Mylima moteris

by Andreï Makine, Akvilė Melkūnaitė (Translator)

Jekaterina Didžioji – kas ji? Kokia ji buvo iš tikrųjų? Klastinga valdovė su nimfomaniškais polinkiais? Vienvaldė imperatorė, skelbusi apie savo respublikonišką sielą? Iškili moteris, bendraujanti su filosofais ir rašytojais, su mistikais ir avantiūristais?

Jauną kino režisierių Olegą Erdmaną užvaldė aistra – įminti Jekaterinos paslaptį. Jos gyvenimas nesunkiai virstų istorine kino drama, kuriai nestigtų medžiagos: meilužiai, nuotykiai, išdavystės, kerštas, žmogžudystė... Bet Olegas nori giliai įsiskverbti į imperatorės gyvenimą ir suprasti, ar ją kas nors mylėjo iš tikrųjų, ją apginti, nubraukti per amžius jai lipdytas darkančias klišes, nuplėšti baimės, neapykantos ir pavydo uždėtą kaukę.

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Russia, French Literature, France

280 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Andreï Makine was born in Krasnoyarsk, Soviet Union on 10 September 1957 and grew up in city of Penza, a provincial town about 440 miles south-east of Moscow. As a boy, having acquired familiarity with France and its language from his French-born grandmother (it is not certain whether Makine had a French grandmother; in later interviews he claimed to have learnt French from a friend), he wrote poems in both French and his native Russian.

In 1987, he went to France as member of teacher's exchange program and decided to stay. He was granted political asylum and was determined to make a living as a writer in French. However, Makine had to present his first manuscripts as translations from Russian to overcome publishers' skepticism that a newly arrived exile could write so fluently in a second language. After disappointing reactions to his first two novels, it took eight months to find a publisher for his fourth, Le testament français. Finally published in 1995 in France, the novel became the first in history to win both the Prix Goncourt and the Prix Medicis plus the Goncourt des Lycéens.

Reviews

[Hugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fascinating novel of ideas from Makine, who is one of my favourite writers. This one is something of a departure from most of his books in that does not read like a memoir, and is told in the third person.

The central character is Oleg Erdmann, a Russian film maker with German ancestry. The first part of the book takes place towards the end of the Brezhnev era, as Erdmann is writing a film based on the life of Catherine the Great. The project is compromised by interference from the Soviet authorities, and is taken on by another director who imposes his own ideas. The second half of the book is set during Yeltsin's presidency, and sees Erdmann recruited by a former friend, now a minor oligarch, who wants to turn Catherine's life into a salacious TV series.

As always with Makine the book is full of revelatory detail, and interesting ideas - in this case mostly about the nature of history and the way it is twisted to suit the prevailing powers. Like Erdmann's projects, Makine struggles to get beyond the cliched views of the facts of Catherine's life. An interesting book, but probably not the best place to start with Makine.

[Kuszma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Először is rá kellett jönnöm, hogy ez nem egy történelmi regény. Igaz ugyan, hogy Nagy Katalin cárnő központi szerepet tölt be benne, és tenger vele kapcsolatos anekdota elmesélésre kerül (naná, hogy szaftosak - mi értelme egy Nagy Katalinról szóló könyvek, ha nincsenek benne szaftos anekdoták?), de ezek nem állnak össze történelmi elbeszéléssé, ráadásul ahogy egy Makine-szereplő elregél egyet, rögvest előugrik a bokorból egy másik, hogy elbizonytalanítson minket annak hitelessége felől. De pont egy a lényeg: a történelem képlékenysége. Hogy szegény Oleg, aki bele van pistulva a Nagy Katalin-sztoriba, hogyan igyekszik forgatókönyvvé alakítani egy olyan masszát, ami méretéből és halmazállapotából fakadóan is megfoghatatlan. Ilyen értelemben pedig ez sokkal inkább művészregény: egy alkotó birkózása a témával (sőt: "a Témával"), ami folyton új és új alakot ölt, változik, gyanúsan szinkronban azzal, ahogy az alkotó pillanatnyi élethelyzete és az őt körülvevő világ.


(Oroszország előre megy, nem hátra, mutatja is a cárnő, hogy épp merre.)

És ezen a ponton jön az újabb reveláció: hogy ez mégis egy történelmi regény. Csak épp nem Nagy Katalinról, hanem a Szovjetunió felbomlásáról. Makine a '80-as években kezdi, bemutatja a kommunista rezsimet, ami agonizál ugyan, de ezt még nem hajlandó észrevenni. ("Alzheimer elvtárs már a pártbizottságban ül.") Van még ereje packázni, megkeseríteni a forgatókönyvírók életét. Ám Nyugatról új szelek támadnak, a rendszer szétesik, Leningrádból egyszer csak Szentpétervár lesz, Oroszhonba pedig beszökik a kapitalizmus - illetve annak Oroszhonra installált mostohatestvére, a vadkapitalizmus. Az új idők új ragadozókat szülnek, hatalmas terepjárókban feszítő maffiózókat feltöltött szájú babákkal*. A művész eddig az ideológiával harcolt, most egy másik ellenféllel kell szembenéznie: a haszonelvűséggel. Ebben a világban ha a néző arra vágyik, hogy Nagy Katalin lovakkal közösüljön, akkor Nagy Katalinnak, tetszik vagy sem, lovakkal kell közösülnie. (A lovat se kérdezik meg.) Az ideológia legalább ismerős antagonista volt, a nagy gyürkőzésben szinte megkedvelték egymást- a pénz, a nézettségi mutatók világa viszont új mocsár. Hiába húz gumicsizmát a lelkiismeret, tökig besározódik.

* És persze ott van a csúcsragadozó, az állam, aki bármikor ráteheti a kezét bárki terepjárójára, sőt, a feltöltött szájú macára is.

[Elena Sala · Rating 4 out of 5]

A WOMAN LOVED (first published in 2013). A young screen writer called Oleg Erdmann wishes to recreate the life of Catherine the Great (1729-1796), empress of Russia. Catherine was a young German princess who had been sent to Russia to marry Peter III. Peter was never really interested in her (it seems he was very fond of playing with his tin soldiers even after they married). Peter was later assassinated (by Catherine's lovers) and she rose to power. Throughout history, Catherine has been famously represented as a sort of nymphomanic but Oleg wants to present the real woman, not a depraved caricature obsessed with men. He imagined her as a lonely woman, silently craving for love and tenderness. He wanted to show her achievements, her intelligence, what a remarkable woman she had been.

This novel requires a patient reader, or rather, the first part requires some patience. The novel dwells at length on the pitfalls of the creative process, the doubts, the difficulties posed by commercial expectations and, of course, the political agendas of the time.

A WOMAN LOVED begins before the collapse of the Soviet Union. Oleg has to bear serious constraints to get his film done. State-sponsored art is extremely crippling. He can't direct it himself, he can only play second fiddle. And then, unexpectedly, before the film is finished, the Soviet Union collapses. He loses his job and must return home. Russian society now embraces capitalism with a vengeance. We witness the rise of the oligarchs, lots of corruption and a surprising renewed interest in Oleg's film about Catherine from an old acquaintance who, all of a sudden, has become very rich dabbling with several kinds of business opportunities.

This businessman wants a different Catherine, though, because he needs a lot of rating for his TV series. He wants a debauched Catherine, a woman with unquenchable sexual appetite who has sex with one or two men at a time, even with a horse. Lots of sex, almost porn: this will guarantee the success of his investment. Oleg learns how crippling commercial constraints can be too. This version of Catherine is not at all what Oleg had in mind.

A WOMAN LOVED explores how art becomes just one more tool of ideology, whether under a communist regime or under flourishing capitalism. It is also a novel about the creative process and how the most pure endeavors to bring art to life can be doomed from the start.

[Adriana Costin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Partea interesantă a acestui roman este faptul că prezintă realizarea unei producții cinematografice despre, nimeni alta, decât Ecaterina a II-a a Rusiei . Modul de scriere al lui Makine este cu totul rafinat.

[Kseniya Melnik · Rating 5 out of 5]

Andrei Makine is a master of condensing the great tragic and absurd tableaux of history to such arresting visual detail that I feel I have lived it all myself. In this new novel, a Soviet screenwriter named Oleg Erdmann spends decades writing and researching the life of one of Russia's most enigmatic personages, Catherine the Great. Meanwhile, Russia, as he knows it, changes and then ceases to exist. Through Erdmann's obsession Makine brings to life Catherine the tsarina and Catherine the woman. Even more brilliantly, Makine portrays the life of an artistic mind passionately engaged with its subject as drama on par with battle scenes or coups d'état. Both intimate and epic in scope, "A Woman Loved" is a singular, breathtaking novel.

[Stela · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nu știam nimic despre Ecaterina cea Mare, în afară de faptul că a existat. Foarte interesantă abordarea lui Makine, un exemplu perfect de metaficțiune istorică: figura Ecaterinei este abordată și interpretată din mai multe perspective: a ideologiei comuniste, cu stereotipiile și limbajul ei de lemn, a consumerismului capitalist cu goana după senzațional și sex, a actorilor care se identifică mai mult sau mai puțin cu personajul, și în fine a regizorilor și a biografilor care încearcă să împace ideologia și gustul public cu propria ambiție creatoare, visînd la marea scenă care va opri inexorabila alunecare spre kitsch.

Iar din alternanța trecut - prezent, fiecare cu ororile lui, transpare adevărul acela atît de adevărat că a devenit el însuși clișeu: că trecutul n-a avut niciodată un rol educativ, chiar dacă că istoria se repetă.

[Paul Fulcher · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Oleg Erdmann turns a pocket mirror over and over in his hand. The back is made of black leather: the dark alcove. The glass: the salon where the Empress receives visitors.

The reflection cuts into segments the cramped room where he lives: a sofa, an old wardrobe, shelves groaning under the weight of books. On the work table a typewriter's metallic grin. Three leaves of paper, with sheets of carbon paper between them - the text of his ....

Of my utter madness he says to himself, anticipating the judgement that will be passed on his screenplay. The worst would be simple contempt. 'So, young man, you've been browsing through a few pamphlets about the life of Catherine II, have you?'"

This is the 13th of Andrei Makine's novels to be translated into English, and the 13th I have read.

Makine's writing, as rendered into English by the excellent Geoffrey Strachan, is amongst the most beautifully lyrical I have encountered, and reading his books is always a pleasure. Indeed I often read them more slowly than I would normally read, savouring the sumptuous prose, which can indeed be a little much in large doses.

But the one criticism would be that many of the books blend into one another, with the same mix of east-meets-west (particularly France and Russia, echoing Makine’s own journey), and dream-like remembered loves from his debut novel Dreams of My Russian Summers.

In that regard, A Women Loved feels much more of a thematic and even stylistic departure.

Oleg Erdmann is a film director in late-Soviet era Russia, from a family of ethnic Germans that moved to Russia at the time of Catherine the Great: as his late father often laments: "All this on account of that little Princess who decided to come to Russia..."

He undertakes a project to make a film of the life of Catherine the Great, but the intervention of the censors of S.C.C.A. means he loses full control of the final version, which doesn’t achieve what he wanted it to.

The East German actress playing the elder Catherine tells him: "As you know, it's the same old story; on one side of the Berlin Wall the censorship is political, on the other side it's financial.

Then, in the post-Soviet Yeltsin era he experiences this himself, as his artistic vision morphs, in part at the instigation of an old friend but in reality due to the money involved, into an oligarch-sponsored bonk-buster TV mini-series (think The Tudors but with even more artistic licence on historic truth and much more sex), although Oleg tries to include more artistic truths amidst the titillating rape scenes.

In the old days we had to hoodwink our beloved Soviet censors in order to introduce dissident ideas into a film. These days the censorship is commercial. Use our old methods. This series is meant to entertained the masses, but you can always find a moment to express what seems to you to be an essential truth. It's even more exciting than our battles with the S.C.C.A., do you remember that?

The one glaring problem with this book as that large parts of it are made up of brief cinematic glimpses ("history: a gory animated cartoon, in black and red") of familiar scenes from Catherine’s life and from the version in the film and TV series, including all the old favourites (the stallion etc).

These are interesting – Catherine is a fascinating character – but as the opening quote worries, it has been done better elsewhere in fiction and non-fiction.

Erdmann himself admits:

"His script did, in fact, reiterate all the clichés: a Tsarina both enlightened and despotic, a feminist in advance of her time and a nymphomaniac, a friend of the philosophers but hostile to the revolutionary fruits of their ideas."

Unfortunately this is true of much of the novel as well – acknowledging something is a cliché doesn’t make it any less of a one if you repeat it.

The narrative of the post-Soviet era world, contains its moments of poetry, particularly when describing the solidarity of those left behind in the grab for wealth:

These comradely actions recall the collective lives of the older days, though Oleg always detested their poverty. What he is experiencing now is the lingering echo of that life: the humble, patient, solidarity of the losers.

But this is not a world where the author himself lived, and other Goodreaders have suggested his portrayal of Russia is not particularly insightful. Certainly his tale of unbridled crony capitalism is rather clichéd, full of sinister oligarchs with silicone enhanced teenage nymphets, orgies of conspicuous consumption, and gangs of thugs intimidating or even assassinating rivals.

Between all of this, there are some genuinely moving observations on Erdmann’s own family history and what they suffered “on account of that little Princess who decided to come to Russia” particularly when Germany and Russia went to war.

Makine does acknowledge the theatrical nature of history as it is told in books, plays and films:

If History can be acted out this way, does it have the weighty import that is attributed to it? Perhaps it is no more than a stage set, one upon which wars, conspiracies, dramas of love, the marriages of tsars, and the fading of glory are all played out.
[...]
I've studied the language Catherine uses ... What's astounding is how often she used the word 'theatre'. For her everything was theatre: diplomacy, wars, the airs and graces of her courtiers ... And even love. A Drama acted out by her lovers.

Makine’s real point is that all the accounts of Catherine in the history books give us no real insight into the person herself:

It is the Tsarina entombed on her sarcophagus of words of whom we are truly ignorant, for not one of these volumes captures the freshness of a winter's morning as Catherine one day lived it.

And Erdmann’s ultimate quest, both in Catherine the Great’s life story, but also his own personal life, is true love, where the lover seeks no material gain. In Catherine’s case Erdmann identifies this with Alexander Lanskoy, the only one of the anointed lovers who sought no material gain or power, and he hypothesis that the lovers planned secret journey across Europe to Italy, to escape at least temporarily from the strains of power, one he himself recreates with his own true love at the novel’s end.

“A moment to express an essential truth ... Oleg pictures it with great simplicity: a light night at the start of Summer, a road leading out of St Petersburg, the silhouettes of two riders, the dull sounds of horses' hooves.“

Overall, Makine is always worth reading. However, the most successful parts of this novel are those that are more classically Makine, operating at the level of personal loves and losses, whereas the meta-story of the film of Catherine the Great’s life and, particularly, the portrayal of post-Soviet Russia are much less compelling. I would therefore point anyone new to Makine elsewhere, e.g. to Dreams of My Russian Summers, as a starting point.

[Vygandas Ostrauskis · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5/5
Po to, kai perskaičiau šio autoriaus romaną „Prancūziškas testamentas“, – mano supratimu, tikrai ne veltui apdovanotą keliomis premijomis, – vis laukdavau naujos jo knygos. Deja, tik „Moteris, kuri laukė“ tenkino mano lūkesčius ir susidariau įspūdį, kad pirmasis ir buvo geriausias A. Makine romanas, atvėręs kelią į Prancūzijos akademiją, kurios nariais yra buvę labai iškilūs rašytojai.

Perskaitęs naująjį romaną „Mylima moteris“, deja, negaliu teigti, kad autorius palypėjo į naujas aukštumas. Romanas įdomus, labai kinematografiškas, bet... Kad daugoka publicistikos, suvokiau jau pačioje romano pradžioje, o viduryje nebeapleido mintis, kad ne tik publicistikos jame per daug, bet ir žurnalistinio stiliaus.

Romano herojus – meno žmogus, bandantis suvokti Jekaterinos II, – savo laiko iškilios ir prieštaringos neeilinės, – asmenybės fenomeną, pamatyti joje tai, ko dar kiti nematė, o tada įkūnyti kino filmo scenarijuje. Lygiagrečiai autorius sprendžia savo herojų identiteto ir tapatybės problemas, susijusias su giminių istorijomis. Tai nestebina, žinant, kad autorius – prancūzas, pirmus savo 31-vienerius metus gyvenęs Rusijoje. Tad ir romane tiek Jekaterina II, vokietaitė, tapusi Rusijos imperatore, tiek pagrindinis romano veikėjas Olegas Erdmanas (vokiškos kilmės, kurio protėvis Jekaterinos laikais atvyko į Rusiją) savaip pergyvena panašias problemas.
Be abejo, didžiausias dėmesys skiriamas Jekaterinai antrajai – moteriai (pirmiausia!), kuri savo memuaruose rašė: „Tikroji mano gyvenimo blogybė – kad mano širdis negali nė akimirkos gyventi nemylėdama“. Jos meilė (labiau vadinčiau aistra, geiduliu) labai savotiška ir beveik tragiška – juk nė vienas iš daugybės meilužių jos nemylėjo, siekė tik naudos...
Olegas liguistai uoliai, tarsi apimtas priklausomybės, tyrinėja Jekaterinos gyvenimą. Ji ir nimfomanė feministė, ir sugebanti bendrauti su šviesiausias to meto Europos protais (Volteras, Didro, Ruso), ir despotiška valdovė, ir kūrėja (parašė kelias pjeses).
Įdomus autoriaus sprendimas, kai Olegas įsimyli Jekaterinos vaidmens atlikėją Diną – nes taip prisirišus prie Jekaterinos, negali nesužavėti jos jaunystę vaidinanti gražutė aktorė. Autorius piešia prieštaringą, tarsi rusiški kalneliai ir nuokalnės, Olego paveikslą: beprotį, kokį tūkstantąjį kartą vartantį dulkėtas knygas apie Jekateriną, ir ieškantį žodžio, kurios skambesys primintų kanopų bildesį naktiniame kelyje, kai Jekaterina išsiskiria su pirmuoju savo mylimuoju. Jis tiki, kad imperatorė svajojo (ne tik svajojo, bet ir planavo) palikti savo sostą ir iškeliauti su vyriškiu, kurį myli, Italijon. Juk mirus šiam mylimajam, pas jį buvo rasta daug pinigų, vartojamų Lenkijoje, Vokietijoje, Italijoje, netgi žemėlapiai...
Bet asmeniniame gyvenime Olegas skystablauzdis: ne jis meta meilužes, o jos jį palieka. Nes jis nors ir kūrybiškas, bet kaip vyriškis – bodėtis savimi skatinantis.

Romane pateikta daug faktų iš Rusijos istorijos, bet kažko ypatingai naujo – nesužinojau. Įdomus vokiečių aktorės, pakviestos vaidinti senstančią imperatorę, paveikslas, bet manęs neįtikino, kad ji turi tiek daug žinių iš Rusijos istorijos, neįtikino ir kiti, su ja susiję dalykai.

Ilgai tenka skaityti, kad suprastum, kas ji, ta mylima moteris, dvejotum – negi tai Jekaterina? Neatskleisiu paslapties... O knygos pavadinimas? Jis paradoksalus, ir tiek.

Teatleidžia man tas žmogus, kuris knygos anotacijoje parašė, kad tai „didingas romanas“ – aš, deja, to nepajėgiau suvokti... Per daug jame publicistikos ir padrikumo. Pliusas – ši knyga apie moters likimo absurdą. Tokių knygų nedaug.
„Vyras mylimos moters žvilgsnyje“ – grakšti romano pabaiga. Bet ar mylinčios? – kiekvienas skaitytojas atsakys savaip.

P.S. Perskaitęs romaną pajutau, kad man kažkodėl atmintyje įstrigo epizodinis istoriko eksperto Lurjė paveikslas – kaip jis diplomatiškai gudriai sugebėjo apginti prieš autoritetingą komisiją Olego scenarijų – tikras aukštasis pilotažas! – atrodė, kad jis taršo kūrinį, bet iš tiesų sugebėjo sureikšmindamas klaideles, nukreipti komisijos dėmesį nuo politiškai rizikingų dalykų. Dar po kiek laiko suvokiau, kad visai jis ne epizodinis veikėjas, o net labai svarbus (kur kas svarbesnis už tuos, kuriems romane skirta žymiai daugiau vietos).

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an absolutely majestic read! If you have the patience to move past the fog of the first hundred pages, you will be generously rewarded. After that, the story could have finished after every chapter without leaving the reader dissatisfied, but with every turn, you find yourself in a new, surprising yet logical continuation of events. Perspectives shift, the period changes, politics change, contrasts become more apparent, blurred lines leave room to artfully depicted snapshots and panning, words and imagery are masterfully employed. In the end, kindness triumphs over hypocrisy, love replaces obsession, humanity rises above the filth of politics and the male gaze finally shifts to the gaze of a woman loved.

[Vanessa · Rating 4 out of 5]

As others have noted, this is a slim novel about a Russian screenwriter/director who is obsessed with telling the story of Catherine the Great. (And perhaps also with finding his own Catherine, after a fashion.) Told in episodic form, the novel focuses on his two attempts to capture her on film. First, under the Soviet regime, he is part of the making of an epic film on Catherine and second, after the fall of the USSR, he tries his hand at creating a lurid television show depicting her life and loves. Throughout these processes, Oleg struggles with the fundamental questions of what is the truth of Catherine's life he is trying to capture, and how can one know, and depict, another human life through art. It took me a while to warm up to this one, but Oleg's searches for Catherine - and whatever she might embody- were ultimately quite poignant and lovely. Ultimately, the book ends on a beautiful, hopeful note of what it means to have human love.

[Ilona · Rating 4 out of 5]

Šiek tiek Jekaterinos II gyvenimo faktų ir jų vertinimo skirtingų laikmečių akimis, šiek tiek carinės, sovietinės ir post-sovietinės tikrovės. Štrichai, fragmentai, šuoliai per amžius ir valstybes, romantiški intarpai. Eklektika, kurią būtų sunku perbristi, jeigu ne autoriaus nuoširdi pagarba, atjauta personažams. K. S. Jekaterina I galėtų pavydėti.

[Cherise Wolas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Set during Brezhnev's Russia, a fledgling director, Oleg Erdmann, sets out to create a biopic about Catherine the Great. Oleg, in the Russian literature tradition of the melancholy fantasist, lives in a tenement among drunken neighbors and a has day job in the Leningrad abattoir. Based in reality - when the Russian state film studios disintegrated, and the world of television comes in and tell-all historical biopics became immensely popular, Oleg has his chance.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first novel by Andrei Makine I have read but it won't be the last. This is a wonderful imaginative meditation on everything from film making, power and Catherine the Great. It is both moving and funny. A remarkable indeed a beautiful, novel. Is the Catherine the Great of the novel the Catherine the Great of history? Probably not but she is not the punch line of a dirty joke either. Makine writes about love and his Catherine and her lovers and even her idiot husband are people who, if only moment find love in each other before searching for it elsewhere. There is no harm in humanising histories giants or the punch lines to dirty jokes. There is always more truth then that is allowed by scurillous gossips, particularly the venemous and misogynistic gossips of that time. One should always remember that Catherine was a woman, a powerful woman in a male dominated world.

A fine and interesting novel which while not bound by fact allows its imagination to tell fictions that reveal truth.

By the Andrei Makine is another author who challenges my simplistic shelving categories. He was born and grew up in Russia and no doubt considers himself Russian, but he writes in French. So are his novels French or Russian literature? I have shelved them as both - any alternate suggestions?

[Baris Balcioglu · Rating 3 out of 5]

C'était le premier roman que j'ai lu de Makine et je pense ce n'est pas le meilleur parmi lesquels il as déjà écrit. C'est intéressant que à cause de sa grand-mère française il peut écrire en cette langue même si il est de Sibérie et j'ai du prendre la dictionnaire beaucoup plus de temps que j'avais prévu. Peut-être ça indique la richesse de vocabulaire d'auteur. Dans ce romans presque tous les gens (indépendamment de ses carriers) sont très informés sur les détails de la vie de Catherine la grande. Ce n'apparaît pas réaliste. Je comprends que il a écrit un genre d'un roman avec une thèse mais encore.. En plus, pourquoi pas lire une biographie directement au milieu de ce roman ? La vie de Catherine est tellement captivante. Des rapides changements épreuves en Russie après la chute du mur de Berlin, je trouve ces parties pas assez profonds aussi.

[Aurélia · Rating 1 out of 5]

J'ai abandonné ma lecture après avoir vaillamment tenu plus de la moitié du livre. Mais c'était une lecture que je trainais, qui ne m'a pas intéressée du tout, je n'étais pas emportée, l'écriture était poussive et trop elliptique. Bref, une grosse déception parce que j'en attendais beaucoup, pouvoir découvrir le destin de Catherine II de Russie, qui fit tant pour cet immense pays.
J'ai fini par refermer le livre, et l'oublier dans le gîte où je logeais.

[Ingrid · Rating 1 out of 5]

Makine's dreamlike, painterly prose is certainly present here (once again translated by Geoffrey Strachan), but the story he uses it to tell is simply unenjoyable. The setting is quite bleak, the characters oddly flat, and there are way too many convenient coincidences that are obviously contrived to get the plot where it needs to be. I also did not enjoy Makine's depiction of a nymphomaniac Catherine the Great, especially after reading an actual history on her.

[Sabine Webb · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of my favorite authors, but this book does not come close to Dreams of my Russian summers. I do not feel the Russian spirit in this book. it seems repetitive and not as keenly observed as in his other book.

[Bibliotraveller · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Oleg își dă seama ca dragostea poate să însemne si această duioșie ocrotitoare, care suspendă durerea, care face esențial licărul zăpezii venind dinspre fereastră pana la această mână de femeie, ale cărei degete zvâcnesc prin somn. (...) Un bărbat în privirea unei femei iubite"

[Jolanta Misė · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pirmus puslapius skaitydama norėjau mest ir imtis ko nors kito, bet po truputį romano pasakojimas vis giliau įtraukė, darėsi vis įdomesnis, nes veiksmas ne vien tik apie imperatorę, bet ir apie dabartį - tokią panašią į praeitį.

[Julie Caroline]

Entretien :  La Grande Table, 3 janvier 2013 avec Andreï Makine

[Greta Kora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Istorinis romanas. Tikriausiai apie jį pagalvoję visi susidarytume daugmaž panašų vaizdinį. Tikėtumėmės pasakojimo apie garsią istorinę asmenybę jos epochoje. Dvarų aplinką, intrigas, kovą dėl valdžios, nemylinčius ir nemylimus sutuoktinius, įpėdinystės problemas. Tačiau jei norėtumėte kitokio, tam tikra prasme netradicinio istorinio romano, galite paieškoti Andreï Makine “Mylima moteris”.
Vėlyvieji Sovietų Sąjungos gyvavimo laikai, tuometis Leningradas. Vokiečių kilmės jaunas nuskurdęs režisierius Olegas Erdmanas svajoja apie nevaržomą kūrybą. Jo įkvėpimo šaltinis - Rusijos valdovė Jekaterina Didžioji. Apie ją išlikusių istorinių šaltinių turinį Olegas žino beveik mintinai - įspūdingas meilužių skaičius, nuo suokalbininkų rankų žuvę konkurentai - vyras, kurio dėka ji pati tapo valdove, pusę gyvenimo kalintas kitas įpėdinis… O šalia - politika, intrigos, karai, valstybių užgrobimai. Bet kur tikroji asmenybė? Ar ji kažkada taip pat mylėjo, buvo kažkieno mylima moteris?
Bandydamas atskleisti šį savo gyvenimo klausimą, Olegas žengia per sovietmečio griūtį, nepriklausomybės pradžios chaosą, nevaržomą laisvėjimo ir stiprių įspūdžių ieškojimo laikotarpį. Lygiagrečiai, jis tyrinėja, kalba apie Jekaterinos gyvenimą, - su draugais, žiūrovais, režisieriais, aktoriais - ir žinoma, skaitytoju, ieško jame istorijos amžininkų nutylėtos prasmės.
Šios dvi savotiškos persipynę istorijos skaitytojui pateikiamos dabartinėje literatūroje gan neįprastu būdu. Čia nėra dviejų paralelinių siužetinių linijų, ar šokinėjimo per skirtingus istorinius laikotarpius. Tiek Olego, tiek Jekaterinos istorija pateikiama išvien: apie carienę kalbama prie vakarienės stalo, kino studijoje, komunaliniame bute - tai tarsi “pasakojimas pasakojime”. Romano pradžioje maniau, kad toks kūrinio stilius sunkins skaitymą, bet turinys pasirodė tikrai įdomus, todėl skaitėsi greitai ir pakankamai lengvai. Vis dėlto, turiu įspėti, mėgstantiems konkretų pasakojimą gali būti gan sudėtinga - netgi dabar man atrodo sunku išreikšti apčiuopiamą romano veiksmą. Tačiau ši knyga man buvo savotiškas formos atradimas - supratau, kad išskirtines istorijas galima pasakoti ir taip, interaktyviai.
Įdomu, kaip per personažo gyvenimą ir sutinkamus žmones autorius geba perteikti tuometę epochą - Sovietų Sąjungos žlugimą ir gyvenimo realybę - valstybės griūtį, pinigų pokytį, skurdą, turčių atsiradimą, nusikalstamumą, masinį besaikį pinigų, naujų įspūdžių, malonumų ieškojimą, begalinę tuštybę, o tuo pačiu norą nuo viso to atsiriboti ir patekti į “tikruosius vakarus”. Pasakojime sukuriama švelni nuolatinė nostalgijos atmosfera - lyginama, nuo ko viskas prasidėjo ir kuo baigėsi, kaip yra ir kaip galėjo būti. Herojus prisimena savo vaikystę, vėl ir vėl grįžta į Jekaterinos gyvenimą - vaizduojama keista ir savotiška dviejų gyvenimų paralelė, įvykusi “tik dėl vokiečių kunigaikštytės, kuri nusprendė atvažiuoti į Rusiją”.
Susumuojant, įspūdis liko ir mintis sužadino. Romaną vertinu stipriomis keturiomis žvaigždutėmis iš penkių. Rekomenduoju istorijos mėgėjams, visiems, ką domina tikroviška posovietmečio atmosfera, o taip pat tiems, kurie ieško istorijos apie du savotiškus atskalūnus skirtingais istorijos laikmečiais.

[MAGGY · Rating 3 out of 5]

✍️ ANDREI MAKINE
💬 UNE FEMME AIMÉE
🏠 SEUIL
📚 384 Pages
📆 2013
📈 3,5/5

🎥 Je découvre Catherine, petite princesse Allemande et grande impératrice de Russie grâce à cette biographie assez originale mais quelque peu brouillonne et souvent redondante. Vous allez comprendre…

🎥 L’auteur met en scène Oleg, cinéaste Russe d’origine Allemande qui souhaite réaliser un film sur La Grande Catherine morte deux siècles plus tôt. L’occasion pour lui de nous faire découvrir ce personnage à travers la genèse de ce film.

🎥 Corrections, relectures, critiques, scripts, tournage, montage, jeux d’acteurs, discussions avec les producteurs, des historiens… tout est prétexte à nous en apprendre davantage sur cette femme hors du commun.

🎥 Au delà du personnage, l’auteur pointe du doigt les biographes, les scénaristes, les politiques qui s’arrangent parfois avec les vérités pour la gloire, l’audience, selon la politique du régime en place ou tout simplement par manque d’informations. Comment traitons nous les informations?
 
🎥 L’ouverture du roman, et donc du film de Oleg, est vraiment très réussie je trouve : un jeu de miroir qui se soulève et se rabaisse continuellement, à la manière des diapositives pour nous dévoiler diverses scènes, diverses époques sans autre transition que son mouvement.

🎥 Je ne sais pas si le but du livre est de rendre Catherine plus humaine, plus aimante ou s’il s’agit juste d’une satyre mais dans un cas comme dans l’autre, Catherine n’en ressort pas comme une femme aimée à mes yeux mais j’ai beaucoup aimé les références historiques de son époque.

🎥 J’aimerais approfondir le sujet. Avez vous une autre biographie de Catherine à me recommander? Aussi j’ai vu qu’il existait des mini séries mais je ne sais pas où les trouver.
 
#allemagne #russie #pologne #regicide #imperatrice #catherinelagrande #biographie #revolution #urss #cinema #historiographie
 
#unefemmeaimee
#andreimakine
#seuil @seuileditions
#editionspoints @editionspoints
 
#livreaddict #book #livre #avislecture #instabook #chroniquelitteraire #bookaddict #ilovebooks #lirecestlavie #bookaddict #booklover #bookstagram

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

In 300 pages this novel presents a sweeping picture of the complexity or Russian history through the device of a screenwriter producing a script for a film about Catherine the Great. Oleg in early 1980's Soviet Russia , as Brezhnev is on his death bed presents a rambling film idea to the soviet committee who approve film production. Despite his girlfriends mocking of his rambling obsession the film gets made by an esoteric director mirroring the works of Tarkovsky while Oleg assists until he is summarily dismissed.
Skip forward to post wall 1990's when an old friend benefitting from the opportunity to acquire money after the fall of communism asks Oleg to help him make a dramatically different and raunchy TV series on the great Tsar.
Interspersed with this is the telling of Catherine's life and loves which is makes any telling on the screen seem tame.
A read which as it touches on the expansion of Russia in the late 18th century and the fall of the Soviet empire made for much reflection as the world's attention is focussed on Russian military brutality and force in it's annexation of Ukraine.

[Yana · Rating 2 out of 5]

J'avais adoré l'archipel d'une autre vie, et mes attentes étaient sans doute trop hautes au départ pour apprécier celui-ci.
Ici les interogations individuelles de différents personnages sont confrontées à la vie de l'impératrice Russe qui a tenté de combler sa solitude en distribuant (trop) généreusement son amour et sa fortune à une série d'amants qui pour l'immense majorité profitaient des avantages de cette situation sans lui porter de réelle affection.
Différentes interprétation des ses relations sont proposées par des personnages de la Russie pré et post-communiste, qui eux aussi instrumentalisent l'impératrice en faisant plusieurs tentatives pour transcrire sa vie à l'écran.
Si au début leur motivation est artistique et loyale envers l'impératrice, ce sont finalement les gains financiers qui les guide lorsqu'ils traduisent sa vie dans une série à succès.

On suit le personage principal, un réalisateur qui m'est resté peu sympathique, essayant de contourner les contraintes de la censure puis celles d'un audimat motivé par une volonté de sensationnalisme.

2.5

[Walter's Writing Emporium · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was beautifully and delicately written. The life of Catherine the Great and the protagonist's desire to retell it are used to move the story along, show us how the character and Russia are changing, and create cohesion in the narrative. I'd recommend this book to any writer who wants to create a story that follows a protagonist through their entire life. I felt engaged as we moved through events in the protagonist's life because of the linking technique, rather than bogged down which can happen when a novel covers such a long time frame. This book felt like a watercolour, if that makes sense.

[Laura Edwards · Rating 2 out of 5]

Makine is one of my favorite writers. That said, "A Woman Loved" is, by far in my opinion, his worst book. Rambling about a screenwriter's obsession with Catherine the Great. Read a biography on Catherine the Great to understand her much better than this book which focuses on the stereotyped nymphomaniac most modern historians have debunked. She was a much more complex woman than painted here. And the main character of Oleg fell flat for me.

[Edita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nuo pirmųjų puslapių suintrigavo, neleido atsitraukti, deja, įpusėjus knygą, teko nusivilti.
Persipina dvi istorijos. Viena iš jų mums, post- sovietiniams vaikams, pažįstama, žinoma; kita kalba apie Jekaterinos I laikus.

[Piotr Grebski · Rating 5 out of 5]

Makine in his best!

[Purple Booklover · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5.

[Laurence Franzini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Livre historique sachant mêler le présent et le passé . Très intéressant pour connaître mieux entre autre la psychologie russe.