The Funeral Party: A Novel

This was assigned reading for one of my courses, and rarely have I loved an assigned book this much. I'm mostly familiar with Soviet-era literature (Bulgakov, Platonov, Solzhenitsin), and some of the Russian classics (Gogol, Pushkin, Chekov, Tolstoy), so it's been a great experience to explore more contemporary literature. It's a great quick read that bears repeat reading, in order to appreciate the nuance of the language and the complexity of the characters. It's also a solid translation that makes an effort to maintain the original richness of the mixture of languages spoken by the characters, which is a very difficult thing to do. If you do read Russian, obviously, reading in the original will enable you to enjoy the Russian Jewish emigres' mix of borrowed English words and Yiddish in a way that can't quite be matched in translation, but it's pretty darn close. Deals with some adult subject matter (brief, not terribly graphic sex, but a little unsettling in the context; death, obviously) in a sensitive way, so I think it would be appropriate for a mature teenager (if this is a concern, I'd read it yourself before giving it to a child/teenager. Though I'd suggest you read yourself anyway!). Shockingly upbeat ending for a Russian novel! Don't get me wrong, somebody definitely dies, but it's downright hopeful, for a Russian novel.

The Funeral Party is a Russian novel set in New York in 1991.Most of the characters are Russian emigres of a somewhat Bohemian cast.This group is a Jewish - Christian mix. The author has a bemused, friendly attitude to both groups and religions , which is rather refreshing. The novel centers around Alik , a charismatic, , not especially successful painter, who is married to Nina. Alik is dying and Nina wants him to get baptized .If that sounds depressing, it isn’t. The novel is written with a light touch. The most depressing aspect of the book is something readers in 2022 will bring with them. The characters pay close attention to the events unfolding in Russia in 1991 and are full of hope for their country. One character even thinks of going back home to Kharkov. Well, we know how that turned out. I am being generous with 4 stars but I enjoyed this easy to read and in some respects wise and compassionate book.

Couldn't relate to Russian culture. Felt book lost focus = had to go back to pick up theme and sort out names of characters. Unexpected comedy especially puns gave me a laugh.

Ludmila Ulitskaya's The Funeral Party is a terrific novella. She manages to pack in a rich reading experience in about 150 pages with wonderful characters and an intriguing story. Alik, a Russian emigre is slowly dying of a mysterious, degenerative disease. The novella takes place over his final days, as people from his past drift in and out of the apartment while Alik himself drifts in and out of consciousness. The story is really about the people in Alik's life and not about Alik, a dynamic artist who has surrounded himself with an entertaining cast of characters. Alik's visitors contemplate love, life, death, the afterlife without a word being wasted. The characters are fully drawn and the dialogue is smart and snappy. Every once in a while, there is a translation hiccup, but other than that, this is a wonderful read. Enjoy!

The Novel is kind of old now so instead of looking for something new in form readers are looking for good execution or interesting subject matter. This novel concerns Russian expats to NY, not the only one to do so, but still not the usual cast of characters. It's quite witty in a good way. The remarks are sensible and apposite to the situations also. Clean and intelligent prose. Some good characters, though perhaps too many and hard to keep track of. Not as bad as the opening of War and Peace where you get introduced to a seeming cast of thousands plus all their patronymics too! So this is a good read but it's also good it's short because it is ultimately a bit thin. No standing on the plow. Also, the main character, the deceased, is kind of too good to be true. Recommended but you can live without it.

"The Funeral Party" comprises a group portrait of New York City's expatriate Russian community during the 1970s and 80s, people as vivid and vital as any you'll find in Dickens, and as a literary achievement of brevity and power it can be compared in its effects to short classics such as "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch" and "The Catcher in the Rye." Don't miss this one. Ulitskaya is a killer.

The story starts well before the funeral, but you know it's coming. The wake before the wake, so to speak, sets up the introduction of fascinating characters from Russia and other countries brought together by their acquaintance with the man in the sickbed. Character development is a strength of the story, as is the writer's ability to make you see, hear, smell and taste the overheated, overcrowded apartment filled with wife, lovers, children, friends and strangers. A quick read, but a deep one.

This book follows a tried and true format for books about dying and the lives involved. It does have its good moments. It does have its tedious moments. Worth a read but I wouldn’t run out to buy it.

The Big Green Tent As narrativas da russa Ludmila Ulitskaya se materializam numa fissura entre o residual da União Soviética e o emergente da (nova) Rússia. A questão, então, que seus romances tentam investigar é: o que é o hegemônico? Isso fica bem claro nas quase 600 páginas de THE BIG GREEN TENT, lançado em inglês no final do ano passado, um romance monumental que acompanha o desmantelamento da União Soviética. Sua primeira obra lançada em inglês THE FUNERAL PARTY (Trad. Cathy Porters) tem pouco mais de 150 páginas, mas também tenta dar conta de um momento parecido. Poderia se chamar My Big Fat Russian Funeral, nas mãos de um escritor menos talentoso, menos propenso a trabalhar o material histórico, mas Ludmila lida exatamente com a intersecção entre o histórico e o pessoal, e a morte do protagonista, um pintor russo chamado Alik que mora nos EUA, é simbolicamente o fim do começo da União Soviética. Montando um panorama apaixonado e variado da comunidade imigrante, o romance é permeado por dúvidas e incertezas. A mulher dele, Nina, implora que ele, agnóstico, se batize. O pintor aceita conversar com um padre, se também conversar com um rabino. É sábado, e Nina sabe que nenhum rabino poderá vir, então se adianta a trazer o padre para que esse tenha alguma vantagem. Esse é apenas um dos episódios cômicos que se dão no claustrofóbico apartamento do casal durante uma onda de calor, enquanto ele agoniza e ex-amantes, amigos e amigas entram e saem, para cuidar e se despedir dele. Como pode caber tanta vida num romance tão curto? Não sei, mas cabe. Ludmila vai e volta no tempo, faz pequenos e grandes perfis dessas pessoas que cercam Alik, todos com algum laço com a União Soviética que está ruindo. Aos poucos, a narrativa também evidencia o contraste entre a cultura russa e a americana, uma pautada por um fatalismo sombrio, enquanto a outra, tão perdida em si mesma, não é capaz de perceber o mundo que a cerca.

In a nutshell - a bloke died. That's it.