Day: February 1, 2020

Boris Akunin “The History of the Russian State. The First Superpower”

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istpriya-7

Well, I continue to follow the history of Russia as interpreted by Boris Akunin, contrary to the opinion of some acquaintances who think it’s not worth doing.

This volume is dedicated to two emperors—Alexander I and Nicholas I. It covers the time when Russia was already recognized as a superpower, claiming the right to shape the world’s destiny.

Unfortunately, the closer the author gets to modern times, the more superficial the narrative becomes. And it raises more and more questions.

Even the first chapter suffers from uneven storytelling. Alexander is portrayed with quick strokes from different angles, but before we even get a proper description of his reign. We haven’t been told in detail about the significant events of his time, yet those events (the War of 1812, Austerlitz, etc.) are constantly referenced. We are tossed back and forth across decades, and due to this lack of sequence, a full picture doesn’t quite come together.

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Andrey Valentinov “Diomedes, Son of Tydeus”

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diomed

The two-volume novel Diomedes, Son of Tydeus by Andrey Valentinov is formally considered the second in Valentinov’s Mycenaean cycle. However, it doesn’t have much connection with the first book, The Grey Kite. In fact, there’s not much about Mycenae in this book either—Mycenae is just another city-state here. It could just as easily be called part of a Trojan cycle since most of the story focuses on Troy.

What does connect it, though, is the parallels with H. L. Oldie’s Odysseus, Son of Laertes. Both books were written at the same time, with the authors collaborating during the writing process. The events overlap significantly, though in Valentinov’s novel, they are shown through the perspective of a different hero, Diomedes.

Both novels also share a similar narrative style. They begin with the heroes’ childhoods and trace their lives through their coming of age and the crucible of the Trojan War. Both books are a bit more challenging to read compared to other works by these authors.

Diomedes as a Greek hero is much less well-known compared to other figures. He didn’t perform any grand feats, so why should anyone remember him? He wasn’t Perseus, the slayer of Medusa. He wasn’t Heracles with his twelve labors. He wasn’t Theseus, the conqueror of the Minotaur. And he wasn’t Odysseus, who spent ten years returning to his beloved Penelope while encountering numerous adventures. Diomedes was just one of the many participants in the Trojan War.

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