Толмач

by Mikhail Gigolashvili, Михаил Гиголашвили

Geroi romana, stremjas' poluchit' ubezhishhe i ponadezhnee ustroit'sja v blagopoluchnoj Evrope, durjat golovy nemeckim chinovnikam, vydavaja sebja za borcov s rezhimom. A tolmach-perevodchik pereskazyvaet ih "bajki iz russkogo sklepa", na svoj lad kommentiruja v pis'mah moskovskomu drugu. Neobychnaja po forme i soderzhaniju kniga dlja teh, kto davno ne smejalsja i ne plakal.

Genres: Russia, Fiction, German Literature

448 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2003

About the author

Mikhail Gigolashvili (born 1954) is a Georgian-born writer who is mainly known for his Russian-language novels. He was born and raised in Tbilisi, and obtained his doctorate from Tbilisi University. He specialized in Dostoyevsky, and has stated that for a whole decade, he read nothing but Dostoevsky while he wrote his dissertation.

He is best known for his novels The Interpreter and The Devil’s Wheel; the latter, set in perestroika-era Tbilisi, was nominated for the Big Book Award. Since 1991, he has lived in Germany, where he teaches Russian at Saarland University.

Reviews

[Lisa Hayden Espenschade · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Interpreter hovers somewhere between connected-short-stories-as-novel and epistolary novel… Each chapter is narrated by a nameless man, a native speaker of Russian who interprets at a German refugee camp in 2001. The refugees' stories, many of which are largely lies, are the highlight of the book, and their humorous and sad accounts blend into an interesting picture of post-Soviet wishes.

(There's more about The Interpreter on my blog, here.)

[Anatoly Bezrukov · Rating 1 out of 5]

Главный герой - проживающий на полулегальных началах в Германии художник, подрядившийся работать переводчиком в ведомстве, занимающемся рассмотрением заявлений о предоставлении политического убежища. Роман написан в форме собрания писем другу-поэту в Россию. Каждая глава построена по одной и той же схеме: рассказ о своём житье-бытье затем одна история беженца.
То, что касается историй беженцев (судя по всему, списанных с натуры), более-менее интересно; то, что касается собственной жизни главного героя - неинтересно совсем, да и сам этот герой крайне неприятен (если главный герой равен автору, то совсем всё плохо).
Читал исключительно из-за схожести фактуры с "Венериным волосом" Шишкина, но даже и сравнивать нечего: "Толмач" с романом Шишкина даже и рядом не стоял.

[Margarita · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gigolashvili in his good form - extreme realism and extreme surrealism. Very entertaining and super philosophical. Amazing language control and observation. Cross cultural sensitivity, as no one imagined. While not as expansive as Devil's Wheel, it shows off MG's talent for the quiet private observation and reflection and a brilliance in a different kind of genre. Bravo, and hoping for more... ( I already have захват московии waiting on my kindle).

[Dolgormaa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Similar to Dovlatov although not as kind.

[Anna Limarenko · Rating 4 out of 5]

Типичный роман Гиголашвили. Мне нравится.