Book Description
Andrei Sinyavsky, who writes under the pseudonym of Abram Tertz, has been called by Saul Bellow "one of the most intelligent, most original, and most brilliant of contemporary writers." A noted Russian dissident, he was incarcerated from 1966 to 1971 in Soviet forced-labor camps for allowing some of his most satirical writings to be smuggled out of Russia and published in the West. This extraordinary literary work is Sinyavsky`s prison memoir. Based on letters to his wife, the diary includes Sinyavsky`s meditations on religion, sex, art, literature, and myths, the inner world to which he removed himself to escape from the degradation of prison. Interjected into these thoughts, however, are random snatches of prisoners` conversations--a "chorus" of their tales, legends, songs, and curses that evoke the horror and spiritual desolation of their existence. The result is at once an oblique evocation of prison life, a celebration of literature and art, and a tribute to the endurance of the human spirit. Originally published in 1976, A Voice from the Chorus is now available with a new preface from the author. Reviews of the original edition:"An enormously rich and stimulating collection of reflections, vignettes, and brief essays. An eloquent testimonial to the human spirit and the will to survive."--Publishers Weekly"Ranks with the famous testimonies Dostoevsky and Solzhenitsyn dispatched from their `houses of the dead.` This writer`s diary has a haunting, totally affecting quality, holding the reader with the astuteness of its comments on art and character and the exemplary, strangely serene spirit with which Sinyavsky accepted his terrible fate. A memorable and unique document."--Kirkus ReviewsAndrei Sinyavsky writes fiction, essays, and criticism under the name Abram Tertz. He now teaches at the Sorbonne. His book Strolls with Pushkin was recently translated into English and published by Yale University Press. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Musings from the gulag
Since the previous review gives the pertinent information about the origins of this book, I will give a slightly different perspective on it. I discovered this book somewhat by accident, but it was very pleasant and wonderful discovery. The title of this book is a good description--
Sinyavsky, though the main "voice", also quotes extensively from his fellow inmates, giving voice to the voiceless. Many of these quotes are brief, such as "I don't like this Schulbert, somehow. If only he could sing. But he sounds like a power saw." This is the style of the book: no passage is more than a couple pages, and usually less, giving the book the feel of perhaps walking through the camp itself and hearing both Sinyavsky (his mind in one place, his hands working) and others. And though the latter do play a large part, it should be remembered that this is Sinyavsky's book, and that his musings are ultimately what make it stand the test of time. These gems are not what you'd expect sometimes for someone in a prison camp, but are, I think, in the same Christian spirit as his fellow writer Solzhenitsyn. One more quote, this from Sinyavsky himself, and one that shows the strength of his faith:
"In principle only miracles are worth writing about--as the fairy tales knew. And if we ever decide to tell about ordinary things, we should show them in a supernatural light. The art of narrative is to see things like this."

Prison Views
This is a collection of one person's prison writings and it is marvelous.The book is based upon letters to his wife, Maria, fron 1966 to 1971.Andrey Sinyavesky took the pseudonym Abram Tertz.He revered Boris Pasternak as a person and then as a writer.The author had been an idealistic Communist until confronted with the arbitrary nature of Stalin's rule.Prior to his arrest in 1965 he wrote about Isaac Babel and Anna Akhmatova.After Stalin's death the figure with genuine authority was Pasternak.Sinyavsky read DR. ZHIVAGO in manuscript.There was no prudence in Pasternak.The pen name Abram Tertz was based upon an underworld ballad.A VOICE FROM THE CHORUS is not a descriptive narrative.The chorus serves as a confused demotic counterpoint.The author was arrested in 1965 and sent to a forced labor camp. (The above is derived from Max Hayward's introduction to the work.)

A sampling of Tertz's observations are as follows--
As in a train where passengers do not do useful work, the life of the inmates of a camp is filled with no productive activity.It is hard to live at the expense of the future.Art does nothing but convert matter into spirit.Art is the meeting place of the author with the subject of his love.What is erotic is exotic.How good it is that all people sleep.The text of the gospel explodes with meaning.Russian misers do not hoard money so much as weave fantasies around the money.Esenin was the last poet of the century.Mandelstam was the last poet of the intelligentsia.The art of telling a story depends upon spinning it out.A gambling man will have no compunction telling the vilest things about himself.Typical characters in typical circumstances nearly all appear there by chance.The vast amount of timber for building in the olden days corresponds to the wooden character of the Russian people.HAMLET is a variant of OEDIPUS.Coming out of prison is like making a posthumous appearance.The author emigrated with his wife and son to Paris in 1973. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

great book--if only I can remember what it was about
In 1988 I stumbled upon this book at random at my university. I found unusual Soviet Union/Russiansamizdat fiction, and this one was one of my major finds.The stories were drop-dead hilarious and just tour-de-forces of satire. I presented a book report at my college Soviet Lit class and actually generated a lot of interest in this writer among friends. (That same year, I also "discovered" Vladimir Voinovich's silly Moscow 2042, Nina Berberova's Tattered Cloak andM. Ageyev's Novel with Cocaine).

Of course, after then, the identity of Abram Tertz was disclosed asAndrei Sinyavsky, and some of his other works became available to the west (including the autobiographical Goodnight! A Novel, which was interesting though not halfway as good as Fantastic Stories).

A few random remarks: I can't remember whether Milan Kundera derived his "graphomania" concept from the story with this name in Fantastic Stories. At one point I knew the answer to this question (I was reading Kundera like mad).

Second, his self. v. authorial persona of Goodnight! A Novel certainly prefigures Phillip Roth's metafictional novels (not to mention Kundera's), not to mention The Breast.

So have you noticed that I have not told you anything about this story collection? Oops. I have totally forgotten what this book is about. I really need to reread . But rest assured that at the age of 21 I found it brilliant and inspiring, and you will too.

But rereading...and rediscovery, ahh, that is the pleasure. ... Read more