A Biographical and Critical Study of Russian Writer Eduard Limonov by Andrei s> Rogachevskii (review)

Abstract

952 SEER, 82, 4, 2004 Rogachevskii, Andrei. A Biographical andCritical StudyofRussianWriter Eduard Limonov. Studies in Slavic Languages and Literature, 20. Edwin Mellen Press, Lewiston, NY, Queenston, ON, and Lampeter, 2003. XVi + 267 pp. Notes. Bibliography.Index. $I09.95. INthe course of his career to date, EduardLimonov has successfullyengaged in a number of attention-garnering manoeuvres, and Andrei Rogachevskii notes that Limonov's 'desire to leave a lasting imprint on Russian (and, if possible, world) history has driven him to extremes unparalleled by other Russian poets and novelists past and present' (with the possible exception of Vladimir Sorokin) (p. i). In an effort to understand the Limonov phenomenon , Rogachevskii'swork, the firstmonograph taking the life and works of Eduard Limonov as its central subject, devotes considerable attention to biography. The book's first chapter considers possible autobiographical elements in Limonov'sworkaswell as his ludic relationshipwith reality.Through his own technique of academic 'cross-examination', Rogachevskii engages in the difficulttask of attempting to determine what is factual and what is merely verisimilitude, and the differences between the author Limonov and his fictionalnamesakeare explored. In this exploration of Limonov's biography, some of the areas of focus include Limonov's earlyyears in Khar'kovand the influence of his childhood on the composition of U nasbylavelikaia epokha (We Lived in a Great Epoch); his adolescence and its connections to Podrostok Savenko (The Adolescent Savenko); his time in Moscow; his relocation to the United States and the composition of Etoia,Edichka (It'sMe, Eddie) and Istoriia egoslugi(His Butler's Story);his residence in Paris;and his eventual returnto Moscow. In probingthe questionof Limonov's 'truelies', Rogachevskiialso discusses the 'Konkret' hoax, in which Limonov wrote a number of articles for Novoe russkoe slovoabout a nonexistent literary group. Similarly, Limonov's textual borrowingsfrom the storiesof Iurii Miloslavskii(a fellow native of Khar'kov) would ultimatelyseem to point to invention ratherthan a recountingof actual experience. The monograph continues with an analysis of possible literary influences on Limonov, who hasrepeatedlyclaimedto lackRussianliterarypredecessors. RogachevskiifruitfullycomparesAtaman PetrKrasnov and Maiakovskiiwith Limonov, positing that these two authors respectivelyexemplify the 'conservative ' and 'revolutionary' dimensions of Limonov's works. Rogachevskii presents fresh ideas in his analysis of the possible biographical and literary connections between Limonov and Krasnov, performinga comparativeclose reading of Krasnov's Za chertopolokhom (Beyond the Thistles) and Limonov's 'Ischeznovenievarvarov'(Disappearanceof the Barbarians). Much more widely accepted (andpreviouslydiscussed)arethe connections between Limonov and Maiakovskii,and thisis the subjectof the thirdchapter. Rogachevskii reviews Limonov's veneration of Maiakovskiibefore engaging in an analysisof his textual borrowingsfrom the poet. Similaritiesare further emphasized through a comparative analysis of the two writers' artistic principles, their 'culturalcross-references',and views on cinema. One of the REVIEWS 953 strongest motifs linking the two authors is that of the double, and extensive analysisis devoted to thistopic. The fourth chapter of Rogachevskii's monograph is a rather colourfully titled analysis of Limonov and his relationship to his critics. Though he characterizes the relationship between Limonov and his critics to be one of 'mutual distrust', Rogachevskii notes Limonov's unusual technique of not only allowing himself to be influenced by his criticsbut also to parody them and even seemingly act upon their suggestions. Rogachevskii theorizes that 'constant polemics with Maksimov and Brodskii [...] eventually helped Limonov find his own voice as a critic'(p. 5). Because of the many and varied commentaries analysing Limonov's life and art, Rogachevskii has wisely chosen to concentrate on the critical reception of Eto ia, Edichka, by far the best known of Limonov'sworks. Limonovlargelystyleshimselfthesedaysasawriterofpoliticalcommentary and manifestos.Though RogachevskiiconsidersthepossibilitythatLimonov's most recent novel, 3I6, punkt'V' (Article 3I6, Clause 'C'), represents his farewell to fiction (p. 145), Limonov's turn to politics seems to be a natural development in his creativeprocess due to the 'unusuallysolid bonds between the writer'spolitics and hispoetics' (p. 3). Though Rogachevskii's methodology is largely atheoretical (a fact he emphasizes in both the introduction and conclusion) with the possible exception of some utilization of the concepts of influence and intertext the absence of theory certainly does not detract from the quality of the analysis. Limonov, an ever-fascinating subject, is discussed interestingly here, and Rogachevskii has almost exhaustively examined international Limonov criticismand archivalsources. Given...