The Anna Karenina Fix
Life Lessons from Russian Literature
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- $15.99
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
'Wonderfully entertaining, hilarious. Contains the distilled wisdom of some of the greatest writers who ever lived' Allison Pearson, Sunday Telegraph
What should I do with my life?
What if my love is not returned?
Why do bad things happen?
The answers to some of life's biggest questions are found not in trite self-help manuals but in the tough-love lessons explored in Russian literature. Here, Viv Groskop delves into the novels of history's deepest thinkers to discover enduring truths about how we should live.
Whether you're new to the Russian classics or returning to old favourites, The Anna Karenina Fix will help salve your heartache by exploring the torments of a host of famous and infamous literary heroes and heroines. Think of it like this: they have suffered so that you don't have to . . .
'Enchanting. Groskop falls in love with the literature, her impressive knowledge of which she conveys with a charmingly breezy tone' Observer
'A beguiling tasting menu of some of the finest reading experiences of my life. Witty, likeable, and lighthearted, Viv Groskop invites us to embrace the work of these august Russian dead souls as belonging to us all' Lionel Shriver
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
For anyone intimidated by Russia's daunting literary heritage, this humorous yet thoughtful introduction will serve as the perfect entr e. Journalist and comedian Groskop skillfully interweaves her personal obsession with all things Russian with life lessons from the country's great authors, from the canonical Leo Tolstoy and Fyodor Dostoyevsky to Anna Akhmatova, a dissident poet not widely known outside her own country. Among the lessons: Anton Chekhov warns against narrowly pinning all one's hopes on a single thing, Mikhail Bulgakov teaches readers not to take themselves (or life) too seriously, and Alexander Solzhenitsyn offers systems for endurance. While cheerfully acknowledging Russian lit's frustrating aspects the multiple diminutive forms for a single name could by themselves drive a reader to distraction Groskop joyously and convincingly argues that it's worth the challenge. She shares her own journey as well, searching for the possibly Russian root of her last name and receiving two degrees in Russian. She also finds real-life applications for the lessons, struggling with unrequited love like the hero of Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country, and like Turgenev himself. Elsewhere, she recognizes her obsession as a form of self-delusion like that of the antihero of Gogol's Dead Souls. Most of all, she advocates reading for fun, and for oneself a life lesson, indeed.
