Descrizione
Price: 9,88€ - 9,49 €
(as of Feb 04, 2025 14:21:36 UTC – Details)
Professor Persikov, an eccentric zoologist, stumbles upon a new light ray that accelerates growth and reproduction rates in living organisms. In the wake of a plague that has decimated the country’s poultry stocks, Persikov’s discovery is exploited as a means to correct the problem. As foreign agents, the state and the Soviet media all seize upon the red ray, matters get out of hand…
Set in 1928 but written four years earlier, during Stalin’s rise to power, The Fatal Eggs is both an early piece of science fiction reminiscent of H.G. Wells and a biting, brilliant satire on the consequences of the abuse of power and knowledge.
Editore : Alma Books; Translation edizione (17 luglio 2014)
Lingua : Inglese
Copertina flessibile : 160 pagine
ISBN-10 : 1847493718
ISBN-13 : 978-1847493712
Peso articolo : 1,05 Kilograms
Dimensioni : 13.21 x 1.19 x 20.04 cm
Enrico Colombini –
Bulgakov never lets you down
A rare example of early Russian science fiction in H.G.Wells style (and well-masked poilitical satire) from a master. My only complaint is that the novel is too short. Oh well… would you like some eggs?
alex proctor –
This was written in the early twenties of the last century and is a satire on the dangers of scientific research which is not accountable to the community – an early warning of what was to come. written in his usual elegant style and sometimes very funny!
AmazonCustomerSince2014 –
If a person like this existed in a different society, what would his fate be like?What really stood out was that Persikov had zero celebrity status in the society in which he lived.
P. Weiser –
First of all, this is a good translation – not too dry, with (IIRC) only about one obvioius idiom-literally-translated. Not scholarly, or not noticeably so.It’s a stemwinder of a story, the Soviet Union during the NEP when things seemed to actually be working and the future was bright (though dangerous when those with Influence pushed too hard). Accompanying notes indicate that, before the censors got to it, the happy-among-the-ruins aspect was much darker. There are no perfect villains, just the stupid and ambitious – but they’re enough!It’s a wild ride by the author of “The Master and Margarita,” an early work – soft sci-fi, we’d call it today. Highly recommended.
Penelope Weiss –
The Fatal Eggs was written early in his career by Mikhail Bulgakov, the author of the much more famous book The Master and Margarita. Later, Bulgakov wrote Heart of a Dog, which is similar to The Fatal Eggs but much funnier. Both The Fatal Eggs and Heart of a Dog are about a loner scientist who experiments with “life” and gets unexpected results. Besides being funny, these books are quite clearly a sardonic comment on Soviet life. This, of course, got Bulgakov into trouble with the state. Decades later, these books still resonate.
Booksfilmsandstuff –
You should read the afterward first in my opinion. Once you understand the full context of the metaphors bulgakov wad using this book will give you chills.