The Blender Book Club discussion

Our 12th and final book of 2019 is Laurus, a 2012 novel (transl. 2015) by Russian author Eugene Vodolazkin. Set in the late Middle Ages, Vodolazkin's novel blends history and magic as it follows the eponymous holy man on his travels through Europe. Laurus is a faith healer in the tradition of the Russian "holy fools," and Vodolazkin uses the character to explore the nature of spirituality, miracles, prophecy, and time. But lest the prospect of a 400-page Russian novel of ideas turn you off, it's also an adventure story written in a surprisingly accessible style.

I know this time of year is a busy one, but I hope you're able to find some spare moments to give Laurus a try and share your thoughts here. And I can't wait to usher 2019 out and 2020 in with our final meeting on December 18!

On pg 67, and still waiting for this book to grab me...

Lucy wrote: "On pg 67, and still waiting for this book to grab me..."

I have yet to start it (yikes, where has this month gone?) but Sujata said something similar. I worried this one might not be a hit--probably should've gone with my gut.

No, no second-guessing yourself. Like anyone selecting books for a group to read together, unless you have read them all first, you have to rely on reviews and "Best" lists. And the critics seem to have raved about "Laurus". So I'm persevering!

Zachary wrote: Sujata said something similar. I worried this one might not be ..."
Laurus may not be your typical Bender read, but it's a good example of Russian magical realism. Saying 'I goofed on the selection' may deprive others of a potentially interesting read.

You've done a great job for this group.

Has anyone thought of inviting the author to talk to the bookclub on a particular selection at the meeting?

Geoffrey wrote: "Has anyone thought of inviting the author to talk to the bookclub on a particular selection at the meeting?"

Glad you're enjoying the book, Geoffrey. (I'm liking it a lot too, now that I've started.) Obviously my hope is that this book club will expose everyone--myself included--to new authors and material they might not explore on their own. But given the monthly time commitment required for a book club like this, I'd still prefer everyone to have good experience more often than not. :) I'll try to be less apologetic in the future, though.

As for your other question, I'd love to have an author sit in one month. I don't think our budget would allow us to bring anyone in from out of town, but maybe if we read a local St. Louis author (Ann Leckie comes to mind!) we could make it work.

Reminder to everyone that, weather allowing, the Blender will be meeting this Wednesday at 7! Hopefully the snow days will give everyone some time to finish this appropriately wintry novel!

Do we need to worry about the Lib. closing? I was out doing some errands here in Bridgeton this afternoon and the roads weren't that bad. Zach, do you have someone already bringing treats? If not I'll bring some Xmas cookies, ok?

I'm now 1/2 thru the bk, and still not enthused; guess Russian magical realism is not my thing. Tho' I loved
The Bear and the Nightingale, by Katherine Arden (Winternight Trilogy no.1,) a fairytale set in Russia, an "utterly bewitching ... earthy story of folk magic, faith and hubris" per Booklist.

Lucy wrote: "Do we need to worry about the Lib. closing? I was out doing some errands here in Bridgeton this afternoon and the roads weren't that bad. Zach, do you have someone already bringing treats? If not I..."

Sorry, took a day off today and didn't do my usual GR check. We don't have anyone scheduled for snack duty this month, so if you still have time before we meet tomorrow I certainly wouldn't turn down that offer!

Sorry to hear the book's still not doing it for you. Hope it'll provide some good discussion fodder, if nothing else!

Lucy wrote: "...guess Russian magical realism is not my thing..."
Didn't mean to say you should like it.

Year 1492 = Year 7000 on the Byzantine calendar, used by the Eastern church. (Based on Julian calendar). Byzantine calendar placed the date of creation at 5509 years before the incarnation.

This confused me for a while.

Zach (or whoever knows how):
Please post this where it belongs.

Fabulous list of magic realism books:
https://magic-realism-books.blogspot.com/p/magic-realism-book-list.html

Since I brought the term magic realism into the discussion:

Rough definition of magic realism:

"Magical" events are treated as normal occurrences in an otherwise realist world and are not commented on.

Latin American:
This magic realism strand is informed by the coming together of two cultures: (generally) the western realist/rationalist (and dominant) culture and the "magical" indigenous cultures of South America. This mixing of two cultures with different belief structures has become so frequent a theme in magic realism, that arguably it is essential to the definition.

European:
The roots of the European magic realism are in the surrealist and post-expressionist movements. We recognize the world, although now - not only because we have emerged from a dream - we look on it with new eyes. We are offered a new style that is thoroughly of this world, that celebrates the mundane. Everyday things having deeper-than-expected meaning seems to be a key element of magic realism.

I believe that Russian works often fuse “magical” Russian cultural elements (spirits and belief systems) much the way it is done in the Latin American tradition. Example: the caladrius bird (similar to Arseny); which can take sickness into itself and then fly away, dispersing the sickness, and healing both itself and the sick person.

Other Russian magical realism books:
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail Bulgakov (at 1st glance, set in 1890s Russia, actually set in ~ 1920 Russia). Good read even if you don't like magic realism.
The Librarian, Mikhail Bulgakov (obviously set in Stalinist Russia)

My take on some aspects of the book:

1) What did you make of Cristofer? What are his defining characteristics? Did you like him? Did you relate to him?

Side character used to define a set of beliefs that Arseny followed. Literarily,a device used by the author to set the scene (location, values and traditions important to the novel). The sections involving Cristofer set the areas that might be considered “magical” by a rational reader: healing using herbs, beliefs in the Eastern Orthodox church.
I liked Cristofer, but didn’t see him as a main character in the end. I did relate to him in a positive way.

2) What did you make of Ustina? Did you like her? Did you relate to her?

Interesting character that appears at an opportune time in the book to set up a moral conflict in Arseny’s life, and afterwards someone to talk to about the conflicts Arseny was feeling in his soul.

Didn’t know whether to see her as a real person or a succubus. Running into Yegor(in one of the towns that did not let him stay, early in Arseny’s journeys) let me believe that Ustina was a real person.

3) What does this book have to say about marriage and romantic relationships?
Nothing new, if you accept the Church’s view that you were going to hell for any sexual relationships outside of marriage.

The relationships with Ustina and Anastasia reflect how Arseny/Laurus views toward life had changed because of his journeys.

4) How did Arseny’s views of time change over the course of the book?

I hadn’t thought about non-linear time until it was brought up here.
Arseny’s time is going in circles at the end, as can be seen with Anastasia’s delivery as opposed to Ustina’s.
I’m sure there are smaller circles I didn’t notice.
Toward the end of Laurus, time resembles the Hindu concept of circular time as a series of reincarnations.

4.5) Could one make a collection of all events,such that they could be recombined endlessly to make up the history of the world?

I don’t know. How many events would God need in such a collection? How many would here need to be? Sounds similar to building a library of all possible books, as in Borges The Library of Babel.

5) In what ways does Laurus challenge or experiment with genre? How would you categorize this book if you had to?

I would categorize it as Magic Realism. As such, I didn’t find that it really challenged genre. It offers a look at important elements of life in 15th century Russia -- it was grindingly hard, and the (Eastern Orthodox) faith provided a pillar for people to lean on. In contrast to many Latin American/Southwestern US magical realism books, the author was not specific about what herbs were useful for which conditions; there would never be a “do not try this at home” warning on cures used in Bless Me Ultima or 100 Years of Solitude.

Geoffrey, I stand in awe -- are you perhaps a professor of world lit?

Just in case anyone is still in doubt, we will definitely be meeting tonight!

And thank you, Geoffrey, for the deep and insightful analysis! I'll share some of my own questions a little later on, after I finish the last few chapters.

...you perhaps a professor of world lit?..."
Ha ha. -- just have a common problem: I read a lot.

Some people I know were talking about magic realism a couple of years ago, & I didn't know what they were talking about. I've read a lot since(treasure hunt).

I found Laurus on somebody's "Christian reading list".

That makes sense because Laurus' Christian faith was a big part of the story.