Посещение при Минотавъра

by Arkady Vayner, Georgy Vayner, Аркадий Вайнер

Genres: Russia

396 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1974

About the author

Arkady Vayner (1938 - 2009) was a Russian playwright and author. After graduating from high school with honors, he entered the Moscow Aviation Institute, and later joined the law faculty at Moscow State University.

Together with his brother, Georgy Vayner, he is the author of many works of detective stories, often taken from their own forensic practice. In addition, Vainer wrote plays and scripts for film and television.

Reviews

[Tububa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this after Лекарство против страха, and it is hard not to compare the two books. Both have excellent, convoluted mystery plots--though I think the stolen Stradivari plot is far more compelling, because all the red herrings in the investigation serve the main theme. Both have parallel Western European Renaissance plotlines--and again, I think the Stradivari plotline is a lot more closely integrated with the themes of the modern-day story in the Minotaur novel than the Paracelsus plotline is in the Medicine novel. Both the modern and the historical lines concern the relationship between hard work and talent, and how genius requires obsession. The theme of obsessive creation is one that the Vayner brothers are clearly, well, obsessed with, and it receives a full expression in the Minotaur novel. Without hard work, a talent is worth nothing. And only hard work and accomplishment should be rewarded with prosperous living. In their world, anyone who wants an easy life but does not want to work hard for it gets his comeuppance in due time.

If I have one complaint about their writing, it's the leaden, overworked metaphors. By the time the Minotaur is mentioned for the 8th or 9th time, I was thoroughly sick of it. But the felt slippers from Гонки по вертикали were much worse.

[alla · Rating 4 out of 5]

i REALLY enjoyed this book. would i call it sensational? i don't think so. however, it's still a good read and probably one of my all time favorites. can't wait to watch the show