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Lame Fate | Ugly Swans
Today, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are counted among the best science fiction writers of the twentieth century, but their relationship with the late-Soviet literary establishment in their home country of Russia was often fraught. Acclaimed during the brief Khrushchev Thaw, the Strugatskys began to fall from grace in the late 1960s as publishers became increasingly reluctant to release their works. The authors' inability to publish, however, diminished neither their productivity nor their popularity among readers. Their novels and short stories, retyped by hand, circulated widely through unofficial channels within the Soviet Union and occasionally turned up abroad in unauthorized translation.
The nested novels Ugly Swans and Lame Fate offer insight into this period of enforced silence. Never before translated into English, Lame Fate is the first-person account of middle-aged author Felix Sorokin. When the Soviet Writers’ Union asks him to submit a writing sample to a newfangled machine that can supposedly evaluate the "objective value" of any literary work, he faces a dilemma. Should he present something establishment-approved but middling, or risk sharing his unpublished masterpiece, which has languished in his desk drawer for years?
Sorokin’s masterwork is Ugly Swans, previously published in English as a standalone work but presented here in an authoritative new translation. Ugly Swans chronicles the travails of disgraced literary celebrity Victor Banev, who returns to his provincial hometown to find it haunted by the mysterious clammies—black-masked men residing in a former leper colony. Possessing supernatural talents, including the ability to control the weather, the clammies terrify the town’s adult population but enthrall its teenagers, including Banev’s daughter Irma. Together, Lame Fate and Ugly Swans illuminate some of the Strugatskys' favorite themes—the (im)possibility of political progress, the role of the individual in society, the nature of honor and courage, and the enduring value of art—in consummately entertaining fashion. By turns chilling, uproarious and moving, these intertwining stories are sure to delight readers from all walks of life.
The nested novels Ugly Swans and Lame Fate offer insight into this period of enforced silence. Never before translated into English, Lame Fate is the first-person account of middle-aged author Felix Sorokin. When the Soviet Writers’ Union asks him to submit a writing sample to a newfangled machine that can supposedly evaluate the "objective value" of any literary work, he faces a dilemma. Should he present something establishment-approved but middling, or risk sharing his unpublished masterpiece, which has languished in his desk drawer for years?
Sorokin’s masterwork is Ugly Swans, previously published in English as a standalone work but presented here in an authoritative new translation. Ugly Swans chronicles the travails of disgraced literary celebrity Victor Banev, who returns to his provincial hometown to find it haunted by the mysterious clammies—black-masked men residing in a former leper colony. Possessing supernatural talents, including the ability to control the weather, the clammies terrify the town’s adult population but enthrall its teenagers, including Banev’s daughter Irma. Together, Lame Fate and Ugly Swans illuminate some of the Strugatskys' favorite themes—the (im)possibility of political progress, the role of the individual in society, the nature of honor and courage, and the enduring value of art—in consummately entertaining fashion. By turns chilling, uproarious and moving, these intertwining stories are sure to delight readers from all walks of life.
400 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 4, 2020
20 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Arkady Strugatsky
514 books1,880 followersThe brothers Arkady Strugatsky [Russian: Аркадий Стругацкий] and Boris Strugatsky [Russian: Борис Стругацкий] were Soviet-Russian science fiction authors who collaborated through most of their careers.
Arkady Strugatsky was born 25 August 1925 in Batumi; the family later moved to Leningrad. In January 1942, Arkady and his father were evacuated from the Siege of Leningrad, but Arkady was the only survivor in his train car; his father died upon reaching Vologda. Arkady was drafted into the Soviet army in 1943. He trained first at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk and later at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1949 as an interpreter of English and Japanese. He worked as a teacher and interpreter for the military until 1955. In 1955, he began working as an editor and writer.
In 1958, he began collaborating with his brother Boris, a collaboration that lasted until Arkady's death on 12 October 1991. Arkady Strugatsky became a member of the Union of Soviet Writers in 1964. In addition to his own writing, he translated Japanese language short stories and novels, as well as some English works with his brother.
Source: Wikipedia
Arkady Strugatsky was born 25 August 1925 in Batumi; the family later moved to Leningrad. In January 1942, Arkady and his father were evacuated from the Siege of Leningrad, but Arkady was the only survivor in his train car; his father died upon reaching Vologda. Arkady was drafted into the Soviet army in 1943. He trained first at the artillery school in Aktyubinsk and later at the Military Institute of Foreign Languages in Moscow, from which he graduated in 1949 as an interpreter of English and Japanese. He worked as a teacher and interpreter for the military until 1955. In 1955, he began working as an editor and writer.
In 1958, he began collaborating with his brother Boris, a collaboration that lasted until Arkady's death on 12 October 1991. Arkady Strugatsky became a member of the Union of Soviet Writers in 1964. In addition to his own writing, he translated Japanese language short stories and novels, as well as some English works with his brother.
Source: Wikipedia
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 17, 2023
The only novel I've ever read that mentions Vladimir Vysotsky (multiple times).
These two books spiral perfectly around each other. The fact that the events that take place in either of them could, in many cases, be moved into the other, is strangely a strength, the blurring of the lines between the two stories just making the whole thing more enjoyable.
These two books spiral perfectly around each other. The fact that the events that take place in either of them could, in many cases, be moved into the other, is strangely a strength, the blurring of the lines between the two stories just making the whole thing more enjoyable.
August 13, 2020
"You start writing a novel about Mr. President’s youth, but what comes out is a story about a deserted island inhabited by weird apes who subsist not on bananas but on the thoughts of the shipwrecked."
Truly one of the stranger books I've read this year, at times bordering on the confusing (I'm not complaining, though!).
Basically it's two novels interwoven with eachother. The first novel, Lame Fate, tells the story of middle-aged Russian author Felix Sorokin, who is asked to submit a sample of his writing to be processed by a computer, to "objectively" determine how literary his work is.
What follows is Sorokin's agony over what he should submit - some Soviet-appraising propagandist drivel he has written, or his unpublished masterpiece, a manuscript he carries around in a blue folder..?
"Do you swear to keep thinking about your city, to never stop inventing it until you become completely demented, and perhaps even after that? What else could I do? Of course I swear, I said, and opened the manuscript."
This manuscript is the second novel, Ugly Swans, and has another writer at its centre - the disgraced semi-celebrity Victor Banev. He returns to his hometown, to find it has been overrun by "clammies" - sufferers of leprosy who are clad in black, wearing black masks. Cats have started disappearing, and the teenage population of the town seems to be strangely infatuated with the clammies.
Chapters alternate between the novels, and as the chapters are quite long, I would start to lose track of which author I was reading about - I get the distinct feeling that the Strugatsky brothers would be quite pleased by this.
"Has everyone here read my works?” “Yes,” said several children’s voices. “We have.” “All of us.” “Fantastic,” said Victor, perplexed. “I’m flattered, if surprised. All right, let’s move on . . . Does the assembled body wish me to share the story of how one or another of my novels came into being?”
There was a brief silence, and then a skinny, pimply boy erected himself in the middle of the room to say “No.” He sat back down."
These summaries make the novels sound plotdriven, which they're not.. not really. Both novels meander a lot, spend a lot of time on seemingly endless conversations (a very Russian thing, in my limited experience of Russian literature), especially between the many writers that inhabit both novels.
The main characters feel more like they're forever reacting to things, and therefore remind me of characters in a Kafka novel. It is important to note how funny the book is, making me laugh throughout, the Strugatskys favouring a certain dry wit.
It is also important to note how beautifully written both novels are, and eventhough they were originally written seperately, how well they slot in together.
"And now the sun, having mocked its fill, began to destroy it. Roofs were melting and evaporating; the tin and tile emitted rusty fumes and disappeared before their eyes. Streetlamps broke softly into pieces and dwindled to nothing, kiosks and billboards dissolved into thin air. Everything around was crackling, hissing faintly, and rustling, turning porous and transparent, transforming into drifts of dirt, and disappearing...”
It's a bizarre, baffling book, a constant low hum of dread that never really pays off (again, not a complaint), with very human and relatable characters. If you have a penchant for the weird (and funny), read this book.
(Kindly received a review copy from Chicago Review Press through Edelweiss)
Truly one of the stranger books I've read this year, at times bordering on the confusing (I'm not complaining, though!).
Basically it's two novels interwoven with eachother. The first novel, Lame Fate, tells the story of middle-aged Russian author Felix Sorokin, who is asked to submit a sample of his writing to be processed by a computer, to "objectively" determine how literary his work is.
What follows is Sorokin's agony over what he should submit - some Soviet-appraising propagandist drivel he has written, or his unpublished masterpiece, a manuscript he carries around in a blue folder..?
"Do you swear to keep thinking about your city, to never stop inventing it until you become completely demented, and perhaps even after that? What else could I do? Of course I swear, I said, and opened the manuscript."
This manuscript is the second novel, Ugly Swans, and has another writer at its centre - the disgraced semi-celebrity Victor Banev. He returns to his hometown, to find it has been overrun by "clammies" - sufferers of leprosy who are clad in black, wearing black masks. Cats have started disappearing, and the teenage population of the town seems to be strangely infatuated with the clammies.
Chapters alternate between the novels, and as the chapters are quite long, I would start to lose track of which author I was reading about - I get the distinct feeling that the Strugatsky brothers would be quite pleased by this.
"Has everyone here read my works?” “Yes,” said several children’s voices. “We have.” “All of us.” “Fantastic,” said Victor, perplexed. “I’m flattered, if surprised. All right, let’s move on . . . Does the assembled body wish me to share the story of how one or another of my novels came into being?”
There was a brief silence, and then a skinny, pimply boy erected himself in the middle of the room to say “No.” He sat back down."
These summaries make the novels sound plotdriven, which they're not.. not really. Both novels meander a lot, spend a lot of time on seemingly endless conversations (a very Russian thing, in my limited experience of Russian literature), especially between the many writers that inhabit both novels.
The main characters feel more like they're forever reacting to things, and therefore remind me of characters in a Kafka novel. It is important to note how funny the book is, making me laugh throughout, the Strugatskys favouring a certain dry wit.
It is also important to note how beautifully written both novels are, and eventhough they were originally written seperately, how well they slot in together.
"And now the sun, having mocked its fill, began to destroy it. Roofs were melting and evaporating; the tin and tile emitted rusty fumes and disappeared before their eyes. Streetlamps broke softly into pieces and dwindled to nothing, kiosks and billboards dissolved into thin air. Everything around was crackling, hissing faintly, and rustling, turning porous and transparent, transforming into drifts of dirt, and disappearing...”
It's a bizarre, baffling book, a constant low hum of dread that never really pays off (again, not a complaint), with very human and relatable characters. If you have a penchant for the weird (and funny), read this book.
(Kindly received a review copy from Chicago Review Press through Edelweiss)
August 3, 2020
Wondrous, uproariously funny in bits, but also a bit of a rain-soaked slog. Think The Midwich Cuckoos meets The Master and Margarita. The timeliness is a comfort, however, and like Doris Lessing’s The Prisons We Choose to Live Inside, it provides a much needed sanity check.
“And animal husbandry!”
“And animal husbandry!”
October 31, 2020
The story of a late-Soviet era writer reading the manuscript of his black-listed sci-fi novella, the protagonist of which resembles that of the frame story. In alternating chapters the pair go about their daily business, dealing with friends and enemies, family and colleagues – such that, if not for the sci-fi element of the manuscript, some readers may have difficulty keeping the stories separate. As author the first says (p 226) ‘… certain readers – as it turns out! – believe I’m one of my own characters.’
This is such a smart, clever work; it’s abundance of clear, incisive information about writing and publishing – in our society as much as Soviet – is sufficient reason alone to read it. But in the “dog meat” world described, the homage to Bulgakov, too, is consoling. The Bros advise their readers to (re)read Bulgakov’s theatrical novel (Black Snow), which I shall do.
This is such a smart, clever work; it’s abundance of clear, incisive information about writing and publishing – in our society as much as Soviet – is sufficient reason alone to read it. But in the “dog meat” world described, the homage to Bulgakov, too, is consoling. The Bros advise their readers to (re)read Bulgakov’s theatrical novel (Black Snow), which I shall do.
September 12, 2025
What we have here are two novels by Arkady Strugatsky and Boris Strugatsky, written several years apart, shuffled together and presented in interleaved chapters. Although the Strugatsky Brothers are primarily known as science fiction authors, there is relatively little sci-fi here: it's more political satire. Lame Fate / Ugly Swans would probably not appeal purely to sci-fi readers, but its sophisticated look at late Soviet society is interesting in its own right.
The Afterword by Boris Strugatsky explains in great detail the difficulties the brothers had in producing the two novels separately, and then combining them into one.
The Afterword by Boris Strugatsky explains in great detail the difficulties the brothers had in producing the two novels separately, and then combining them into one.
August 30, 2020
I love the Strugatskys more than I love my own family. I wish they were my dads. I love the Chicago Review Press for publishing translations of their writings, actually all of their best novels. Along with "The Doomed City" and "The Snail on the Slope," "Ugly Swans" is one of the greatest things they've ever written, and embedding it in "Lame Fate" as it was supposed to be makes it all the more powerful. I say this every time I review something by the Strugatskys but there was absolutely no one else like them, no one else wrote better literary science fiction, and it's nearly impossible to describe their novels -- they cannot be related, they must be experienced.
October 18, 2021
Un romanzo quasi "autobiografico" dei fratelli Strugatskij.
Gennaio 1982: lo scrittore di mezza età Feliks Sorokin, membro dell'Unione degli scrittori, viene contattato - insieme agli altri suoi colleghi - dal Segretariato dell'Unione con la richiesta di consegnare, ai fini di ricerca scientifica, un campione della sua produzione letteraria.
Lo scrittore inizia a esaminare il suo archivio personale, cercando qualcosa di adatto. Si immerge nei ricordi e in manoscritti mai pubblicati, tra cui quello contenuto nella "Cartella Blu", il suo lavoro più caro e segreto, scritto per essere tenuto nel cassetto. Si tratta di "Brutti cigni", un romanzo che i fratelli Strugatskij avevano scritto a metà degli anni '60 e che ha ad oggetto lo scontro tra generazioni. I capitoli si alternano, per quella che è una vera e propria storia nella storia.
La valutazione dello Stato sui manoscritti è condotta con criteri "scientifici", con l'ausilio cioè di un calcolatore in grado di misurare il talento letterario dell'autore. Le prove si svolgono presso l'Istituto di ricerca linguistica dell'Accademia delle Scienze dell'URSS. L'apparecchiatura si chiama NPLT, acronimo che sta per Numero Probabile di Lettori del Testo (quindi, offre un giudizio tutt'altro che oggettivo sul valore artistico del testo...). Uno degli scienziati, un personaggio misterioso, assume le sembianze e il nome di Michail Afanas'evič (Bulgakov), lo scrittore preferito di Sorokin, e gli rivela...
Gennaio 1982: lo scrittore di mezza età Feliks Sorokin, membro dell'Unione degli scrittori, viene contattato - insieme agli altri suoi colleghi - dal Segretariato dell'Unione con la richiesta di consegnare, ai fini di ricerca scientifica, un campione della sua produzione letteraria.
Lo scrittore inizia a esaminare il suo archivio personale, cercando qualcosa di adatto. Si immerge nei ricordi e in manoscritti mai pubblicati, tra cui quello contenuto nella "Cartella Blu", il suo lavoro più caro e segreto, scritto per essere tenuto nel cassetto. Si tratta di "Brutti cigni", un romanzo che i fratelli Strugatskij avevano scritto a metà degli anni '60 e che ha ad oggetto lo scontro tra generazioni. I capitoli si alternano, per quella che è una vera e propria storia nella storia.
La valutazione dello Stato sui manoscritti è condotta con criteri "scientifici", con l'ausilio cioè di un calcolatore in grado di misurare il talento letterario dell'autore. Le prove si svolgono presso l'Istituto di ricerca linguistica dell'Accademia delle Scienze dell'URSS. L'apparecchiatura si chiama NPLT, acronimo che sta per Numero Probabile di Lettori del Testo (quindi, offre un giudizio tutt'altro che oggettivo sul valore artistico del testo...). Uno degli scienziati, un personaggio misterioso, assume le sembianze e il nome di Michail Afanas'evič (Bulgakov), lo scrittore preferito di Sorokin, e gli rivela...
July 26, 2020
Thanks to Edelweiss for the digital ARC! A fabulous entry into the post-Soviet literature genre, this translation is excellent. You probably need to be in the right mood for this one, so take your time and let the prose sink in for optimal effect.
June 24, 2022
Ugly Swans is infinitely better than Lame Fate
October 19, 2020
The Strugatsky novels uphold the Russian stereotype as hard-drinking, always smoking, argumentative so-and-so's. This book is no exception. The two interwoven tales feature middling-successful writers past their prime struggling with bureaucracy and unreasoning and non-sensical authority. At the center of Lame Fate is a mysterious machine that reveals the objective value of any written material. In Ugly Swans, it is the clammies, a set of people beset with a genetic disorder who survive on reading material and have an inexplicable draw on the local children. Part comedy, part philosophical discussions, the appeal of these stories derive more from the tale of their underground circulation decades ago.
January 30, 2021
My favorite sci-fi novelists... and this is among their best that I’ve read. Here’s hoping more translations crop up in years to come. Magnificent translation work in this edition.
May 7, 2022
"You have to hate somebody," said Diana. "Some places they hate Jews, other places it's black people, and in our town we hate clammies."
Two stories, so different, that work together so well. One is about an old writer that needs to present a new work to the Government to evaluate his (or it) objective value. Other is about a father that sees his daughter, together with all the teenagers, influenced by outcasts called the clammies, to build a future different from his world. The author(s) does not focus on the world building, but into the carachters, making this book one amazing read. We never quite get all that is happening, because what really matters is what happen to their carachters.
We can call this genre as Science Fiction, but could also be a speculative reality that is very grounded. And what adds the final layer of interest on this book is to know its long story until it is published. Lame Fate only seems possible in the pre-Perestroika considering the Soviet context and that was the ideal timing to be pushed through, and Ugly Swans is an old book that was recovered, even though never published some illegal copies were circulating, to be the novel mentioned in the other story. And how it all blend so well.
Two stories, so different, that work together so well. One is about an old writer that needs to present a new work to the Government to evaluate his (or it) objective value. Other is about a father that sees his daughter, together with all the teenagers, influenced by outcasts called the clammies, to build a future different from his world. The author(s) does not focus on the world building, but into the carachters, making this book one amazing read. We never quite get all that is happening, because what really matters is what happen to their carachters.
We can call this genre as Science Fiction, but could also be a speculative reality that is very grounded. And what adds the final layer of interest on this book is to know its long story until it is published. Lame Fate only seems possible in the pre-Perestroika considering the Soviet context and that was the ideal timing to be pushed through, and Ugly Swans is an old book that was recovered, even though never published some illegal copies were circulating, to be the novel mentioned in the other story. And how it all blend so well.
January 10, 2025
This Strugatsky novel wasn’t too bad, but it’s rather peculiar how it was originally published as two separate books, but much being coupled together as one. There are a few references here and there over the connection of the two material, but personally I found “The Ugly Swans” narrative and characters a lot more compelling than the ones in “Lame Fate”. The themes in the former is intriguing and I speculate that the leprosarium in Ugly Swans could be an allegory for the Berlin Wall, nevertheless I found the character Felix Sorokin to be sympathetic to all his misadventures.
Not really my favorite Strugatsky work, but to echo the comment of the writing drunkard Victor Banev, “Comme Ci, Comme Ca…”
6.5/10
Not really my favorite Strugatsky work, but to echo the comment of the writing drunkard Victor Banev, “Comme Ci, Comme Ca…”
6.5/10
August 13, 2024
It took me a little to come to a conclusion on how to write this review but here I am. This book tells a story in a way I’ve seen very few try. In it we get to fully understand the protagonists. Their minds will wander during conversation and you’ll get pulled back into it later often confused at the time. It adds to the realism, despite the setting and situation, and when you compound that with the struggles of the charachter, it’s beautiful. The way this books explores its themes and concludes both of the stories is one that gives so much satisfaction. I started reading this book as a result of having read “Roadside Picnic” and I might have found some of my favorite authors now.
July 17, 2023
"You can only stretch something out for miles if you're entirely indifferent to it"
"Nothing like a betrayal to make you feel more grown-up"
"Do you swear to keep thinking about your city, to never stop inventing it until you become completely demented, and perhaps even after that?"
"Nothing like a betrayal to make you feel more grown-up"
"Do you swear to keep thinking about your city, to never stop inventing it until you become completely demented, and perhaps even after that?"
April 6, 2025
Two works intertwined in one publication. Ugly Swans was the more interesting of the two. The writing is very good, but the slow pace made it a bit of a slog to get through. I'm glad I read it, but also happy to have finally finished it.
July 22, 2022
Two brilliantly clever novels nested in one.
January 13, 2025
Story within a story and lots of jumping around between the two, but if you can keep everything straight, it’s worth a read.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews