A School for Fools - Sasha Sokolov
Main impressions
At first, I didn’t like it; it seemed like yet another artificial language work, a kind of Russian Ulysses.
However, as I delved deeper into the text and the protagonist’s world, a sense of tenderness and love for the world, people, and language took hold. The layered nature of the text is beautiful, allowing each reader to find something that resonates with them on a personal level.
The main takeaway for me was a newfound inspiration toward things and people around me. It’s about looking at things anew, through some magical prism, and finding a unique beauty in the simplest things and in the weaving of words.
A Special Approach to Time
Time in this novel is intriguing: it exists, but it’s very subjective and unreliable. Initially, this feels unusual and uncomfortable, but you simply need to let yourself be carried along by the flow of the text, to drift on its waves without trying to understand where it’s leading.
The protagonist often reflects on the idea that time is not as straightforward or universal as it seems, emphasizing the difference between subjective time and objective time (whose existence is questioned).
Наши календари слишком условны, и цифры, которые там написаны, ничего не означают и ничем не обеспечены, подобно фальшивым деньгам
Еще я хотел бы сказать, что у каждого человека есть свой, особый, не похожий ни на чей, календарь жизни
What Is This “School for Fools”?
The protagonist (protagonists?) attends a special school for “fools.” However, it gives the impression that this school, where students do things because they have to, shout rudely, and prepare meaningless performances, also symbolizes the Soviet society as a whole. People may not truly believe in the “bright communist future,” yet they still labor for it; they’re expected to attend demonstrations, and even a queue position in shop can trigger scandal, shouting, and cursing.
Just a Sample Quote
Когда я иду в школу или на почту, чтобы мне поставили штемпель на спичечную этикетку с изображением Козодоя, мне легко бывает отыскивать вокруг себя и в памяти вещи, явления — и мне приятно о них думать, — которые невозможно ни задать на дом, ни выучить. Никто не в состоянии выучить: шум дождя, аромат маттиолы, предчувствие небытия, полет шмеля, броуновское движение и многое прочее. Все это можно изучить, но выучить — никогда.
But be prepared for parts of the text to come without any punctuation at all. It reads quite smoothly, even better when heard aloud — it’s the kind of text meant to be voiced.