German’s nine children or their descendants can escape their adoptive country’s cruel fate. Intent on uncovering buried mysteries, Kirill searches archives and cemeteries across Europe, while pressing witnesses for keys to understanding. The Goose Fritz illuminates both personal and political history in a passion-filled family saga about an often confounding country that has long fascinated the world. (less)
Review:
I never heard of Sergei Lebedev before ( for obvious reasons I become quite ignorant of the Russian literature of the last two decades - trying to make myself *less* ignorant of English and American literature took most of my free time :)), when I read the review in WSj I decided to give this one a try. It is a book that resonated with me deeply, however for a while I was not sure if that was because author and myself are more or less of the same generation and were born in the same part of the world, so what he would write was bound to reso0nate. However now when I am done I am pretty sure that in large part it was because the author possesses superb writing skill. I could not stop reading this book and while this is not the first book I could not stop reading in my life, it is one of the few ( and off the top of my head I really cannot remember that many ) where the "show not tell" maxim is really not applicable in my opinion.
Our narrator Kirill a historian who learned about his German ancestry from his grandmother is writing a book about his family and most of the characters we see through his eyes, he tells us his stories. He learns the stories from his research - both from reading books and talking to people. Some of the events of the past though he imagines, sort of connects the dots that he learns and supposedly he has a gift of imagining the past correctly. My point is that all that Kirill does is tells us, tells us, tells us and as I said, I was so engrossed in his telling. Bravo author, because as I said I rarely like a book written this way.
Of course through researching/ imagining his ancestors' stories, the good and bad, joys and pain (so much pain) they went through in the country who should have treated them far less cruelly Kirill learns more about himself, but I am pretty sure I cared far more about people whose lives he shared with us than about him. I am sure it was by design .
Themes of this book as I interpreted them were both uniquely Russian and sadly universal. Let's treat Russians of German identity horribly during the wars with Germany because *of course* they would betray Russia and start serving Germany. Of course :(. Revolutions, wars, Stalinism - Kirill's family went through all of this and almost nobody survived.
Accidentally this book has a couple of the most memorable descriptions of the soldiers with PTSD.
"“Firebrands,” whispered the colonel. “They were like firebrands. Then, at New Year’s. I can’t stand the sight of fire since then. I can’t eat shashlik, I instantly see that. But, but ... once a year... I go far away. Alone. To the village where I was born. There’s no village anymore, just three houses. I have a field there. When we were children we had a bonfire there when we pastured the horses. At the riverbank. A pure, good river. So there ... I gather branches. And have a fire. Just a fire. Alone under the sky. And I think I feel better.”
The colonel stopped talking, staring into the mouth of the Eternal Flame. Kirill felt a cast-iron exhaustion; but through it came a vague image suggested by the colonel’s words. The tanks moved on into the blizzard, as if they had never been there. The snow covered their tracks, and Kirill realized that this had been a rehearsal of the annual parade celebrating the end of the battle; the colonel had been remembering his winter storming of Grozny, his first battle, in the winter of 1994–1995, when the Chechen grenade throwers burned the tank columns that entered the city without cover."
I will leave you to discover the meaning of the title on your own.
I am still thinking about the ending. I think it is supposed to be good thing for Kirill, but who knows.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 26, 2019
Russia has a history of producing great writers and Sergei Lebedev appears to be following in this fine tradition. This is the third book I've read of his and they have all been exceptional. First I'd like to note that the opening several pages of this book in which Lebedev recounts the story of the Sergeant and the Goose Fritz would be one of the finest short stories I've ever read if it were not used simply as the introduction and a metaphor for the rest of the book. The lyrical quality is absolutely sensational. The book is, basically, about Russians of German heritage living in Russia in the years following the war and about the main protagonist Kirill tracing his own German ancestry back through several generations and telling the story of some of his ancestors. It's another great read by Lebedev and highly recommended if for no other reason than to read the opening several pages.
November 5, 2023
Dokładnie tak, jak się spodziewałam, kiedy pierwszy raz usłyszałam o tej książce, była niesamowita. I tak, jak rozmawiałam dwukrotnie na Wrocławskich Targach Dobrych książek z przedstawicielem wydawnictwa wydającego Lebiediewa, to jest innego wymiaru literatura najwyższej próby.
Język "Dzieci Kronosa" to majstersztyk. Piękno zdań i ich melodia mnie osobiście powaliły na kolana. Do tego fabuła, choć nie jest dynamiczna, to wspaniała historia odkopywania z gruzów pamięci historii rodzinnej i wędrówka za losem bohaterów uwikłanych w dzieje. To perła w morzu literatury, którą odkrywa się niespiesznie, smakując zdania, do których wielokrotnie się powraca, by za każdym czytaniem wybrzmiały jeszcze dobitniej.
Ja nie potrafię nie kochać literatury rosyjskiej, jeśli na takich autorów jak Lebiediew trafiam. Przede mną jeszcze "Granica zapomnienia" i "Debiutant".
" (...) od samego początku drzemała w nich niezależna od wysiłków właścicieli zdolność przetrwania; zdolność sprzeciwiania się rozproszeniu, bez zatracania się w sprzeciwie."
"I mimo to czuł, że los może istnieć niezależnie od tego, komu był dany za życia; los może trwać nawet poza śmiercią".
"Lecz on widział, jak ludzie przez dziesięciolecia wycinali, wyskrobywali z siebie kawałki biografii, dokonywali aborcji przeszłości ".
"I jedyny sens w sferze nonsensu polega na przerwaniu tego bezsensu (...)".
Język "Dzieci Kronosa" to majstersztyk. Piękno zdań i ich melodia mnie osobiście powaliły na kolana. Do tego fabuła, choć nie jest dynamiczna, to wspaniała historia odkopywania z gruzów pamięci historii rodzinnej i wędrówka za losem bohaterów uwikłanych w dzieje. To perła w morzu literatury, którą odkrywa się niespiesznie, smakując zdania, do których wielokrotnie się powraca, by za każdym czytaniem wybrzmiały jeszcze dobitniej.
Ja nie potrafię nie kochać literatury rosyjskiej, jeśli na takich autorów jak Lebiediew trafiam. Przede mną jeszcze "Granica zapomnienia" i "Debiutant".
" (...) od samego początku drzemała w nich niezależna od wysiłków właścicieli zdolność przetrwania; zdolność sprzeciwiania się rozproszeniu, bez zatracania się w sprzeciwie."
"I mimo to czuł, że los może istnieć niezależnie od tego, komu był dany za życia; los może trwać nawet poza śmiercią".
"Lecz on widział, jak ludzie przez dziesięciolecia wycinali, wyskrobywali z siebie kawałki biografii, dokonywali aborcji przeszłości ".
"I jedyny sens w sferze nonsensu polega na przerwaniu tego bezsensu (...)".
June 30, 2020
Żeby książkę roku przeczytać ledwo w jego szóstym tygodniu!??
Czuję przez skórę, że z książek wydanych w 2019 i 2020 roku - "Dzieci Kronosa" (chyba lepszy tytuł niż oryginalny "Gąsior Fryc") będą raczej poza konkurencją.
I w sumie to bez znaczenia, w jakiej będzie startować kategorii.
Bo czy znajdzie się taki mądry, by określił literacki gatunek, jakim poręcznie da się tę książkę zaklasyfikować? Życzę powodzenia.
Niezwykłej urody i mądrości jest ta książka (wyrazy uznania dla polskiego tłumacza - czyta się bajecznie!). Co kilkanaście stron przypominałem sobie, z jaką niewiarygodną wyższością traktowano w Polsce Rosjan (Białorusinów, Ukraińców ...). Wyśmiewając ich kulturę, dorobek, tradycję, historię ... i - nazwijmy rzeczy po imieniu- niewyobrażalne cierpienia, przez jakie na przestrzeni tych stu lat ten naród przeszedł. Że zarażał niemal nimi swoich sąsiadów - nie miejsce o tym pisać - ale i o tym jest ta książka.
Dziećmi Kronosa jesteśmy w jakimś stopniu tutaj wszyscy. Dziedziczymy to jak skazę, pokolenie po pokoleniu. Nie potrafimy się z tego wyplątać.
Czy czegoś historia uczy Polaków, Rosjan i Ukraińców? Wspólna historia - o czym coraz częściej się pisze, ale wciąż za mało mówi i uczy. Rozdrapujemy własne rany, nie wiedząc, nie przeczuwając, że te naszych sąsiadów mogą być jeszcze straszniejsze...
Tyle ... wstrząsnęła mną ta książka. Naprawdę, nie bardzo wiem co tutaj "wypada" o niej napisać ...
Czuję przez skórę, że z książek wydanych w 2019 i 2020 roku - "Dzieci Kronosa" (chyba lepszy tytuł niż oryginalny "Gąsior Fryc") będą raczej poza konkurencją.
I w sumie to bez znaczenia, w jakiej będzie startować kategorii.
Bo czy znajdzie się taki mądry, by określił literacki gatunek, jakim poręcznie da się tę książkę zaklasyfikować? Życzę powodzenia.
Niezwykłej urody i mądrości jest ta książka (wyrazy uznania dla polskiego tłumacza - czyta się bajecznie!). Co kilkanaście stron przypominałem sobie, z jaką niewiarygodną wyższością traktowano w Polsce Rosjan (Białorusinów, Ukraińców ...). Wyśmiewając ich kulturę, dorobek, tradycję, historię ... i - nazwijmy rzeczy po imieniu- niewyobrażalne cierpienia, przez jakie na przestrzeni tych stu lat ten naród przeszedł. Że zarażał niemal nimi swoich sąsiadów - nie miejsce o tym pisać - ale i o tym jest ta książka.
Dziećmi Kronosa jesteśmy w jakimś stopniu tutaj wszyscy. Dziedziczymy to jak skazę, pokolenie po pokoleniu. Nie potrafimy się z tego wyplątać.
Czy czegoś historia uczy Polaków, Rosjan i Ukraińców? Wspólna historia - o czym coraz częściej się pisze, ale wciąż za mało mówi i uczy. Rozdrapujemy własne rany, nie wiedząc, nie przeczuwając, że te naszych sąsiadów mogą być jeszcze straszniejsze...
Tyle ... wstrząsnęła mną ta książka. Naprawdę, nie bardzo wiem co tutaj "wypada" o niej napisać ...
May 2, 2019
“Grandmother gave him more than unexpected ancestors. The world of another culture appeared before him, a silent but living world to which he belonged by inheritance, by the right of wild, inexhaustible blood in which all eras and the starry sky flowed.”
I have wondered over the years, why I have not heard of many contemporary Russian authors, so discovering this sprawling, family saga, was a joy. This novel focuses on a young Russian man, with German origins, looking back at his family history, inspired by his late grandmother's passing. It goes back generations, (into the 19th century) so the reader gets an informative overview of Russian history, right through the modern age. It appears that plenty of deep research went into this story and the prose is strong and fluid. It also is a solid translation. I will have to seek out this author's earlier work.
I have wondered over the years, why I have not heard of many contemporary Russian authors, so discovering this sprawling, family saga, was a joy. This novel focuses on a young Russian man, with German origins, looking back at his family history, inspired by his late grandmother's passing. It goes back generations, (into the 19th century) so the reader gets an informative overview of Russian history, right through the modern age. It appears that plenty of deep research went into this story and the prose is strong and fluid. It also is a solid translation. I will have to seek out this author's earlier work.
August 1, 2024
Kirill, the protagonist of Sergei Lebedev’s erudite The Goose Fritz, has a gift for imagining the past. Symbols on a tombstone or the sounds of thunder will transport him across time so that he can experience a bit of what his ancestors’ felt or saw. It’s a useful trick for a historian, especially as Kirill has decided to write the history of his German-Russian family from the 1830s, through the Russo-Japanese War, the Revolution, the Great Terror, and the Great Patriotic War...
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss, for review consideration.
Read the rest of my review at A Bookish Type. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher via Edelweiss, for review consideration.
December 22, 2019
Serge Lebedev on growing up German in Russian history
Fritz is generic for German, And Russia’s changing attitude towards its citizens who came to Russia, but were never quite Russian enough. Lebedev is a writer who grabs the reader with history and makes it personal. I liked all three of his novels, but perhaps Oblivion is the best, dealing with Grandfather II, who was once a Gulag Commandant and was now a neighbor.
Fritz is generic for German, And Russia’s changing attitude towards its citizens who came to Russia, but were never quite Russian enough. Lebedev is a writer who grabs the reader with history and makes it personal. I liked all three of his novels, but perhaps Oblivion is the best, dealing with Grandfather II, who was once a Gulag Commandant and was now a neighbor.
May 2, 2019
“Grandmother gave him more than unexpected ancestors. The world of another culture appeared before him, a silent but living world to which he belonged by inheritance, by the right of wild, inexhaustible blood in which all eras and the starry sky flowed.”
I have wondered over the years, why I have not heard of many contemporary Russian authors, so discovering this sprawling, family saga, was a joy. This novel focuses on a young Russian man, with German origins, looking back at his family history, inspired by his late grandmother's passing. It goes back generations, (into the 19th century) so the reader gets an informative overview of Russian history, right through the modern age. It appears that plenty of deep research went into this story and the prose is strong and fluid. It also is a solid translation. I will have to seek out this author's earlier work.
I have wondered over the years, why I have not heard of many contemporary Russian authors, so discovering this sprawling, family saga, was a joy. This novel focuses on a young Russian man, with German origins, looking back at his family history, inspired by his late grandmother's passing. It goes back generations, (into the 19th century) so the reader gets an informative overview of Russian history, right through the modern age. It appears that plenty of deep research went into this story and the prose is strong and fluid. It also is a solid translation. I will have to seek out this author's earlier work.
December 28, 2025
I literally could not be done with this book sooner (I’m like 3 weeks past the end of my 2nd renewal at the BPL so not sure what my fine is going to be lol).
But bruh, the general story itself was good, but such a poorly structured timeline and unengaging / convoluted writing. Also this usually doesn’t bother me… but it really irked me that the author ONLY talked about the male ancestors, with no mention about the females in the bloodline (with an exception to the last 20 pages). I say this because I found myself WISHING the author explained what the wives did during this time, it would’ve added to the story / been interesting. I think it’s a bit harsh to give this one star, I only reserve that for absolutely horrible books, but this is probably a 1.5 star.
But bruh, the general story itself was good, but such a poorly structured timeline and unengaging / convoluted writing. Also this usually doesn’t bother me… but it really irked me that the author ONLY talked about the male ancestors, with no mention about the females in the bloodline (with an exception to the last 20 pages). I say this because I found myself WISHING the author explained what the wives did during this time, it would’ve added to the story / been interesting. I think it’s a bit harsh to give this one star, I only reserve that for absolutely horrible books, but this is probably a 1.5 star.
March 16, 2019
VERDICT: Revisiting your past, discovering your deep identity. Not always a comfortable journey.
my full review is here:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2019/03/16/...
my full review is here:
https://wordsandpeace.com/2019/03/16/...
May 31, 2019
Difficult to follow in places because it moves so quickly through events in Russian history due to an assumed shared knowledge by the author and reader, but this is why we should read more translated books, right? An incredible look at Russian history and the impact/toll it takes on one family tree, a German family tree.
February 28, 2019
via my blog: https://bookstalkerblog.wordpress.com/
'Something happened with her that Kirill had never seen. It was as if ghosts of terrible unimaginable catastrophes, wars, fires, floods, were nipping at her heels.'
Russian born Kirill is the last member of his family, descendant of Balthasar Schwerdt who came to Russia from Germany in the 1800’s. An author who collects other’s people’s life stories, fearfully avoiding his own. It is time to tell the story of his family, with papers, archives he will chase the ‘threads of memory’ and ‘preserving the misunderstood and the unseen.’ It is the only way Kirill can flee the fate of the family. As a child he sees a stone book in the German cemetery where his family plot lies, chosen as he is to be his grandmother’s constant companion on these visits. Naturally the visits isn’t something any of them talk about outside the confines of home. The book, blank as if an omen of what he must one day fill, is always waiting there for him as he comes of age.
Why, he wondered, was his Russian great-grandmother buried in the German cemetery anyway? With the adults ‘omissions about the past’ he learned to create stories as explanation. It isn’t until his grandmother Lina reveals, speaking in German, the name of his great-great-great grandfather while at his headstone, that he knows the bold truth of their German ancestry. Vile German blood, much like the Goose Fritz symbolized to the villagers, strangled to death by the harmless old Seargant in his drunken rage on the anniversary in July when he was wounded in the Battle Kursk. The goose, in the old man’s war ravaged mind, a German soldier. German, the stuff his family is made of.
Why did they not carry the surname Schwerdt, what fate befell his ancestors, a ‘scattered people’ bones buried in soil far from their fatherland? It’s always been easier for him to dig into stranger’s families than disrupt the rest of his own, and what would revelations mean for his own blind future? Is he destined to walk a path forged by those who came before him? Why can’t he guide his own future, be no one’s son, grandson? A crack in the headstone of his beloved, deceased grandmother, separating surname from birth name, birth date from death date seems to beg from the beyond their stories be told.
Balthasar’s life took a strange turn from that of medical doctor, working as his father’s assistant, to that of practitioner of homeopathic medicine, a ‘heretic’s career’. Thwarting his father’s plan, trembling with his newfound passion, Balthasar left his fractured world for a larger one, with the knowledge of his ‘travels’, Kirill needs to understand the why of it all. Pieces in museums and visiting cities doesn’t always lend an emotional landscape to history, it’s hard for him to imagine being born in the cities of his ancestors. There were seven daughters, and a son- there were wars, assassins, disease, even an early feminist who ‘excited men’s strife.’ Worse the strangest fate of all will befall the brilliant boy when as a man he encounters cannibals.
Kirill is blind to his own future but revisionist of his family’s past, able to look upon it with a godlike eye, see the impending doom as well as lucky escapes that his ancestors couldn’t. With one family member a migrant to Russia, they cannot be native nor accepted as such, forced to hide their German blood as if a stain, as evident by Kirill not even realizing he wasn’t fully Russian, born under the hammer and sickel, loyal as the rest of his family to their country.
This novel is about political history as much as family history, how it affects us all. Are you allowed to be a nationalist when your ancestors were enemies? There are many stories about all of the characters but it is rich in history, perfect for historical fiction lovers. I adored the relationship between Kirill and his beloved grandmother Lina. It’s incredible to think about what our ancestors suffered through, how they could still cling to hope, love and laugh. Personal history too can give birth to strange fears and rituals. The deepest shame is having to hide our blood for fear of persecution. Yes, read it.
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
New Vessel Press
'Something happened with her that Kirill had never seen. It was as if ghosts of terrible unimaginable catastrophes, wars, fires, floods, were nipping at her heels.'
Russian born Kirill is the last member of his family, descendant of Balthasar Schwerdt who came to Russia from Germany in the 1800’s. An author who collects other’s people’s life stories, fearfully avoiding his own. It is time to tell the story of his family, with papers, archives he will chase the ‘threads of memory’ and ‘preserving the misunderstood and the unseen.’ It is the only way Kirill can flee the fate of the family. As a child he sees a stone book in the German cemetery where his family plot lies, chosen as he is to be his grandmother’s constant companion on these visits. Naturally the visits isn’t something any of them talk about outside the confines of home. The book, blank as if an omen of what he must one day fill, is always waiting there for him as he comes of age.
Why, he wondered, was his Russian great-grandmother buried in the German cemetery anyway? With the adults ‘omissions about the past’ he learned to create stories as explanation. It isn’t until his grandmother Lina reveals, speaking in German, the name of his great-great-great grandfather while at his headstone, that he knows the bold truth of their German ancestry. Vile German blood, much like the Goose Fritz symbolized to the villagers, strangled to death by the harmless old Seargant in his drunken rage on the anniversary in July when he was wounded in the Battle Kursk. The goose, in the old man’s war ravaged mind, a German soldier. German, the stuff his family is made of.
Why did they not carry the surname Schwerdt, what fate befell his ancestors, a ‘scattered people’ bones buried in soil far from their fatherland? It’s always been easier for him to dig into stranger’s families than disrupt the rest of his own, and what would revelations mean for his own blind future? Is he destined to walk a path forged by those who came before him? Why can’t he guide his own future, be no one’s son, grandson? A crack in the headstone of his beloved, deceased grandmother, separating surname from birth name, birth date from death date seems to beg from the beyond their stories be told.
Balthasar’s life took a strange turn from that of medical doctor, working as his father’s assistant, to that of practitioner of homeopathic medicine, a ‘heretic’s career’. Thwarting his father’s plan, trembling with his newfound passion, Balthasar left his fractured world for a larger one, with the knowledge of his ‘travels’, Kirill needs to understand the why of it all. Pieces in museums and visiting cities doesn’t always lend an emotional landscape to history, it’s hard for him to imagine being born in the cities of his ancestors. There were seven daughters, and a son- there were wars, assassins, disease, even an early feminist who ‘excited men’s strife.’ Worse the strangest fate of all will befall the brilliant boy when as a man he encounters cannibals.
Kirill is blind to his own future but revisionist of his family’s past, able to look upon it with a godlike eye, see the impending doom as well as lucky escapes that his ancestors couldn’t. With one family member a migrant to Russia, they cannot be native nor accepted as such, forced to hide their German blood as if a stain, as evident by Kirill not even realizing he wasn’t fully Russian, born under the hammer and sickel, loyal as the rest of his family to their country.
This novel is about political history as much as family history, how it affects us all. Are you allowed to be a nationalist when your ancestors were enemies? There are many stories about all of the characters but it is rich in history, perfect for historical fiction lovers. I adored the relationship between Kirill and his beloved grandmother Lina. It’s incredible to think about what our ancestors suffered through, how they could still cling to hope, love and laugh. Personal history too can give birth to strange fears and rituals. The deepest shame is having to hide our blood for fear of persecution. Yes, read it.
Publication Date: March 19, 2019
New Vessel Press
June 8, 2021
На самом деле, оценка 3,5, но, за неимением в системе оценивания дробей, пришлось округлить)
Традиционный для литературы приём "большая история через историю одной семьи", но при этом предмет исследования - взаимоотношения России и проживающих в ней немцев. Соответственно, историю своей семьи главный герой прослеживает от основателя российской ветви Бальтазара, приехавшего в первой половине 19 в. в Россию проповедовать прогрессивную на тот момент гомеопатию, до своей бабушки Каролины, вынужденной после ареста мужа в 1937-м отречься от своей немецкой идентичности (включая фамилию Швердт). Собственно, процесс (а точнее итоги) восстановления семейной истории и составляет ткань повествования: главный герой Кирилл, случайно узнав от бабушки незадолго до её смерти, что, оказывается, она немка, многие десятилетия хранившая тайну своего происхождения, отказывается от научной карьеры (приглашение в Гарвард) и начинает писать собирать материал для книги о своей семье.
Тема и рассуждения автора довольно интересны (например, мысль о том, что зерна шпиономании и неправосудных репрессий были посеяны еще до революции - см. немецкие погромы, реквизиции, дело Мясоедова, etc.). Есть замечательные художественные находки (например, образ борьбы прошлого и будущего во время Гражданской войны, когда белые, отбивая у красных местность, первым делом буквально возвращают её в прошлое, возвращая юлианский календарь; красные, напротив, принимают григорианский, стремясь в будущее).
Но в то же время не лишена книжка и чисто литературных изъянов. Некоторые сюжетные подробности не нужны ни для чего (зачем нам сведения об аресте главного героя за участие в митинге?), некоторые сюжетные ходы никуда не ведут (собственно, процесс написания Кириллом книги не заканчивается ничем). Заглавный образ романа - гусь с немецкой кличкой, удавленный деревенским ветераном Старшиной в приступе белой горячки кажется несколько натянутым и искусственным, хотя, возможно, и взят из реальной жизни. Проблема в том, что сам этот эпизод слишком уж грубо пришит к основному сюжету.
В общем и целом неплохо, но предыдущая прочитанная мной книга этого этого же автора - "Люди августа" - понравилась значительно больше.
Традиционный для литературы приём "большая история через историю одной семьи", но при этом предмет исследования - взаимоотношения России и проживающих в ней немцев. Соответственно, историю своей семьи главный герой прослеживает от основателя российской ветви Бальтазара, приехавшего в первой половине 19 в. в Россию проповедовать прогрессивную на тот момент гомеопатию, до своей бабушки Каролины, вынужденной после ареста мужа в 1937-м отречься от своей немецкой идентичности (включая фамилию Швердт). Собственно, процесс (а точнее итоги) восстановления семейной истории и составляет ткань повествования: главный герой Кирилл, случайно узнав от бабушки незадолго до её смерти, что, оказывается, она немка, многие десятилетия хранившая тайну своего происхождения, отказывается от научной карьеры (приглашение в Гарвард) и начинает писать собирать материал для книги о своей семье.
Тема и рассуждения автора довольно интересны (например, мысль о том, что зерна шпиономании и неправосудных репрессий были посеяны еще до революции - см. немецкие погромы, реквизиции, дело Мясоедова, etc.). Есть замечательные художественные находки (например, образ борьбы прошлого и будущего во время Гражданской войны, когда белые, отбивая у красных местность, первым делом буквально возвращают её в прошлое, возвращая юлианский календарь; красные, напротив, принимают григорианский, стремясь в будущее).
Но в то же время не лишена книжка и чисто литературных изъянов. Некоторые сюжетные подробности не нужны ни для чего (зачем нам сведения об аресте главного героя за участие в митинге?), некоторые сюжетные ходы никуда не ведут (собственно, процесс написания Кириллом книги не заканчивается ничем). Заглавный образ романа - гусь с немецкой кличкой, удавленный деревенским ветераном Старшиной в приступе белой горячки кажется несколько натянутым и искусственным, хотя, возможно, и взят из реальной жизни. Проблема в том, что сам этот эпизод слишком уж грубо пришит к основному сюжету.
В общем и целом неплохо, но предыдущая прочитанная мной книга этого этого же автора - "Люди августа" - понравилась значительно больше.
August 25, 2025
Wydawnictwo Claroscuro wydaje wspaniałą literaturę, ambitną, która nie dość, że mówi o ważnych sprawach, to jest pięknie napisana. Książka współczesnego rosyjskiego pisarza: Siergieja Lebediewa doskonale wpisuje sie w ten nurt.
"Dzieci Kronosa" to próba poznania losów rodziny, odnalezienia nieznanej gałęzi rodu, która rozpadła się przez wojenną zawieruchę.
Wyznanie babci Liny na cmentarzu dla innowiercow w Rosji, rozpoczyna lawinę wspomnień i poszukiwań dalekich przodków, ale także własnego dziedzictwa krwi: "Babcia podarowała mu nie tylko niespodziewanych przodków. Otworzył sie przed nim świat innej
- milczącej - lecz żywej kultury; świat do którego on sam należał przez zobowiązanie dziedzictwa, dzięki wzburzonej, niestrudzonej krwi, w której płyną wszystkie czasy gwiazdziste niebo".
Skąd rosyjska "babuszka" zna niemieckie słowa? Dlaczego w jej oczach widać strach, dlaczego przemyka niezauważona obok niemieckim grobów?
Na zaproszenie Katarzyny II, by osiedlać się w Rosji i rozwijać tereny nad Wołgą, a później również na Kaukazie odpowiedzieli szczególnie Niemcy, którzy zaczęli masowo tu emigrować.
W ciągu wieków powstało wiele niemieckich kolonii rolniczych. Niemcy rodzili się, żyli, umierali na tych terenach.
Po rewolucji październikowej i zwłaszcza po inwazji Niemiec na ZSRR w 1941 roku, radzieckie władze określiły Niemców mianem wrogiego elementu, oskarżali o bycie szpiegami i zdrajcami, deportowały ich na Syberię i do Kazachstanu, co było częścią szerszej polityki represji.
Tragizm Wielkiej Historii, która niczym wicher pedzi przed siebie, nie bacząc na życie jednostki i niszczy wszystko, co napotka po drodze. Zmusza ludzi do zmiany nazwiska, porzucenia tożsamości, wyrzeczenia się własnej rodziny. Dlaczego? By móc cieszyć sie tym skarbem, jakim jest życie i przekazać nieznane imiona krewnych kolejnym pokoleniom.
Bardzo ważna lektura, biorąc pod uwagę światową politykę i wojny oraz kierunek, w którym wszyscy, niestety, podążamy. Szkoda, że ludzie nie uczą sie na błędach i nie wyciągają wniosków z przeszłości, która za chwilę zapuka do naszych drzwi.
Lebediew wielkim pisarzem jest.
"Dzieci Kronosa" to próba poznania losów rodziny, odnalezienia nieznanej gałęzi rodu, która rozpadła się przez wojenną zawieruchę.
Wyznanie babci Liny na cmentarzu dla innowiercow w Rosji, rozpoczyna lawinę wspomnień i poszukiwań dalekich przodków, ale także własnego dziedzictwa krwi: "Babcia podarowała mu nie tylko niespodziewanych przodków. Otworzył sie przed nim świat innej
- milczącej - lecz żywej kultury; świat do którego on sam należał przez zobowiązanie dziedzictwa, dzięki wzburzonej, niestrudzonej krwi, w której płyną wszystkie czasy gwiazdziste niebo".
Skąd rosyjska "babuszka" zna niemieckie słowa? Dlaczego w jej oczach widać strach, dlaczego przemyka niezauważona obok niemieckim grobów?
Na zaproszenie Katarzyny II, by osiedlać się w Rosji i rozwijać tereny nad Wołgą, a później również na Kaukazie odpowiedzieli szczególnie Niemcy, którzy zaczęli masowo tu emigrować.
W ciągu wieków powstało wiele niemieckich kolonii rolniczych. Niemcy rodzili się, żyli, umierali na tych terenach.
Po rewolucji październikowej i zwłaszcza po inwazji Niemiec na ZSRR w 1941 roku, radzieckie władze określiły Niemców mianem wrogiego elementu, oskarżali o bycie szpiegami i zdrajcami, deportowały ich na Syberię i do Kazachstanu, co było częścią szerszej polityki represji.
Tragizm Wielkiej Historii, która niczym wicher pedzi przed siebie, nie bacząc na życie jednostki i niszczy wszystko, co napotka po drodze. Zmusza ludzi do zmiany nazwiska, porzucenia tożsamości, wyrzeczenia się własnej rodziny. Dlaczego? By móc cieszyć sie tym skarbem, jakim jest życie i przekazać nieznane imiona krewnych kolejnym pokoleniom.
Bardzo ważna lektura, biorąc pod uwagę światową politykę i wojny oraz kierunek, w którym wszyscy, niestety, podążamy. Szkoda, że ludzie nie uczą sie na błędach i nie wyciągają wniosków z przeszłości, która za chwilę zapuka do naszych drzwi.
Lebediew wielkim pisarzem jest.
August 13, 2019
In the beginning of this novel, the narrator, Kirill, recounts an episode from his childhood in which a Soviet veteran of World War II flies into an alcohol-fueled halucinatory rage during which he sees a neighbor's goose as an enemy German and kills it. The scene is both vivid and touching and, when the narrator later discovers that his family had emigrated from Germany to Russia generations earlier (subsequently changing their last name) serves as a catalyst for the narrator's exploration into his family's history, their early successes and their later suffering when Germans became the enemy during two World Wars. Although the narrative provides interesting insights into the persecution of established families who, through no fault of their own, were classed with evil "others", the story is slow going when Kirill's narration turns to historical research and speculation that is largely expository. As Kirill's investigations bring him closer to the present and include interviews with survivors who remember aspects of his family history involving the generations of his grandparents and parents--those who suffered the decline of their fortunes and status and the brutality of Stalin's purges--the novel regains much of its compelling forcefulness.
July 9, 2021
This book is hard work, with its huge cast of characters, each with their individual stories, joined together by tangled threads. Tracing the couple of centuries of his Volga German ancestors, Kirill seems to find the answer as to why the stone book on their tombstone in the German cemetery in Moscow had no writing on it - they had all been eradicated because of their origins, in spite of their loyalty to the various Russian regimes they lived through. Russian history is full of horrors, but this story is seldom told. The translation flows flawlessly but it's a claustrophobic book laden with the weight of history and fate.
November 30, 2021
Кажется, что лучший способ понять историю России - через историю семьи. В этой книге, которая очень красиво написанна, история семьи главного героя скрытаная. Скрытность была необходима чтобы выжить, когда немецкие корни становятся знаком госизмены, но это не только во время мировых войн когда место семьи нестабильное. Повсюду находятся возможности для преобразования, но в то же время, и всё же судба уже решена и неизбежная. Когда он понимает предшественников, он действительно становится частю истории семьи.
May 23, 2023
Своеобразная семейная сага в очень сжатой форме. Полуторавековая история одной семьи на фоне войн, революций… и новых войн. Но история не обычной семьи, а семьи российских немцев.
Столько искалеченных судеб и загубленных жизней…
Несмотря на то, что сам сюжет меня зацепил, я бы даже сказала, задел за живое, книга далась мне нелегко, уж больно напрягал язык и стиль автора. В целом же роман скорее понравился, чем не понравился.
Столько искалеченных судеб и загубленных жизней…
Несмотря на то, что сам сюжет меня зацепил, я бы даже сказала, задел за живое, книга далась мне нелегко, уж больно напрягал язык и стиль автора. В целом же роман скорее понравился, чем не понравился.
October 25, 2025
Początkowy zachwyt, później rozczarowanie. Najogólniej: mam wrażenie, że Lebiediev potrafi pisać świetne poetyckie opisy (vide opis letniej burzy otwierający „Dzieci Kronosa” albo analogiczny opis błotnej kałuży w „Granicy zapomnienia”), ale nie umie opowiadać zajmujących historii. Pisze wspaniałym potoczystym stylem, opisy są zachwycające i zachęcające, ale później robi się znacznie nudniej.
June 12, 2021
Jag läste den långsamt och eftertänksamt, och började sedan genast läsa om den för att vara säker på att jag inte hade missat något. Det är verkligen en bok som tål att läsas många gånger. Så gripande och tragisk, rekommenderas!
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