"the new war and peace"

[jd]

http://www.maximkantor.com/

His email address is on that Web site, so I sent him a short one
asking whether or not he had any knowledge of a possible forthcoming
English translation.  However, as I don't know Russian or whether or
not he knows English, it's possible he'll just delete it thinking it's
some of that crazy American Viagra spam.  We'll see.

On 9/14/06, Ya Sam <takoitov at hotmail.com> wrote:
> That latest book did not impress me very much, I liked better 'The Helmet of
> Horror' (already translated into different languages) in which he retold the
> myth of Theseus and the Minator using the internet chat-room as the metaphor
> for the labyrinth. However, there are some successful scenes of wild
> surrealism Pelevin is so famous of, as well as intricate word play which,
> alas, is hardly translatable. E.g. the 'Chinese' name of the main character
> may be roughly translated from Russian as 'what the fuck'. And the whole
> werewolf thing is predicated upon a recent campaign of detecting and
> bringing to trial the so-called 'werewolves in shoulder-straps' meaning
> corrupt officials in the police and other governmental organisations.
> 'Werewolf' in this sense is the direct translation of the word that would
> mean in English something like 'turncoat' or 'double-faced' e.g. acting
> contrary to one's duty and to the detriment of the society one is supposed
> to protect. What Pelevin did, he reified the metaphor, so there are a couple
> of werewolves and a wide range of cultural references. Speaking of gimmicks,
> there is a soundtrack to the novel on the CD attached to the book. I don't
> know what it will look like in translation though.
>
>
> >From: Otto <ottosell at googlemail.com>
> >To: "Ya Sam" <takoitov at hotmail.com>
> >CC: wescac at gmail.com, pynchon-l at waste.org
> >Subject: Re: "the new war and peace"
> >Date: Thu, 14 Sep 2006 07:28:15 +0200
> >
> >Thanks for the link.
> >
> >Pelevin is always worth a read!
> >
> >Otto
> >
> >"The Sacred Book of a Werewolf" is a product of much-publicized
> >postmodernist author Viktor Pelevin. It provides a satirical account
> >of Russian life as seen through the eyes of a 3,000-year-old Chinese
> >werewolf – but with a catch. "Werefox" would actually be a more
> >appropriate term, as the character, A Khuli, usually exists in the
> >form of a fox. The fact that she is manifested in the novel as a
> >pretty teenaged girl working as a prostitute in Moscow not only adds
> >to the confusion, but also allows Pelevin to introduce a wide range of
> >typical Russian male characters, from the repentant masochist liberal
> >intellectual to a brutal drug addict Federal Security Service (FSB)
> >operative.
> >http://www.russiaprofile.org/culture/2006/4/24/3569.wbp
> >
> >>
> >> >From: jd <wescac at gmail.com>
> >> >To: "The Whole Sick Crew" <pynchon-l at waste.org>
> >> >Subject: "the new war and peace"
> >> >Date: Wed, 13 Sep 2006 19:53:56 -0400
> >> >
> >> >Remember the post aways back about the new 1500 page Russian novel?  I
> >> >really don't want that one to fall off my radar.  Has anyone heard
> >> >anything since?  I truly hope it gets published in English.
> >>
>
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