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Russian Hide-And-Seek: A Melodrama
A novel of Britain under Russian rule. Published in paperback by Penguin Books.
Hardcover
First published May 1, 1980
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138 people want to read
About the author
Kingsley Amis
212 books552 followersBest known novels of British writer Sir Kingsley William Amis include
Lucky Jim
(1954) and
The Old Devils
(1986).
This English poet, critic, and teacher composed more than twenty-three collections, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism. He fathered Martin Amis.
William Robert Amis, a clerk of a mustard manufacturer, fathered him. He began his education at the city of London school, and went up to college of Saint John, Oxford, in April 1941 to read English; he met Philip Larkin and formed the most important friendship of his life. After only a year, the Army called him for service in July 1942. After serving as a lieutenant in the royal corps of signals in the Second World War, Amis returned to Oxford in October 1945 to complete his degree. He worked hard and got a first in English in 1947, and then decided to devote much of his time.
Pen names: [authorRobert Markham|553548] and William Bill Tanner
This English poet, critic, and teacher composed more than twenty-three collections, short stories, radio and television scripts, and books of social and literary criticism. He fathered Martin Amis.
William Robert Amis, a clerk of a mustard manufacturer, fathered him. He began his education at the city of London school, and went up to college of Saint John, Oxford, in April 1941 to read English; he met Philip Larkin and formed the most important friendship of his life. After only a year, the Army called him for service in July 1942. After serving as a lieutenant in the royal corps of signals in the Second World War, Amis returned to Oxford in October 1945 to complete his degree. He worked hard and got a first in English in 1947, and then decided to devote much of his time.
Pen names: [authorRobert Markham|553548] and William Bill Tanner
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
March 17, 2023
This is one of those novels which look better in retrospect than while you are actually reading it. Kingsley Amis's Russian Hide and Seek is called a melodrama by its author. If so, it is a strange one.
England has been conquered by the Russians sometime during the 1980s. The story takes place in the 2030s as some of the Russian conquerors want to free themselves of Moscow's control. We start out with a young Russian officer named Alexander Petrovsky whose main role in life appears to be to make love to all the young women whom he encounters. A friend enlists his support to join the plot to overthrow Russian control of Britain. Unfortunately, Alexander is too wishy-washy to hang the plot around; and, in fact, he doesn't survive to the last chapter. This is a weakness, because after following his actions for a couple hundred pages, one doesn't want to have the carpet pulled from underneath one.
Even when not at his best, Amis is an interesting writer. It appears that in the 2030s, humans have gone back to horses and carriages. The internal combustion engine is still around, but fuel is scarce.
A word about the title: It appears that Russian Hide-and-Seek is very much like Russian Roulette. A bunch of armed troopers run and hide, call out to identify themselves, and run like hell to avoid the bullets of their comrades.
England has been conquered by the Russians sometime during the 1980s. The story takes place in the 2030s as some of the Russian conquerors want to free themselves of Moscow's control. We start out with a young Russian officer named Alexander Petrovsky whose main role in life appears to be to make love to all the young women whom he encounters. A friend enlists his support to join the plot to overthrow Russian control of Britain. Unfortunately, Alexander is too wishy-washy to hang the plot around; and, in fact, he doesn't survive to the last chapter. This is a weakness, because after following his actions for a couple hundred pages, one doesn't want to have the carpet pulled from underneath one.
Even when not at his best, Amis is an interesting writer. It appears that in the 2030s, humans have gone back to horses and carriages. The internal combustion engine is still around, but fuel is scarce.
A word about the title: It appears that Russian Hide-and-Seek is very much like Russian Roulette. A bunch of armed troopers run and hide, call out to identify themselves, and run like hell to avoid the bullets of their comrades.
July 22, 2016
Not sure what to make of it.
Another reviewer says it was a satire of British society at the time of its writing, which sounds generically plausible but I'm not sure how it works. Is the Russian occupying force supposed to represent Thatcher's government? Are the placid English subject population the rioters of Brixton and Toxteth? What about the apparently monstrous effectiveness and diabolical intelligence of the rulers in suppressing resistance?
To me it seemed more a 1984-esque dystopia, with the usual narrative arc of a revolt that seems doomed, and . Alexander Petrovsky is no Winston Smith though, but seemed to me partly a glum self-portrait from memory by Amis: lecherous, egocentric, pleasure-driven.
It is set in, I think, 2035 - so about 55 years into the future at the time of writing. Read as a piece of futurology (probably not sensible) it would be laughably off-target in almost every possible way: technology seems if anything more primitive than it was even in 1980, the world is ordered entirely from above (though the global setup is not very clearly depicted, beyond the existence of a mighty Russian empire), religion appears to have disappeared as a force of any significance. So it's almost a shame it's not fair to judge it on those terms.
Amis was by this time ferociously anti-Russian (or anti-USSR anyway), increasingly conservative politically and also generally miserable in outlook. Maybe this book is just an expression of these attitudes, in the form of, as he calls it, a melodrama.
I enjoyed it, anyway.
Another reviewer says it was a satire of British society at the time of its writing, which sounds generically plausible but I'm not sure how it works. Is the Russian occupying force supposed to represent Thatcher's government? Are the placid English subject population the rioters of Brixton and Toxteth? What about the apparently monstrous effectiveness and diabolical intelligence of the rulers in suppressing resistance?
To me it seemed more a 1984-esque dystopia, with the usual narrative arc of a revolt that seems doomed, and . Alexander Petrovsky is no Winston Smith though, but seemed to me partly a glum self-portrait from memory by Amis: lecherous, egocentric, pleasure-driven.
It is set in, I think, 2035 - so about 55 years into the future at the time of writing. Read as a piece of futurology (probably not sensible) it would be laughably off-target in almost every possible way: technology seems if anything more primitive than it was even in 1980, the world is ordered entirely from above (though the global setup is not very clearly depicted, beyond the existence of a mighty Russian empire), religion appears to have disappeared as a force of any significance. So it's almost a shame it's not fair to judge it on those terms.
Amis was by this time ferociously anti-Russian (or anti-USSR anyway), increasingly conservative politically and also generally miserable in outlook. Maybe this book is just an expression of these attitudes, in the form of, as he calls it, a melodrama.
I enjoyed it, anyway.
December 24, 2015
This is Kingsley Amis’s second alternative history tale. It is not as good as “The Alteration” and it suffers from some particularly wooden characters (apart from a particularly odd mother and daughter….). However it is an interesting enough tale. Amis depicts a society which has abandoned both faith and political ideologies which probably mirrored his own state of mind at the time. The main character, a 21st century young Russian officer, is depicted very much in role of 19th century Russian literature and society’s “superfluous men” with an outcome that matches that of his predecessors.
September 11, 2025
Russian Hide and Seek by Kingsley Amis
10 out of 10
This reader is an admirer of King KingSley Amis, having been ecstatic after reading each of the six masterpieces he has had the chance to finish so far, from the Magnum opus included on the All- TIME 100 Best Novels list, compiled by TIME Magazine, Lucky Jim - http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/l... - to the last to put down, but not least, Stanley and the Women http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/02/s..., all exhilarating novels from the author that has been acclaimed as the best comedy writer of the last half of the XXth century, unique in having a son that is equally or even more admired, Martin Amis, less of a hit so far with the undersigned, who has liked Money less than any of the six books he would like to dedicate an Ode to that he have come from the pen of the father…
Russian Hide and Seek is very different from any of the mentioned two marvels or The Old Devils, Girl, 20, That Uncertain Feeling or Ending Up – notes on which are available at the address listed above, same blog, different entries – in that we are presented with a quite bleak future, in which we can still distinguish the humor, if much darker, of the comic genius, wherein following a military catastrophe, then a Pacification and the usual Soviet mishandling, botching of administration, managing roads, agriculture and everything else except spying on people – and very often killing them, as happened in real life with the man killed with Polonium, then the attempt in Salisbury, in real life – Great Britain finds itself under Russian rule, in a future where the clock is set back in time, for there could be no progress under a Russian command, especially if it will still be communist – the author is not very clear on that, indeed, there are details and descriptions that make us think that they will have given up the doctrine in its ‘pure, absolute’ form, albeit their behavior, the control they exert over the English, the events described make it clear that these are still forces of evil for the most part and reflect what we see today…invading and annexing Crimea, having a president for life and in control for what, 40 years at the helm…the list is too long to try and look at it here.
Nevertheless, in spite of the abominable, atrocious attitude of the Russians, called SHITS by the population, in general, there are some individuals ready to try a Revolution, which would change things not only in their own country, but eventually they would give control back and at some stage the independence to the English – this is one reason why the book is wonderful, for it does not stereotype the Russians as villains, but at the same time, even the heroes are plagued by indecision, a courage that is also bravado and posturing, a tendency to act against boredom and when pressed on how would a people that has been oppressed, left without culture and religion, sent back ages, with a only a third literate, would be able to take care of the country, the revolutionaries, some of their leaders do not exactly have a proper plan, except to mention that it will be done in stages and it will take time…the daunting task is perhaps made clear when they try to organize a Festival, which will also be the occasion for the Takeover, the elimination of the future KGB boss in their part of England and the other important officials, and the attitude of those attending exposes a barbarity a descent into ignoble, dumbing decline when they understand nothing from a very simple sermon – indeed, in vicious Soviet aka communist style, the propaganda had had many decades to brainwash the masses…
Astonishing is the reaction to a production of Romeo and Juliet, devastating as well because to a large extent it is a satire, a sardonic take on what happens Now, in societies where people are as educated, knowledgeable and functional illiterate as to elect the most revolting, stupid and dangerous leaders in places like Brazil, Philippines, America – Xi, Putin and NK Kim would not check the stupidity box but they more than compensate with viciousness and tyrannical aptitudes – for when the audience looks at the classic play – granted, they will have had no recollection of it, neither do they comprehend that Shakespeare has been The Genius, as the Carlsberg beer as has it, Probably the Best in the World – they do not get the message, furthermore they catcall the Nurse and worse, albeit the text has been cut and adapted for the extremely low level of understanding that future and alas, present generations have, they are not elated, but on the contrary, they are so appalled, annoyed and offended by the play that they start attacking the stage, there is a fire, though not clearly connected with the public, and the actress playing the role of Juliet dies in it, the main character, Alexander Petrovsky does not find a way to save her and get himself out of the pit and thus abandons her to her tragic fate.
Alexander is both the hero and antihero of this marvelous novel, a man of courage, but also very – nay, too – preoccupied with his image, as if anticipating the age of Instagram when ‘influencers’ have to allow the whole world to see their breakfast with ginseng, chivalrous in some ways – when pressed, he would not share with his sister, Nina, their friend, Elizabeth, nor with Theodore Markov the details of his sexual intimacy…the latter has seen the scene, thus the coitus is admitted to eventually – but also reckless, somewhat unreliable and apparently easily played by Madame Korotchenko – in the first few scenes, the wife of the second in command of the Security apparatus in the area invites the young man to a walk, or in fact claims she needs him to guide her outside, but as soon as they are just a little away from the mansion where they enjoy a party with others, the woman jumps on him with a vigorous, intense appetite and her sexual prowess will be in part comical, but also very dangerous, perhaps deadly…
Theodore is part of the conspiracy – though this reader hates the term and what over a billion idiots do with the term, building fog and falsity around such issues as the pandemic, the masks, led by the Very stable Genius, among others – to overthrow the Russian iron clad rule and invites Alexander to join and then once he had accepted, to get the vital list of collaborators, agents of the regime that work for the Secret Police, from Madame Korotchenko, the lover of the ensign – well, he also has an English lover, a girl whose lamentable dream is to…marry the occupier and move to Moscow, after all, that is the center of the world in this dystopia, but it also highlights the fact that the Russians do not have monopoly on stupidity and other human ills and vices and the writer is more well balanced in his characters – who is the paradigm of debauchery – however much this might be encouraged, stimulated or even demanded by the authorities, that have no qualms about using anything against their enemies, perceived, invented or otherwise, including Plutonium or paying bounties to the Taliban to kill Americans in Afghanistan – Mrs. Korotchenko even brings her twelve years old daughter into the perverse, abject, monstrous sexual game she plays with Alexander and the latter does not want to debase himself to that level, only if he wants the list for the higher cause, the demonic woman requests that he plays along and bring the child, naked as she is into one of the scenes that is representative of what such a monstrous, communist, Russian regime can achieve…as for the title, we all know about the Russian roulette and this is some twisted version of that, in which soldiers have fun shooting at each other and once in a while, killing some of them…
10 out of 10
This reader is an admirer of King KingSley Amis, having been ecstatic after reading each of the six masterpieces he has had the chance to finish so far, from the Magnum opus included on the All- TIME 100 Best Novels list, compiled by TIME Magazine, Lucky Jim - http://realini.blogspot.com/2018/07/l... - to the last to put down, but not least, Stanley and the Women http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/02/s..., all exhilarating novels from the author that has been acclaimed as the best comedy writer of the last half of the XXth century, unique in having a son that is equally or even more admired, Martin Amis, less of a hit so far with the undersigned, who has liked Money less than any of the six books he would like to dedicate an Ode to that he have come from the pen of the father…
Russian Hide and Seek is very different from any of the mentioned two marvels or The Old Devils, Girl, 20, That Uncertain Feeling or Ending Up – notes on which are available at the address listed above, same blog, different entries – in that we are presented with a quite bleak future, in which we can still distinguish the humor, if much darker, of the comic genius, wherein following a military catastrophe, then a Pacification and the usual Soviet mishandling, botching of administration, managing roads, agriculture and everything else except spying on people – and very often killing them, as happened in real life with the man killed with Polonium, then the attempt in Salisbury, in real life – Great Britain finds itself under Russian rule, in a future where the clock is set back in time, for there could be no progress under a Russian command, especially if it will still be communist – the author is not very clear on that, indeed, there are details and descriptions that make us think that they will have given up the doctrine in its ‘pure, absolute’ form, albeit their behavior, the control they exert over the English, the events described make it clear that these are still forces of evil for the most part and reflect what we see today…invading and annexing Crimea, having a president for life and in control for what, 40 years at the helm…the list is too long to try and look at it here.
Nevertheless, in spite of the abominable, atrocious attitude of the Russians, called SHITS by the population, in general, there are some individuals ready to try a Revolution, which would change things not only in their own country, but eventually they would give control back and at some stage the independence to the English – this is one reason why the book is wonderful, for it does not stereotype the Russians as villains, but at the same time, even the heroes are plagued by indecision, a courage that is also bravado and posturing, a tendency to act against boredom and when pressed on how would a people that has been oppressed, left without culture and religion, sent back ages, with a only a third literate, would be able to take care of the country, the revolutionaries, some of their leaders do not exactly have a proper plan, except to mention that it will be done in stages and it will take time…the daunting task is perhaps made clear when they try to organize a Festival, which will also be the occasion for the Takeover, the elimination of the future KGB boss in their part of England and the other important officials, and the attitude of those attending exposes a barbarity a descent into ignoble, dumbing decline when they understand nothing from a very simple sermon – indeed, in vicious Soviet aka communist style, the propaganda had had many decades to brainwash the masses…
Astonishing is the reaction to a production of Romeo and Juliet, devastating as well because to a large extent it is a satire, a sardonic take on what happens Now, in societies where people are as educated, knowledgeable and functional illiterate as to elect the most revolting, stupid and dangerous leaders in places like Brazil, Philippines, America – Xi, Putin and NK Kim would not check the stupidity box but they more than compensate with viciousness and tyrannical aptitudes – for when the audience looks at the classic play – granted, they will have had no recollection of it, neither do they comprehend that Shakespeare has been The Genius, as the Carlsberg beer as has it, Probably the Best in the World – they do not get the message, furthermore they catcall the Nurse and worse, albeit the text has been cut and adapted for the extremely low level of understanding that future and alas, present generations have, they are not elated, but on the contrary, they are so appalled, annoyed and offended by the play that they start attacking the stage, there is a fire, though not clearly connected with the public, and the actress playing the role of Juliet dies in it, the main character, Alexander Petrovsky does not find a way to save her and get himself out of the pit and thus abandons her to her tragic fate.
Alexander is both the hero and antihero of this marvelous novel, a man of courage, but also very – nay, too – preoccupied with his image, as if anticipating the age of Instagram when ‘influencers’ have to allow the whole world to see their breakfast with ginseng, chivalrous in some ways – when pressed, he would not share with his sister, Nina, their friend, Elizabeth, nor with Theodore Markov the details of his sexual intimacy…the latter has seen the scene, thus the coitus is admitted to eventually – but also reckless, somewhat unreliable and apparently easily played by Madame Korotchenko – in the first few scenes, the wife of the second in command of the Security apparatus in the area invites the young man to a walk, or in fact claims she needs him to guide her outside, but as soon as they are just a little away from the mansion where they enjoy a party with others, the woman jumps on him with a vigorous, intense appetite and her sexual prowess will be in part comical, but also very dangerous, perhaps deadly…
Theodore is part of the conspiracy – though this reader hates the term and what over a billion idiots do with the term, building fog and falsity around such issues as the pandemic, the masks, led by the Very stable Genius, among others – to overthrow the Russian iron clad rule and invites Alexander to join and then once he had accepted, to get the vital list of collaborators, agents of the regime that work for the Secret Police, from Madame Korotchenko, the lover of the ensign – well, he also has an English lover, a girl whose lamentable dream is to…marry the occupier and move to Moscow, after all, that is the center of the world in this dystopia, but it also highlights the fact that the Russians do not have monopoly on stupidity and other human ills and vices and the writer is more well balanced in his characters – who is the paradigm of debauchery – however much this might be encouraged, stimulated or even demanded by the authorities, that have no qualms about using anything against their enemies, perceived, invented or otherwise, including Plutonium or paying bounties to the Taliban to kill Americans in Afghanistan – Mrs. Korotchenko even brings her twelve years old daughter into the perverse, abject, monstrous sexual game she plays with Alexander and the latter does not want to debase himself to that level, only if he wants the list for the higher cause, the demonic woman requests that he plays along and bring the child, naked as she is into one of the scenes that is representative of what such a monstrous, communist, Russian regime can achieve…as for the title, we all know about the Russian roulette and this is some twisted version of that, in which soldiers have fun shooting at each other and once in a while, killing some of them…
December 26, 2025
Kingsley Amis je postigao veliki uspeh sa jednom alternativnom istorijom ali nažalost RUSSIAN HIDE-AND-SEEK je drugi bitno slabiji pokušaj.
Na neki način, mogu i da razumem i da podržim ono što ovde pokušava da napravi Kingsley Amis. Naime, on pravi roman iz 1980. koji se dešava 2030. u Velikoj Britaniji koju su Sovjeti potčinili i uzeli pod svoje. Međutim, od neke tipične alternativne istorije koju bi pisao neki military geek ili neko koga zanimaju društvene promene, Amis pravi nešto skroz drugačije i hvale vredno. Naime, on pravi roman u kom su se Sovjeti u Britaniji ulenjili na isti način na koji su to radile visoke klase recimo kod Čehova ili u nekim britanskim romanima.
Dakle, on se bavi alternativnom istorijom i budućnošću kroz neke prošle formulacije krize klasa itd. I to je odlično zamišljeno. Međutim, on ne uspeva da elementarno stilski i značenjski zavrti tu stvar i ovo na kraju ostaje jedna raspričana hrpetina teksta u kojoj postoji zaplet koji izneverava Čehova kao paradigmu jer ima veliki melodramski obrt, iako naizgled želi da čehovljevski kaže kako velike promene, evolucije, sazrevanja, zapravo nema.
Amis je pošao u ovaj roman sa idejom da zapravo suštinske promene nema, da se Sovjeti nisu odmakli od socijalnih formacija pozne carske Rusije i da će oni u Engleskoj koliko god da je vreme prošlo i tehnika napredovala zasesti u zamkove, jahati konje i igrati kriket, razmišljajući o nedoličnim romansama u pauzi borbe za moč.
Dobra zamisao, šteta što nije izvedena.
Na neki način, mogu i da razumem i da podržim ono što ovde pokušava da napravi Kingsley Amis. Naime, on pravi roman iz 1980. koji se dešava 2030. u Velikoj Britaniji koju su Sovjeti potčinili i uzeli pod svoje. Međutim, od neke tipične alternativne istorije koju bi pisao neki military geek ili neko koga zanimaju društvene promene, Amis pravi nešto skroz drugačije i hvale vredno. Naime, on pravi roman u kom su se Sovjeti u Britaniji ulenjili na isti način na koji su to radile visoke klase recimo kod Čehova ili u nekim britanskim romanima.
Dakle, on se bavi alternativnom istorijom i budućnošću kroz neke prošle formulacije krize klasa itd. I to je odlično zamišljeno. Međutim, on ne uspeva da elementarno stilski i značenjski zavrti tu stvar i ovo na kraju ostaje jedna raspričana hrpetina teksta u kojoj postoji zaplet koji izneverava Čehova kao paradigmu jer ima veliki melodramski obrt, iako naizgled želi da čehovljevski kaže kako velike promene, evolucije, sazrevanja, zapravo nema.
Amis je pošao u ovaj roman sa idejom da zapravo suštinske promene nema, da se Sovjeti nisu odmakli od socijalnih formacija pozne carske Rusije i da će oni u Engleskoj koliko god da je vreme prošlo i tehnika napredovala zasesti u zamkove, jahati konje i igrati kriket, razmišljajući o nedoličnim romansama u pauzi borbe za moč.
Dobra zamisao, šteta što nije izvedena.
August 8, 2017
Uma distopia improvável - a Rússia, depois da Segunda Guerra, invadiu e conquistou a Inglaterra. Agora, décadas depois (as datas são imprecisas), a Inglaterra não existe mais: não tem mais religião (salvo por alguns focos de resistência, dos mais antigos), não tem mais arquitetura (salvo pelas casas que a elite russa habita), não tem mais literatura (as peças mais famosas do Shakespeare, por exemplo, são completamente desconhecidas, e quando encenadas, causam tumultos porque não têm graça).
Um russo, que está na Inglaterra desde criança, é o suposto herói da retomada - não por amor aos ingleses ou à Inglaterra - apenas por ódio revolucionário.
Funciona bem; Kingsley A. é cheio de sutilezas inesperadas. E é uma mostra, hoje já não tão improvável, do que a revolução cultural, maior adversária do conservadorismo, é capaz de fazer.
Um russo, que está na Inglaterra desde criança, é o suposto herói da retomada - não por amor aos ingleses ou à Inglaterra - apenas por ódio revolucionário.
Funciona bem; Kingsley A. é cheio de sutilezas inesperadas. E é uma mostra, hoje já não tão improvável, do que a revolução cultural, maior adversária do conservadorismo, é capaz de fazer.
May 25, 2023
I have just finished Kingsley Amis' "Russian Hide-and-Seek" and find myself with an intellectual hangover - a heady mix of astonishment, admiration, and deep contemplation. This book demands a 5-star rating.
"Russian Hide-and-Seek" is a masterclass in speculative fiction. Set in a future England that has been occupied by Russia, it is an exploration of cultural assimilation, power dynamics, and the human spirit's unyielding desire for freedom. Amis has crafted a world that is at once disturbingly realistic and captivatingly alien.
The protagonist, Alexander Petrovsky, is a character that will remain etched in my memory for a long time. The complexity of his character, the internal conflicts he faces as an Englishman raised as a Russian nobleman, his simultaneous love and disdain for both cultures - these aspects make Alexander an intriguing character study.
Amis' portrayal of a subjugated England is eerily poignant, and his exploration of cultural eradication and adaptation is thought-provoking. The narrative manages to be a thrilling dystopian adventure, a political commentary, and an examination of identity all at once.
One aspect that I particularly enjoyed was Amis' use of the English language. He illustrates the cultural clash and assimilation through the very language the characters speak - an English that has been heavily influenced by Russian. This serves as a constant, subtle reminder of the power dynamics at play and the effects of occupation.
What's astounding about "Russian Hide-and-Seek" is Amis' ability to blend the gritty realities of an occupied nation with his trademark humor. There is a dark undercurrent of satire running through the narrative, making it a grimly humorous read at times.
In conclusion, "Russian Hide-and-Seek" is a novel that succeeds on multiple levels - it's a gripping tale of an alternate future, a commentary on power and culture, and a study of individual and national identity. It's a book that has made me think, laugh, and marvel at Amis' ingenuity. If you're looking for a novel that is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating, look no further. "Russian Hide-and-Seek" gets a resounding 5 stars from me.
"Russian Hide-and-Seek" is a masterclass in speculative fiction. Set in a future England that has been occupied by Russia, it is an exploration of cultural assimilation, power dynamics, and the human spirit's unyielding desire for freedom. Amis has crafted a world that is at once disturbingly realistic and captivatingly alien.
The protagonist, Alexander Petrovsky, is a character that will remain etched in my memory for a long time. The complexity of his character, the internal conflicts he faces as an Englishman raised as a Russian nobleman, his simultaneous love and disdain for both cultures - these aspects make Alexander an intriguing character study.
Amis' portrayal of a subjugated England is eerily poignant, and his exploration of cultural eradication and adaptation is thought-provoking. The narrative manages to be a thrilling dystopian adventure, a political commentary, and an examination of identity all at once.
One aspect that I particularly enjoyed was Amis' use of the English language. He illustrates the cultural clash and assimilation through the very language the characters speak - an English that has been heavily influenced by Russian. This serves as a constant, subtle reminder of the power dynamics at play and the effects of occupation.
What's astounding about "Russian Hide-and-Seek" is Amis' ability to blend the gritty realities of an occupied nation with his trademark humor. There is a dark undercurrent of satire running through the narrative, making it a grimly humorous read at times.
In conclusion, "Russian Hide-and-Seek" is a novel that succeeds on multiple levels - it's a gripping tale of an alternate future, a commentary on power and culture, and a study of individual and national identity. It's a book that has made me think, laugh, and marvel at Amis' ingenuity. If you're looking for a novel that is both entertaining and intellectually stimulating, look no further. "Russian Hide-and-Seek" gets a resounding 5 stars from me.
May 30, 2022
Not what I expected... Having just read 'Lucky Jim' I was hoping for something similar, something funny. Instead I got some dystopian story of a UK run by the Russians; Zero laugh out louds.
It was ok, but nothing mindblowing.
3,5 *
It was ok, but nothing mindblowing.
3,5 *
January 11, 2018
A very odd novel which is out of step and time even for 1980 (publish date).
February 11, 2018
Amis' books are hit-or-miss for me and this one was largely a miss. Smooth prose; I just didn't find it very rewarding or engaging.
September 3, 2022
I did not enjoy this book and found it one of the weakest that I have read by Amis. Not in the same class as Len Deighton.
September 7, 2024
At least they got rid of religion
July 8, 2014
Kingley Amis não ocultava o seu gosto especial pela ficção científica e teve a coragem de escrever romances dentro do género. Ao contrário do habitual nos esforços de género dos escritores mainstream, são livros bem concebidos que fazem uso brilhante das premissas da ficção científica. Um deles, The Alteration, é uma pérola esquecida da história alternativa. Este Russian Hide and Seek insere-se naquela vertente tão característica do século XX, a do futuro pós-apocalipse nuclear, com uma fortíssima ironia sobre o tão inglês sistema de castas aristocráticas.
Amis é deliberadamente difuso nos pormenores do futuro que imagina. Sabemos que estamos numa inglaterra futura, ocupada por forças soviéticas que se comportam de modo muito similar ao estereotipo do aristocrata britânico. Quem se recorda da história do século XX depressa criar uma imagem mental das possibilidades que levariam a este estado de coisas, que Amis reforça com momentos pontuais em que nos informa que houve uma guerra que teria durado três dias (e o leitor de boa memória imagina a troca de mísseis intercontinentais que reduziriam as cidades a cinzas), se bem que há indícios de que afinal a resistência teria sido mais prolongada. Os russos comportam-se como sahibs enquanto os nativos britânicos são vistos como coolies peculiares. A comparação entre uma inglaterra subjugada e o Raj indiano é uma das vertentes de ironia desta obra. Décadas após as guerras impera a memória oficial da propaganda, o declínio tecnológico é acentuado e a cultura local foi suprimida pelos ocupantes. Da velha inglaterra restam as ruínas e as memóras difusas dos poucos envelhecidos sobreviventes à guerra do passado.
O livro desenrola-se como um romance clássico russo. Centra-se em Alexander Petrovisky, personagem icónico, um jovem aristocrata militar mais adepto das conquistas amorosas do que das lides marciais. Acaba por se envolver numa bizarra conspiração onde ocupantes russos compadecidos do triste destino dos povos ocupados procuram activamente restaurar a cultura suprimida - com resultados desastrosos mas hilariantes e provocar uma revolta capaz de possibilitar a restauração da inglaterra aos ingleses. Traduzindo, colonos libertadores a engenhar a auto-determinação dos oprimidos. Só que essa conspiração é orquestrada por agentes dos serviços secretos soviéticos, entediados com a modorra de um mundo pacificado sob o jugo de Moscovo e que sentem que precisam de uma engenhosa operação para manter o treino de proficiência na caça aos possíveis dissidentes, algo difícil numa era onde as memórias oficiais são pervasivas. Daí o título do livro, que evoca uma variante do jogo da roleta russa onde quem não se souber esconder é alvejado pelos companheiros de jogo.
A elegância literária de Amis dilui a ironia hilariante do livro, cheio de duplos sentidos e frases complexas que se relidas provocam ataques de riso, naquela melhor tradição do humor literário britânico de Fielding. De facto, há muito das desventuras de Tom Jones nas atribulações de Petrovsky. As explicações difusas do futuro projectado intrigam, obrigando o leitor a preencher as lacunas com o seu conhecimento pessoal da história contemporânea. As visões irónicas do classicismo social inglês e da bonomia pós-colonialista são tiros certeiros. Também em evidência está o realismo geo-estratégico do autor. Em caso de guerra entre o bloco de leste e o ocidente, o peso da massa humana soviética seria decisiva.
Amis é deliberadamente difuso nos pormenores do futuro que imagina. Sabemos que estamos numa inglaterra futura, ocupada por forças soviéticas que se comportam de modo muito similar ao estereotipo do aristocrata britânico. Quem se recorda da história do século XX depressa criar uma imagem mental das possibilidades que levariam a este estado de coisas, que Amis reforça com momentos pontuais em que nos informa que houve uma guerra que teria durado três dias (e o leitor de boa memória imagina a troca de mísseis intercontinentais que reduziriam as cidades a cinzas), se bem que há indícios de que afinal a resistência teria sido mais prolongada. Os russos comportam-se como sahibs enquanto os nativos britânicos são vistos como coolies peculiares. A comparação entre uma inglaterra subjugada e o Raj indiano é uma das vertentes de ironia desta obra. Décadas após as guerras impera a memória oficial da propaganda, o declínio tecnológico é acentuado e a cultura local foi suprimida pelos ocupantes. Da velha inglaterra restam as ruínas e as memóras difusas dos poucos envelhecidos sobreviventes à guerra do passado.
O livro desenrola-se como um romance clássico russo. Centra-se em Alexander Petrovisky, personagem icónico, um jovem aristocrata militar mais adepto das conquistas amorosas do que das lides marciais. Acaba por se envolver numa bizarra conspiração onde ocupantes russos compadecidos do triste destino dos povos ocupados procuram activamente restaurar a cultura suprimida - com resultados desastrosos mas hilariantes e provocar uma revolta capaz de possibilitar a restauração da inglaterra aos ingleses. Traduzindo, colonos libertadores a engenhar a auto-determinação dos oprimidos. Só que essa conspiração é orquestrada por agentes dos serviços secretos soviéticos, entediados com a modorra de um mundo pacificado sob o jugo de Moscovo e que sentem que precisam de uma engenhosa operação para manter o treino de proficiência na caça aos possíveis dissidentes, algo difícil numa era onde as memórias oficiais são pervasivas. Daí o título do livro, que evoca uma variante do jogo da roleta russa onde quem não se souber esconder é alvejado pelos companheiros de jogo.
A elegância literária de Amis dilui a ironia hilariante do livro, cheio de duplos sentidos e frases complexas que se relidas provocam ataques de riso, naquela melhor tradição do humor literário britânico de Fielding. De facto, há muito das desventuras de Tom Jones nas atribulações de Petrovsky. As explicações difusas do futuro projectado intrigam, obrigando o leitor a preencher as lacunas com o seu conhecimento pessoal da história contemporânea. As visões irónicas do classicismo social inglês e da bonomia pós-colonialista são tiros certeiros. Também em evidência está o realismo geo-estratégico do autor. Em caso de guerra entre o bloco de leste e o ocidente, o peso da massa humana soviética seria decisiva.
July 21, 2019
A test of my memory, as I read this more than a year ago...
A strange and disorienting novel, as I recall, with England occupied and managed by Russian forces/policies as a retreat for their well-off. The main character, aimless and sensing the laxity of Russian control, has foppish pretensions of doing something dashing, but he’s essentially without skills or the necessary intelligence to understand his insignificance. There are some animated and slightly twisted sexual encounters that felt gratuitous, though Amis’ prose seemed to perk up. For his upstart pretensions to restore English freedom, the principal is dispatched like a bug, and I sensed at this end the spirit of Big Brother and Winston Smith; in Amis’ version, however, Big Brother isn’t going to bother to make you love him...
A strange and disorienting novel, as I recall, with England occupied and managed by Russian forces/policies as a retreat for their well-off. The main character, aimless and sensing the laxity of Russian control, has foppish pretensions of doing something dashing, but he’s essentially without skills or the necessary intelligence to understand his insignificance. There are some animated and slightly twisted sexual encounters that felt gratuitous, though Amis’ prose seemed to perk up. For his upstart pretensions to restore English freedom, the principal is dispatched like a bug, and I sensed at this end the spirit of Big Brother and Winston Smith; in Amis’ version, however, Big Brother isn’t going to bother to make you love him...
June 26, 2019
Don't bother. The writing was so dull and dry and the plot so boring I couldn't get through it. Felt like I was taking a course with a very pedantic, uptight teacher. I've loved work by Henry James, Dostoevsky, Dreiser, so it's not that I'm afraid of words...but the words in this one were just uninspiring.
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March 4, 2010Russian Hide And Seek by Kingsley Amis (14/8/1981)
January 26, 2013
Good, much better if you understand the book in its proper context: Amis was writing a wry satirical comment on the Britain of his time.
February 13, 2013
3 1/2 stars. Not great but an interesting ending as well as some over the top scenes with Mrs. Korotchenko.
July 9, 2015
This book reads like a script for Ken Russel or Lindsay Anderson movie.
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May 1, 2017Edition: First
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