Coffee and Chekhov

So V. finally decided to sleep last night and Hubby fell asleep at ten, so I (the girl in the contrary body which will never sleep when it has the opportunity) of course had to think of something to do. Out came the volume of Chekhov's short stories, recently borrowed from the library after a blinding realization of the gaping holes in my understanding of Russian literature. I cozied up with the dogs in bed and opened to "The Grasshopper."

Now first I must say I had forgotten how truly accessible Chekhov is. It's been a very long time since I have paid him any attention. And secondly, it has been longer than I can remember since I have been so completely and utterly caught up in the realm of imagination as I was by this story. Reading it gave me sudden reminiscences of my high school days when books were my life and really all that mattered was to move from one to the next without too much of a time gap in between. Completely aside from any comments on content, style, or down-through-the-ages-ness, any author who can give me back that sensation wins high marks in my book.

But moving on...I have also recently discovered Lydia Chukovskaya, one of few prominent Russian female literary figures from the time of the Soviet regime. I have read both The Deserted House (originally written as Sofia Petrovna, and not published for more than 30 years after its conception due to "ideological distortions"), and Going Under, her much later semi-autobiographical work reminiscent of her separation from her husband and daughter. Both books convey the raw emotion and terror of separation and death, experienced by so many under Soviet rule, although Going Under is perhaps more sophisticated in a literary sense.

Now it may sound corny, but somehow the idea of having your books suppressed for 30 years, being monitored by the KGB, and going through an extensive involuntary separation from your family tend to put into perspective my current extreme frustration at putting $1500 into my lemon of a car. It also (albeit in a lesser sense) puts into perspective my five months of sleepless nights. And it even (to a much smaller degree) puts into perspective my upcoming year-long separation from my husband. At least the money problems are surmountable. At least our separation is to a certain extent voluntary. And at least I have a child to cause me sleepless nights.

So that's all for post number one, folks. I will try hard to keep up with this blog, unlike others I have started in the past and not even told people about, because of the sneaking and ultimately validated suspicion that I would not write more than two or three posts before dropping them. Please keep up with me and read my posts as you get time, as this will help keep me motivated...