M. Ageyev (1898–1973)

Whatever his misterious circumstances (some think he died under Stalin's regime), this author wrote a book that is painfully frank about the potential for humans, especially adolescents, to hurt those who love them, and who live only for them. A young moscovite works his way through the rituals of adolescence, with an alarming hatred for, and disdain towards women, especially his mother and old nanny. He purposely infects a young woman with STDs, becomes addicted to cocaine, and steals from his mother. The parts about his cocaine addiction are shudderingly realistic.… (más)

Very quick read this one and it’s been a while since I dipped my feet in Russian lit. This novel brought it all back to me and would be a great intro to anyone wanting to find out what this genre’s all about.

The novel is written under a pseudonym. There are still debates about who actually wrote it. But it contains all you want in a Russian novel: brooding self-absorption, moral decay, the hated or absent conscience of the individual, and the gradual plunge into doom and despair. Lovely!

The eponymous cocaine appeared much later than I thought in this brief book. But early on you get the feeling that the protagonist is heading for disaster. From almost the very first page, he treats his mother abominably. And his pursuit of pleasure is what leads, eventually, to his undoing in an orgy of snorting.

But while he descends into the dreamlike world of addiction, the writing seems to maintain its clarity. This I thought a weakness of the novel. Surely, if someone is writing their own account of drug abuse, you’d expect something a little less lucid, something more like this, in fact.

And it’s a very modernist novel in that there’s no real comment on drug abuse and its effect on society. You are left to assume that from the prose and come to your own conclusions for the most part, although here and there, Ageyev gives hints such as:

"The neophyte does indeed believe that the main property of cocaine is its ability to make him feel happy, much as the mouse, before it is caught, believes that the main property of mousetraps is to provide him with lard."

Subtle and deadly. Very good book. Deserves second reading.… (más)

3.5/5

Il romanzo segue il tracollo del protagonista in diverse fasi della sua vita: prima al ginnasio, poi nella relazione con una donna di cui è innamorato fino all'incontro con la cocaina che darà il colpo di grazia rendendolo dipendente.
Il romanzo è costituito dalle riflessioni di Vadim che analizza ogni episodio della sua vita per trovarne il senso e per capire meglio se stesso e quelli che lo circondano.
Vadim è un protagonista riflessivo, questo sì, ma anche profondamente insicuro, tanto da trovare poi nella cocaina, almeno in un primo tempo, il mezzo per avere emozioni positive e una mente lucida.
Vadim vorrebbe essere brillante, autonomo e in generale interessante per le persone che lo circondano, e spesso crede di avere queste qualità; nella realtà però è consapevole di una certa mediocrità che lo contraddistingue (non è il più intelligente della classe, nè il più ricco etc...) e forse anche per questo si accanisce con atteggiamenti volutamente malvagi con le persone che lo circondano e che gli sono affezionate (come la madre e l'anziana balia che cercano sempre di accontentarlo e aiutarlo).
Un romanzo molto interessante, l'edizione ha qualche errore di editing ma, visto il costo, non mi lamento.… (más)