The Yawning Heights"In his first published novel, Soviet philosopher Alexander Zinoviev chose to satirize and ridicule Soviet society in Yawning Heights, presented as the city/nation of Ibansk. Every Ibanskian citizen is named Iban Ibanovich Ibanov, and therefore goes by a nickname as Chatterer, Slanderer, Boss, Hog, Truthteller, Dauber, Sociologist, and many others. Truth Teller is obviously Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Boss is Stalin, Hog is Khrushchev. Lesser characters are more difficult to figure out. Ibansk roughly translates into English as 'Screw Town of (or for) all Ivans'. Their political religion is called the Ism (which is short for Soc-ism), and nobody really believes in it. When it was written the book was essentially a superlative description of the Soviet Union."--Goodreads |
From inside the book
Results 1-3 of 81
Page 168
... tion , You must of course have our society in mind , ' said Sociologist . ' I have no concrete society in mind , ' said Schizo- phrenic . ' I am just carrying out an ordinary abstraction . I formu- late a few rules of human conduct . At ...
... tion , You must of course have our society in mind , ' said Sociologist . ' I have no concrete society in mind , ' said Schizo- phrenic . ' I am just carrying out an ordinary abstraction . I formu- late a few rules of human conduct . At ...
Page 184
... tion , neither to the left nor to the right , neither backward nor forward . But Chatterer found a way out of the situation . ' In general , ' he said , ' there are two forms of art . There is cen- tripetal art which comes from within ...
... tion , neither to the left nor to the right , neither backward nor forward . But Chatterer found a way out of the situation . ' In general , ' he said , ' there are two forms of art . There is cen- tripetal art which comes from within ...
Page 315
... tion . But not so much as to revolt . They try to find some lawful or unlawful ( but God forbid , not social ) means of compensa- tion . Part of the intelligentsia ( who are not too badly off by our criteria ) have a rather sharper ...
... tion . But not so much as to revolt . They try to find some lawful or unlawful ( but God forbid , not social ) means of compensa- tion . Part of the intelligentsia ( who are not too badly off by our criteria ) have a rather sharper ...
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
abroad according action arse artist asked Chatterer asked Dauber authorities Bawler become began Blockhead Bloke Boss Brotherhood Careerist caviar Claimant Colleague cooler course creative Deputy Deviationist doctors of science doppelgänger Double-dealer everything example exist fact friends Gelding happened head Ibanism Ibanov Ibansk Ibanskian society idea ideology intellectual intelligentsia Journalist kind Leader leadership Leadiban live logic look matter means morality Neurasthenic never no-one official organisation point of view political position possible principle problem produce progress Puss queue rats realised relationships rubbish scatology Schizophrenic scientific scientists secret police shamizdat shashlik shithouse situation Slanderer Snottyhanky social individual social laws Sociologist speech stupid sub-Ibanskians talented talk Teacher theory There's thing Thinker thought tion true truth Truth-teller turned vidual vodka wall newspaper what's words write Yawning Heights