Amazing Greece
On Monday, scholar, translator and author Mikhail Gasparov died in Moscow at 70 after an extended illness. The intensity of his impact on Russian culture has yet to be acknowledged. From the 1960s on, Gasparov produced a constant stream of translations, articles and books. So steady was his output that his Western colleagues dubbed him "the tireless Gasparov." His achievements were well-known in academic circles -- but his legacy extends far beyond that.
Consider this: If you want to read a brief introduction to an edition of, say, Virgil, Catullus or Marina Tsvetayeva, you'll be flooded with kindergarten-style stories, postmodern or feminist theories, or fictionalized biographies swarming with errors. Gasparov, however, wrote dozens of such texts, and these are the best samples of modern Russian prose, with the bonus of immeasurable knowledge and crystalline clarity of thought. There was nothing astonishingly original in them; Gasparov reiterated this often. He was just a very clear thinker. That's why he ran circles around anyone else writing about literature -- and not just in Russia.
Recent years saw Gasparov's first forays into nonscholarly writing. "Amazing Greece" (Zanimatelnaya Gretsiya) was a broad introduction to classical culture that combined academic precision with narrative brio and humor; to my knowledge, no other book of this kind in any language comes remotely close. "Notes and Fragments" (Zapisi i Vypiski) was a collection of thoughts, memories, interviews and letters that was duly noticed and even won a prestigious literary award, but by no means got the attention it deserved. This book established Gasparov not just as the best thinker in Russia today -- that much had been evident for some time -- but as the best writer too.
Sometimes, after mentioning Gasparov's name, I have heard an apologetic "Who?" in response, even from people with a keen interest in culture. This fact is highly unflattering for the literary situation in present-day Russia.
Legend has it that when Venedikt Yerofeyev, the author of the poignant, vodka-drenched novella "Moscow Stations" (Moskva-Petushki), was asked to name Russia's best prose writers, he named two wizards of the humanities, Sergei Averintsev and Gasparov. Averintsev was flattered, while Gasparov allegedly produced a lukewarm response, saying, "Yeah, right; exactly the stuff to read with a hangover."
Common sense, intellectual honesty, wry humor, elegant style, old-fashioned modesty -- these are the qualities typical of Gasparov's writing. Both he and Averintsev are now dead, and it is hard to imagine a worse loss in these days of universal hangover.
It is hard to imagine a worse loss for Russia's cultural landscape than the death this Monday of Mikhail Gasparov.
By Victor Sonkin. Moscow Times.
Consider this: If you want to read a brief introduction to an edition of, say, Virgil, Catullus or Marina Tsvetayeva, you'll be flooded with kindergarten-style stories, postmodern or feminist theories, or fictionalized biographies swarming with errors. Gasparov, however, wrote dozens of such texts, and these are the best samples of modern Russian prose, with the bonus of immeasurable knowledge and crystalline clarity of thought. There was nothing astonishingly original in them; Gasparov reiterated this often. He was just a very clear thinker. That's why he ran circles around anyone else writing about literature -- and not just in Russia.
Recent years saw Gasparov's first forays into nonscholarly writing. "Amazing Greece" (Zanimatelnaya Gretsiya) was a broad introduction to classical culture that combined academic precision with narrative brio and humor; to my knowledge, no other book of this kind in any language comes remotely close. "Notes and Fragments" (Zapisi i Vypiski) was a collection of thoughts, memories, interviews and letters that was duly noticed and even won a prestigious literary award, but by no means got the attention it deserved. This book established Gasparov not just as the best thinker in Russia today -- that much had been evident for some time -- but as the best writer too.
Sometimes, after mentioning Gasparov's name, I have heard an apologetic "Who?" in response, even from people with a keen interest in culture. This fact is highly unflattering for the literary situation in present-day Russia.
Legend has it that when Venedikt Yerofeyev, the author of the poignant, vodka-drenched novella "Moscow Stations" (Moskva-Petushki), was asked to name Russia's best prose writers, he named two wizards of the humanities, Sergei Averintsev and Gasparov. Averintsev was flattered, while Gasparov allegedly produced a lukewarm response, saying, "Yeah, right; exactly the stuff to read with a hangover."
Common sense, intellectual honesty, wry humor, elegant style, old-fashioned modesty -- these are the qualities typical of Gasparov's writing. Both he and Averintsev are now dead, and it is hard to imagine a worse loss in these days of universal hangover.
It is hard to imagine a worse loss for Russia's cultural landscape than the death this Monday of Mikhail Gasparov.
By Victor Sonkin. Moscow Times.
posted by professor rat at 1:51 AM
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