Moscow-Petushki
Encyclopedia
Moscow-Petushki, also published as Moscow to the End of the Line, Moscow Stations, and Moscow Circles, is a pseudo-autobiographical postmodernist
prose poem
by Russian writer and satirist Venedikt Erofeev
.
Written between 1969 and 1970 and passed around in samizdat
, it was first published in 1973 in Israel
and later, in 1977, in Paris
.
It was published in the Soviet Union
only in 1989, during the perestroika
era of Russian history, in the literary almanac Vest' and in the magazine Abstinence and Culture in a slightly abridged form.
The story follows an alcoholic intellectual
, Venya (or Venichka), as he travels by a suburban train
on a 125 km (78 mi) journey from Moscow
to visit his beautiful beloved and child in Petushki
, a city that is described by the narrator in almost utopia
n terms.
At the start of the story, he has just been fired from his job as foreman of a telephone cable-laying crew for drawing charts of the amount of alcohol he and his colleagues were consuming over time. These graphs showed a clear correlation with personal characters. For example, for a Komsomol
member, the graph is like the Kremlin Wall
, that of a "shagged-out old creep" is like "a breeze on the river Kama
", and Venya's chart simply shows his inability to draw a straight line because of the amount he has drunk. Venichka spends the last of his money on liquor and food for the journey. While on the train, he engages in lengthy monologues about history, philosophy and politics. He also befriends many of his fellow travellers and discusses life in the USSR with them over multiple bottles of alcohol.
The book is often seen as a critique on Soviet Russia
and the restrictive lifestyles most Russians were forced to lead in Stalinist and post-Stalinist Russia. Erofeev saw this as symbolic of the state of the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 1970s.
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
prose poem
Prose poetry
Prose poetry is poetry written in prose instead of using verse but preserving poetic qualities such as heightened imagery and emotional effects.-Characteristics:Prose poetry can be considered either primarily poetry or prose, or a separate genre altogether...
by Russian writer and satirist Venedikt Erofeev
Venedikt Erofeev
Venedict Vasilyevich Yerofeyev or Erofeev or Erofeyev was a Russian writer.-Biography:Yerofeyev was born in the small settlement Niva-2, a suburb of Kandalaksha, Murmansk Oblast. His father was imprisoned during Stalin's purges but survived 16 years in the gulags. Most of Yerofeyev's childhood...
.
Written between 1969 and 1970 and passed around in samizdat
Samizdat
Samizdat was a key form of dissident activity across the Soviet bloc in which individuals reproduced censored publications by hand and passed the documents from reader to reader...
, it was first published in 1973 in Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
and later, in 1977, in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
.
It was published in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
only in 1989, during the perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
era of Russian history, in the literary almanac Vest' and in the magazine Abstinence and Culture in a slightly abridged form.
The story follows an alcoholic intellectual
Intellectual
An intellectual is a person who uses intelligence and critical or analytical reasoning in either a professional or a personal capacity.- Terminology and endeavours :"Intellectual" can denote four types of persons:...
, Venya (or Venichka), as he travels by a suburban train
Elektrichka
Elektrichka is an informal word for elektropoyezd , a Soviet or post-Soviet regional electrical multiple unit passenger train. Elektrichkas are widespread in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the former Soviet Union....
on a 125 km (78 mi) journey from Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
to visit his beautiful beloved and child in Petushki
Petushki
Petushki is a town and the administrative center of Petushinsky District of Vladimir Oblast, Russia, located on the left bank of the Klyazma River, west of Vladimir on the Moscow–Nizhny Novgorod railway and motorway. Population:...
, a city that is described by the narrator in almost utopia
Utopia
Utopia is an ideal community or society possessing a perfect socio-politico-legal system. The word was imported from Greek by Sir Thomas More for his 1516 book Utopia, describing a fictional island in the Atlantic Ocean. The term has been used to describe both intentional communities that attempt...
n terms.
At the start of the story, he has just been fired from his job as foreman of a telephone cable-laying crew for drawing charts of the amount of alcohol he and his colleagues were consuming over time. These graphs showed a clear correlation with personal characters. For example, for a Komsomol
Komsomol
The Communist Union of Youth , usually known as Komsomol , was the youth division of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. The Komsomol in its earliest form was established in urban centers in 1918. During the early years, it was a Russian organization, known as the Russian Communist Union of...
member, the graph is like the Kremlin Wall
Kremlin Wall
The Kremlin Wall is a defensive wall that surrounds the Moscow Kremlin, recognizable by the characteristic notches and its Kremlin towers. The original walls were likely a simple wooden fence with guard towers built in 1156.-History:...
, that of a "shagged-out old creep" is like "a breeze on the river Kama
Kama River
Kama is a major river in Russia, the longest left tributary of the Volga and the largest one in discharge; in fact, it is larger than the Volga before junction....
", and Venya's chart simply shows his inability to draw a straight line because of the amount he has drunk. Venichka spends the last of his money on liquor and food for the journey. While on the train, he engages in lengthy monologues about history, philosophy and politics. He also befriends many of his fellow travellers and discusses life in the USSR with them over multiple bottles of alcohol.
The book is often seen as a critique on Soviet Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
and the restrictive lifestyles most Russians were forced to lead in Stalinist and post-Stalinist Russia. Erofeev saw this as symbolic of the state of the Soviet Union during the 1960s and 1970s.