Victor Pelevin
Encyclopedia
Victor Olegovich Pelevin ' onMouseout='HidePop("93478")' href="/topics/Moscow">Moscow
) is a Russian
fiction
writer. His books usually carry the outward conventions of the science fiction
genre, but are used to construct involved, multi-layered postmodernist
texts, fusing together elements of pop culture
and esoteric philosophies
. Some critics relate his prose to the New Sincerity
literary movement.
, then attended seminars in creative writing at the Literature Institute
. As an editor of "Science and Religion" magazine, he was responsible for an ongoing series of articles on Eastern mysticism
.
Pelevin's first story was published in 1989, and for the next three years his short stories appeared in various magazines and compilations. In 1992 a book of Pelevin's collected stories The Blue Lantern received the first annual Russian Little Booker Prize
. His first novel, Omon Ra
, appeared in 1992.
Pelevin rarely gives interviews; when he does, he is known to talk about the nature of the mind rather than his own writing. He has permitted all of his texts in Russian predating 2006 to be published on the Internet for non-commercial use http://pelevin.nov.ru/. Some novels are also available as voice files in Russian
.
development, literary form or narrative language. This corresponds to his philosophy (both stated and unstated) that, for the most part, it is the reader who infuses the text with meaning. His novel Babylon bears on its cover the inscription, Any thought that occurs in the process of reading this book is subject to copyright. Unauthorized thinking of it is prohibited.
In a conversation with BOMB Magazine
, Pelevin named Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov
's The Master and Margarita
as an early influence on his reading, saying, "The effect of this book was really fantastic. [...] This book was totally out of the Soviet world." Pelevin avoids, however, listing authors who have specifically influenced his writing, for he believes that "the only real Russian literary tradition is to write good books in a way nobody did before."
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...
) is a Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
writer. His books usually carry the outward conventions of the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
genre, but are used to construct involved, multi-layered postmodernist
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...
texts, fusing together elements of pop culture
Popular culture
Popular culture is the totality of ideas, perspectives, attitudes, memes, images and other phenomena that are deemed preferred per an informal consensus within the mainstream of a given culture, especially Western culture of the early to mid 20th century and the emerging global mainstream of the...
and esoteric philosophies
Esotericism
Esotericism or Esoterism signifies the holding of esoteric opinions or beliefs, that is, ideas preserved or understood by a small group or those specially initiated, or of rare or unusual interest. The term derives from the Greek , a compound of : "within", thus "pertaining to the more inward",...
. Some critics relate his prose to the New Sincerity
New Sincerity
New sincerity is a term that has been used in music, aesthetics, film criticism, poetry, literary criticism and philosophy, generally to describe art or concepts that run against prevailing modes of postmodernist irony or cynicism.-New sincerity in music:...
literary movement.
Biography
After high school Pelevin received a degree in electromechanical engineering from the Moscow Power Engineering InstituteMoscow Power Engineering Institute
Moscow Power Engineering Institute is one of the largest and leading technical universities in the world in the area of power engineering, electronics and IT...
, then attended seminars in creative writing at the Literature Institute
Maxim Gorky Literature Institute
The Maxim Gorky Literature Institute is a higher education institute in Moscow. It is located at 25 Tver Bulvar in Central Moscow.It was founded in 1933 on the initiative of Maxim Gorky, and received its current name at Gorky's death in 1936....
. As an editor of "Science and Religion" magazine, he was responsible for an ongoing series of articles on Eastern mysticism
Mysticism
Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...
.
Pelevin's first story was published in 1989, and for the next three years his short stories appeared in various magazines and compilations. In 1992 a book of Pelevin's collected stories The Blue Lantern received the first annual Russian Little Booker Prize
Russian Little Booker Prize
The Russian Little Booker Prize , established in 1992, is an annual prize awarded for a nominated genre of writing....
. His first novel, Omon Ra
Omon Ra
Omon Ra is a short novel by the modern Russian writer Victor Pelevin, published in 1992 by the Tekst Publishing House in Moscow. It was the first novel by Pelevin, who until then was known for his short stories....
, appeared in 1992.
Pelevin rarely gives interviews; when he does, he is known to talk about the nature of the mind rather than his own writing. He has permitted all of his texts in Russian predating 2006 to be published on the Internet for non-commercial use http://pelevin.nov.ru/. Some novels are also available as voice files in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
.
Literary style
Pelevin's prose is usually devoid of dialogue between the author and the reader, whether through plot, characterFictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
development, literary form or narrative language. This corresponds to his philosophy (both stated and unstated) that, for the most part, it is the reader who infuses the text with meaning. His novel Babylon bears on its cover the inscription, Any thought that occurs in the process of reading this book is subject to copyright. Unauthorized thinking of it is prohibited.
In a conversation with BOMB Magazine
Bomb Magazine
BOMB is a quarterly magazine edited by artists and writers. It is composed, primarily, of interviews between creative people working in a variety of disciplines — visual art, literature, music, film, theater and architecture....
, Pelevin named Russian author Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhail Bulgakov
Mikhaíl Afanásyevich Bulgákov was a Soviet Russian writer and playwright active in the first half of the 20th century. He is best known for his novel The Master and Margarita, which The Times of London has called one of the masterpieces of the 20th century.-Biography:Mikhail Bulgakov was born on...
's The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita
The Master and Margarita is a novel by Mikhail Bulgakov, woven around the premise of a visit by the Devil to the fervently atheistic Soviet Union. Many critics consider the book to be one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, and one of the foremost Soviet satires, directed against a...
as an early influence on his reading, saying, "The effect of this book was really fantastic. [...] This book was totally out of the Soviet world." Pelevin avoids, however, listing authors who have specifically influenced his writing, for he believes that "the only real Russian literary tradition is to write good books in a way nobody did before."
Novels
- Omon RaOmon RaOmon Ra is a short novel by the modern Russian writer Victor Pelevin, published in 1992 by the Tekst Publishing House in Moscow. It was the first novel by Pelevin, who until then was known for his short stories....
/ Омон Ра (1992) - The Life of Insects / Жизнь насекомых (1993)
- Buddha's Little Finger (aka Clay Machine-Gun) / Чапаев и Пустота (Chapayev and VoidChapayev and Void"Chapayev and Void" , known in the US as "Buddha's Little Finger" and in the UK as "Clay Machine Gun", is a novel by Victor Pelevin first published in 1996.-Plot summary:...
) (1996) - Babylon (aka Generation Π, Homo Zapiens) / Generation "П" (1999)
- Numbers (as part of the book DTP(NN) - The Dialectics of the Transition Period (from Nowhere to No Place)) / Числа (часть книги ДПП(NN) - Диалектика Переходного Периода (из Ниоткуда в Никуда)) (2004)
- The Sacred Book of the Werewolf / Священная Книга Оборотня (2005)
- The Helmet of Horror / Шлем ужаса (2005)
- Empire V / Ампир В (2006)
- t (2009)
- Pineapple Water for a Beautiful Lady / Ананасная вода для прекрасной дамы (2011).
Essays, short stories
- Hermit and Sixfinger / Затворник и Шестипалый (1990)
- Prince of Central Planning / Принц Госплана (1992)
- The Yellow Arrow / Желтая стрела (1993)
- Blue Lantern and Other Stories (1991)
- P5: Farewell songs of the political pygmies of Pindostan / П5: прощальные песни политических пигмеев Пиндостана (2008)
- Pineapple Water for the Fair Lady / Ананасная вода для прекрасной дамы (2010)
- 4 by Pelevin (2001)
External links
- pelevin.nov.ru Collection of Victor Pelevin's works online, in Russian
- New Directions New Directions publishes English translations of Victor Pelevin's work including Omon Ra, A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia, Yellow Arrow, and Blue Lantern and Other Stories.
- Interview, spring 2002. In English, from BOMB magazine.
- Shlem - New Book of Victor Pelevin (Interactive)
- Victor Pelevin at Amazon
- NY Times Book Review: "The Sacred Book of the Werewolf," by Victor Pelevin
- 2002 BOMB Magazine interview of Victor Pelevin by Leo Kropywiansky