L'Hirondelle avant l'orage

by Robert Littell

Ossip Mandelstam, le grand poète, n’est pas l’artiste qu’il aurait aimé être. Avec sa femme Nadejda, ils vivent de sexe et de vodka, enfermés dans leur appartement moscovite, sale et glacial. Effrayé par les dérives du stalinisme, Mandelstam veut sauver sa belle Russie des griffes de celui qu’il nomme « le montagnard du Kremlin ». Ses poèmes moquant le dictateur vont lui coûter très cher… Robert Littell est l'auteur d'une douzaine de romans, traduits dans le monde entier, dont Ombres rouges et L e Sphinx de Sibérie . Son best-seller La Compagnie , le grand roman de la CIA est disponible en Points. « En tenant ses engagements, Robert Littell réussit son pari : raconter l'histoire d'une époque, montrer la victoire de l'art sur la dictature, mener une intrigue avec virtuosité sans jamais dérouter le lecteur. » Lire Traduit de l’anglais (États-Unis) par Cécile Arnaud

Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Russia, Thriller, Poetry, Soviet Union, Audiobook

416 pages, Pocket Book

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

An American author residing in France. He specializes in spy novels that often concern the CIA and the Soviet Union. He became a journalist and worked many years for Newsweek during the Cold War. He's also an amateur mountain climber and is the father of award-winning novelist Jonathan Littell.

Reviews

[Darwin8u · Rating 4 out of 5]

"turning over the words as if they were stones, looking for worms of calamity beneath them"
- Robert Littell, The Stalin Epigram



I'm in the middle of reading Vollmann's masterpiece Europe Central, and it got me thinking of Jonathan Littell's The Kindly Ones, which seems to always bring me back from son (Jonathan Littell) to father (Robert Littell).

This is unlike any Littell novel I've read. It is sad, beautiful, complex. It is a writer not playing with words to earn a living, or to impress, or to get laid, or to sell one stupid book. It is a lonely poet casting a stone into a cave, writing a love note to a dead lover, or telling Stalin to take a flying leap. It is art and art is always a little mad. It is Mandelstam flinging words at a wall, into a void, at history. It is a failure certainly, but a beautiful failure for sure.

The Stalin Epigram

Our lives no longer feel ground under them.
At ten paces you can’t hear our words.

But whenever there’s a snatch of talk
it turns to the Kremlin mountaineer,

the ten thick worms his fingers,
his words like measures of weight,

the huge laughing cockroaches on his top lip,
the glitter of his boot-rims.

Ringed with a scum of chicken-necked bosses
he toys with the tributes of half-men.

One whistles, another meows, a third snivels.
He pokes out his finger and he alone goes boom.

He forges decrees in a line like horseshoes,
One for the groin, one the forehead, temple, eye.

He rolls the executions on his tongue like berries.
He wishes he could hug them like big friends from home.

-- Osip Mandelstam, 1891 - 1938

[Gary Brecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based upon the life of Russian poet Osip Mandelstam, this historic novel traces the events leading up to Mandelstam’s arrests and ultimate tragic fate. The author tells his story through a series of letters, memos or remembrances narrated by those closest to the poet or from the viewpoint of characters (some invented) whose lives interface with his. By following the lives of Mandelstam, his wife and friends as they attempt to cope with the terrorist tactics of the Soviet state, we get a grim picture of pre-WWII Russia. Stalin insisted that all art, including what he regarded as the highest form of literature,(poetry), must celebrate the communist philosophy; otherwise such art is seditious and must be expunged. When Mandelstam, once recognized as one of Russia’s greatest poets, is overwhelmed by his frustration at becoming persona non-grata, he decides to write an epigram personally attacking Stalin, and pays the price by being exiled.

Littel deftly recreates the stifling atmosphere produced by Stalin’s paranoia. This novel allows us to appreciate how much the people and its artists suffered. Under such circumstances it is a wonder how any non propagandistic poetry was ever created during this period of Russia’s history. And yet, the admiration Russians have for their poets shines through this sad tale.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This feels real.

Bent over our small linoleum-covered kitchen table with a crust of bread under one leg to keep it from wobbling...

... marked by a wealth of detail and a poverty of ideas, but then propaganda doesn't need ideas.

Osip once seriously explained to me that most men and some women never cried because they were afraid of not being able to stop.

I have the good fortune to live in a country where poetry is respected--people are killed for reading, for writing it.

Screaming has a lot in common with crying, Anna--once you start you risk not being able to stop.

Should I live to be fifty, I will never forget his reply.

It is useful for a poet to experience fear--it can inspire verse. Rest assured you will experience fear in full measure.

You have to have lived through the thirties to understand, and even then you don't understand.

[Chris Dietzel · Rating 2 out of 5]

Many parts of this didn't work from me. It started off with a list of characters and their descriptions, which no reader will remember and that could have been incorporated into the story as each character is introduced. Many of the ideas throughout the story should have been fascinating, as this is a historical fiction version of many aspects of Stalin's regime that dystopian classics like '1984' are based around, but instead of real life being more interesting, the characters were lackluster and forgetful.

[Victor Sonkin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great novel; I was surprised to find out that this Littell was the father of Jonathan L.; but on second thoughts, that's not so surprising. The only problem with the book is its manner of quoting from Mandelshtam's poetry; naturally, it is using English translations, and it some cases when you look up or simply remember the original, it does not fit the plot. I'm not sure this novel was translated, but should it be, that could be a problem. Otherwise, well-researched and gritty.

[Philippe Malzieu · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have just bought "The revolutionnist" the last one Littel appeared in France last week. I would chronicle it as soon as I shall have read. Littel it was for me of good spy novel. The shape was completed. He masters perfectly his subject. But this books does not fascinate me more than it.
And then there was this book and I discovered a real writer
The subject is brilliant. The Russian avant-gardes were exceptional. They everything invented of the theater (Meyerhold of whom the student Stanislawski create the Actor Studio), music (Prokoviev, Chostakovitch), the cinema (Eisenstein, Vertov), the painting (Malevitch, Larionov, Kandinsky...) and literature with thus Mandelstam.Of more these artists had a séxuality rather free taken away well from the Soviet prudery. Mandelstam lived with his wife and another woman as Véra Broïdo and the couple Haussmann.
In painting I advise you the visit of the prodigious collection Peter Ludwig in Köln.
Why have they not had an equivalent fame than French and German avant-garde? The socioeconomic conditions did not help them. Strong caractèrs opposed : there was no friendship artist like Picasso and Braque for example. And the Stalinism by converting the art to the socialist realism annihilated them.
There is a certain innocence to mandelstamm of which the poême although ironic is not nasty for Stalin. And we see the tyrant hesitating in front of condemnation. He appreciates the poet but he has to condemned him or he loses his credibility.
A book very dufférent of the production of Littell. The artist and the dictator, the creator and the tyrant, it is affrontment where the poet always loses. But if Mandelstam words still affect us, it is that he's not completely died.

[Irina · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book is controversial but not totally bad and made quite a commotion of me.
Author did extensive reserach of life and circle of the poet. He certanly knows his ropes but some nuances in the relationships do not ring true or some people's motives not bear resemblance to the real life in Russia.
Most of all I did not like the author's approach to put his thoughts into the brain of the well-known poet and write many chapters from his 'first face'. There is no way to know for sure what Osip Mandelshtam really thought and he is not just the product of author's imagination.
(Small example of the discrepancies- the favorite Stalin's cigarettes were not 'Kazzbecc papiroses' but 'Hertzegovina Fler').
The good part is that I am going to read more about Mandelshtam after this book

[Claudia Putnam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Re-read this recently--and the thing was, I didn't recall I'd read it in the first place till I was some way in. Hate it when that happens. It was the Shotman thread that started to awaken the dull echoes... The writing wasn't terrible, but didn't do it for me. I suppose it's a good enough introduction to the material, though, if you aren't inclined to do the research on your own. HOWEVER, in most cases like this, the author provides an afterword and straightens out some of the factual matters. I wish he'd done this. Esp with part at the end when he seems to insert himself into the story as if he were rather more long-lived than he is and has access to one of the characters in a way that he does not.

[Ira Therebel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a historical fiction taking place in the 30's in USSR when a poet Osip Mandelstam was arrested for an anti-Stalin poem that he wrote.

I know nothing about Mandelstam but a quick look at the Wikipedia shows that the story in the book is definitely based on true events with the same characters involved. While I really liked the book I feel a true biography might be even better so I hope to find it one day.

1930's were a terrifying time in USSR with many people killed, starved, tortured and being arrested for anything. It was a time of horrific censorship which was a reason of many people's death. I am pretty interested in that time period and in Stalin and I think Robert Littell did a great job portraying that frightening feeling of that time. It is presented in the events themselves but also in Mandelstam's imaginations when he was getting mad after his arrest.

I liked how he wrote each chapter from a different narrator. Mendelstam, his wife Nadezhda, Pasternak, Akhmatova etc. All their voices and how they were seeing the situation felt distinct and added to the book. I think the portrayal of Stalin was also really successful. I am glad Littell didn't use him as a narrator as well but got us closer to him through the narration of his bodyguard. Trying to show what exactly was in Stalin's head would have been a failure. This way we could see his character and yet there was no attempt to explain the actions.

The one fictional character is Fikrit Shotman a weightlifter. A character who is kind and yet not very bright. A true believer in Communism and Stalin who is willing to accept being guilty if he is told he is. He is a great contrast to the historical characters in the book and shows how the easiest way to survive was by simply ignoring the truth or believing the lies.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Using the adult life, and death at the hands of the State, of Osip Mandelstam, The Stalin Epigram examines the atrocities of the Stalinist Era. Mandelstam, of course, was one of Russia's greatest poets. He ran afoul of the regime when, in 1933, he composed "The Stalin Epigram", a poem ostensibly written in praise of "the Kremlin highlander", but in fact a thinly veiled criticism of Stalin, collectivism, and the early purges. The book presents a number of historical figures, including Trotsky, Bukharin, Stalin himself, and more. The book is fiction, but draws heavily from the actual events and people involved. Stalin's Epigram is entertaining, in its way, and at the same time a grim, heartbreaking portrayal of the political purges, and the inevitable descent from the misguided ideals of the October Revolution into oppression. As in most of Littell's work, the tone is slightly sardonic, but in the end, it is sad. As it should be.

[Robert Intriago · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good historical fiction. It uses narrators, real and fictitios, to tell the story of the lifa and persecutions of writers in Stalin's time. The real characters are Pasternak, Akhmatova, and the Mandelstams but the circus worker is fictitious. The most interesting part is the separation the author makes between Stalin and the Chekists. The author leaves the decision to the reader as to who was the culprit in the purges of the era, Stalin or the Chekists. Very good insight into Communist life in the Soviet Union from 1934 to 1938. It also shows the procedures the Chekists used to brainwash prisioners into confessing to crimes they had not committed.

[Ffiamma · Rating 4 out of 5]

l'arresto del poeta osip mandel'stam per (presunta) attività antirivoluzionaria, la miseria e il clima di paura della russia stalinista, le deportazioni, gli interrogatori, le torture, i processi sommari. le voci dei grandi protagonisti della letteratura s'intrecciano con quelle di gente comune (il sollevatore di pesi fikrit sotman), di cekisti e anche con quella del grande dittatore per raccontare una pagina cupa di storia. (non aggiunge nulla a quel che si sa già ma fornisce una buona ricostruzione e, magari, anche un pretesto per avvicinarsi all'opera di mandel'stam)

[Mary Alice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Novel about the poet Mandelstam. Based on a true incident. Somewhat forgettable.

[Monica]

I listened to this as an audiobook, and I think the use of different voices to read the different characters added to the enjoyment. However, I found the chronology and structure more difficult to follow. As I always do with historical novels based on scrupulous research, I found myself wondering what parts were factual and what parts were poetic licence, because I'm interested in the characters themselves. The book conveys very well, though, the sorts of ethical trade-offs and deliberations that were involved in going public with any literature, even by writers who initially may have enjoyed the favour of the Soviet authorities.

[Barry Smirnoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is perhaps Robert Littelll’s best book. I really enjoyed this counterfactual immersion the world of Soviet culture during the Stalin era. It is very entertaining with the characters jumping off the page and the fear and paranoia of the period beautifully illustrated. I loved the book, being impressed by the use of Mandelstam’s work to spice up the narrative. I am not a poetry person, but I highly recommend this book. Mandelstam is a hero of the Soviet period and this entertaining story will lead you to a new view of Stalinism.

[George · Rating 5 out of 5]

An interesting well-written book about known Russian writers tragic lives under Stalin. Even though it's fiction the characters are real as well as the reality of what it was like living in the USSR during those days. Reminded me a lot of what my father went through in Lubyanka with Beria and Stalin. Littell is obviously a researcher and an expert on Russia and has found a unique way to inform and entertain any student of Russian history.

[Karl Schaeffer · Rating 4 out of 5]

A compelling story that drew me in. I don't know much about Stalin and Russia in the 30's, so this book was an eye opener for me. Communist Russia under Stalin was truly messed up. Collectivization either caused or contributed to famine and the deaths of millions. The story is a novelization of the creation of a satirical poem by Russian Poet Osip Mandelstam and his subsequent arrest and exile.

[Joseph Petrillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author gives a totally convincing account of an actual incident in which a Russian poet, marginalized by the Stalin regime, uses his talent in a doomed attempt to confront his persecutor. The story is told from the varying points of view of several of those involved. A tough approach, pulled off brilliantly.

[Cat .classics · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tão bom quando não temos expectativas sobre um livro e depois ele nos surpreende tão positivamente! É uma história incrível que resume bem aquela década de 1930 na URSS, as purgas, o exílio, a ação da Tcheka, os gulags, a censura. Gostei muito da narrativa polifónica e da interligação entre os personagens.

[Adam Colby · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book took a while to capture my true interest. I felt it tried to hard to be another classic about Stalin's purges. By the end, I couldn't put it down. It held me in the moments and made me ask if this was really a novel or maybe, just maybe true. It was a pleasure to read this well-written story about another tragedy.

[Pat · Rating 2 out of 5]

Disappointing as a novel... the poet Mandelstam's life is probably better served by a straight biography. This novel veers from satire to tragedy to melodrama without finding a coherent tone,likely a result of its structure of using multiple narrators,all of whom seem "over the top," and irritatingly narcissistic. Ironically the most dependably interesting narrator is the most fictive, a former circus strongman(none too bright ) who is caught up in the 30's Stalin purges along with the intelligentia, and who brings an ironic, humble and dog-like devotion to Stalin to his imprisonment("I must have done something wrong because they punished me.").The scenes with Stalin himself are the most fascinating, because they do capture the essential charisma and evil genius of the man("No one is innocent."),but they aren't enough to make this book less tedious than it is.

[Rosanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this much more than I thought I would. It was a powerful moving novel, but did not get entirely bogged down in the depresseing era it describes. All the characters were somewhat sypathetic, even, very occasionally, Stalin himself.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, not great. I started skipping and skimming pages about halfway in. I just didn’t care about a lot of it. And the first page and a half reads like a really awful romance novel. And the poem—the so-called epigram—is terrible, just bad political hackery.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really fascinating tale about one memorable and almost mythological confrontation between Russian poetry and Soviet political power. The window of the murdered poet writes on this confrontation in much more depth.

[Clifford An · Rating 5 out of 5]

"The Stalin Epigram" by Robert Littell is about a Russian poet named Osip Mandelstam. He writes poems and afterwards faces consequences. It gets sad towards the end, however I enjoyed it.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully crafted novel.

[Lis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un romanzo, triste e opprimente, incentrato sulla vita del poeta Osip Mandel'stam, vittima delle purghe staliniane degli anni 30.

[Barbara Barbosa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Acabei o livro sem saber onde começa a ficção e onde acaba a realidade... E isso é absolutamente extraordinário para o leitor!
Para mim: um clássico obrigatório.

[Victor Vilchiz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure but this book had me thinking it was non-fiction at times which I guess it is good for a historical fiction novel but it just didn’t do it for me.

[CNR · Rating 5 out of 5]

We are all in serious trouble. If we don't read this, it will happen again under our noses and we will not even know it.