Doctor Zhivago

Rating:
Summary: Worth reading
Review: A complex, stirring book that hits the reader on a multitude of levels, -Doctor Zhivago- achieves for Boris Pasternak the true desire of an author--to give an insight on the world we live in and the people that populate it, to express lessons and morals discovered by the author (in his perspective) and painstakingly exact them from the gray matter to paper. * Russian life and russian struggle is the theme of Pasternak's masterpiece; he tells the story of the russian revolution through not only his central protagonists but also through a myriad of random charicters that flitter in and out of his vivid, sometimes hallucinary prose. At times this is distracting, espicially with the long and difficult to pronounce names, but as a whole it creates a vision of a time and society that no longer exists except in tomes such as this. * In fact, the names are the only reason I do not award this book a full rating of five: in the version I read the charicters were named at times by their first, later by their last, in seemingly random order, which grew confusing. * Other than that, Doctor Zhivago is a rich and rewarding text worth reading.

Rating:
Summary: An amazing work of imagery hidden in a simple story
Review: Doctor Zhivago is a work of greatness. It paints a picture so vivid, so real, that you can't help but see it. Boris Pasternak's greatest work, Zhivago won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1958. That he was forced by the Soviet Government to not accept that prize is just another testament to his writing. His life was filled with censure from the government, and he was looked down upon by his people. Doctor Zhivago was rejected by Soviet publishers as counter-revolutionary, and was subsequently smuggled out to Italy where it was originally published in the Russian language. It was not published in Russia until 1988.

All this controversy could not have been generated by a lesser book. Pasternak's style of writing is one to provoke thought: rather than social issues running his characters, it was rather love, faith and destiny that did so. Social issues were considered by Pasternak to be important only in so far as they influence individual human destiny. This style can only be successful with the inclusion of powerful metaphors and intellectual conversations and thoughts; the author does all this and more.

Doctor Zhivago takes place in Russia during the Russian Revolution of 1917 and the civil war that followed. This is a time of extreme poverty, and Dr. Yury Andreyevich Zhivago decides to move him and his family out of Moscow and into the country. It also follows the life of Larissa Fyodorovna Guishar (subsequently Antipova), another Moscow native who also finds herself in the country, away from the disease and destitution. The book covers the many chance (or destined) encounters these two characters have had over the years: a party in Moscow, serving together at the front (he as a doctor and she as a nurse) as well as meeting again in the small town of Yuryatin. Yury was an intelligent man. He was of course a doctor, and he was a writer as well (over 30 pages of poems written by him are included in this novel). He is a man of intense feeling, he sees things like we all would like to be able to see. He is highly philosophical, constantly pursuing the meaning of life (much, I suspect, like Pasternak himself). Lara, who becomes his mistress, does not see everything like he does. He loves her for that, and jumps at the chance to be able to recite poetry to her, to educate her in his version of life. But Lara is not stupid. She understands what the revolution means: "Everything established, settled, everything to do with home and order and the common round, has crumbled into dust and been swept away in the general upheaval and reorganization of the whole of society. The whole human way of life has been destroyed and ruined." Yury and Lara try to shelter themselves from the turmoil going on around them in the civil war that followed the revolution. Yet through all this Yury still sees the beauty of life, the reasons for trying to hold on to a single moment, and to try and make this last. Doctor Zhivago is a great story. I love the feelings it portrays, the pictures it paints. Even being translated from Russian seems not to have hurt the artistry. The only weakness in the translation is that the poems at the end of the book are very choppy, and do not resemble poetry that much at all. Yet after reading the novel, I could feel nothing but gratitude to the translators, for making this masterpiece available to the English-speaking world. The novel leaves you with a feeling of sadness. Sadness not just for the characters, but also because Pasternak's life was much like Zhivago's. Forced to live in a place where his views were no longer accepted, Zhivago tries to remain pure, a symbol of artistic incorruptibility. Pasternak did the same, living out his days in an artist colony in disgrace. Pasternak summed up his life with a poem he wrote in 1959 entitled "Nobel Prize", wherein he said: "Am I a gangster or a murderer? Of what crime do I stand Condemned? I made the whole world weep At the beauty of my land." If you are trying to understand Soviet mentality, you should read this book. If you are trying to discover meaning for your life, read this book. If you are looking to read one of the greatest novels of this century, one that will leave you awestruck with it's imagery and enlightened by it's philosophy, then by all means read Doctor Zhivago.

Rating:
Summary: This is...
Review: ...a stellar translation and the only one to buy. Most cross-linguistic clumsiness is eliminated, leaving only the text's raw grace.

Rating:
Summary: As A Useful Cold War Tool, Inevitably It Was Overpraised
Review: The banning of "Dr Zhivago" in the USSR because of the main character's ambiguity towards the Russian Revolution - the Doctor was not actually against it - made this book a useful example of the absurd lengths the Kremlin was willing to go to impose censorship. Its reception made it a useful teaching tool in the West to help people understand this aspect of the Soviet Union. Unfortunately it got so overpraised during the Cold War that the weaknesses of the plot and the often pedestrian writing tend to shock those readers expecting another Tolstoy or Dostoevsky. Writers like Nabokov and Graham Greene tried to offer some sensible criticism at the time, about this novel, as literature, and their comments are worth looking up. Even today in Russia Pasternak is still revered for his poetry rather than this novel.

I remember as a Soviet Studies student in college (1980's), "Dr Zhivago" was always assigned in the History of Russia classes, not the Russian Literature courses. For literature we read (and thoroughly enjoyed) "The Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov. This darkly ironic satire of Stalin's pre-war Russia also works as a universal novel, a commentary on life that any sensitive reader can enjoy (I recommend Mira Ginsburg's funny, lyrical translation published by Grove Press - I've read it six or seven times). Bulgakov finished the book in 1940, when he died, and it sat in a draw until published in the 60's. Readers may also wish to try the short stories of Zoshchenko and the poetry of Anna Akhmatova, for some real 20th century Russian literature that can stand the test of time, not just the duration of the cold war.

There ARE enjoyable passages in the book, but after a while the poor conception and execution of the novel as a structure become apparent. I agree with the other reviewers who have noticed this. Keep an eye out for the reference to Stalin as a "pock-marked Caligula," and the single reference to Leon Trostky as "Lyobochka," both very daring at the time (they show how far we have come, too, since 1991).

Rating:
Summary: Great Adventure, Romance and Political Novel
Review: This book truly does take on multiple genres. It is an adventure story about a man's quest through the trials and tribulations of the Russian revolution. It is also a political novel in that it comments on those very events going on around that individual, Yuri Zhivago. It is also and primarily a romantic novel about the loves and lives of various individuals caught up in an extremely tumultuous time and waht effects those events and preceedings have on their very souls.

This novel is as well written as many classic Russian novels are, and is even more of an interesting read to someone who is familiar with those works. There are references constantly to Dostoevsky, Pushkin and the like. The novel builds on all of those authors and shows how those authors have truly influenced the lives of the characters.

Another interesting aspect of this novel is that Boris Pasternak seems to have truly taken on his alternate persona of Yuri Zhivago when writing this novel. Though written in third person you often get the idea that this novel is actually being written by Yuri about the world around him. This idea is further entrenched by the collection of poems at the rear supposedly written by the good doctor himself.

The style of this novel is that of an excellent piece of poetry. It does what so much great russian literature does, which is to combine philosophy and deep thinking about the world with a lovely poetic description. This novel can speak to you on many levels, it can make you think deep thoughts, or you can simply let it carry you away on a tide of emotions. The choice is up to you but either way do not pass this novel up.

Rating:
Summary: The turmoil of the Russian revolution
Review: The novel is a compelling tale of the events during and after the Russian revolution. People are caught up in events not of their own choosing, over which they have no control. The old order collapses to be replaced by a new order coming out of the revolution. Families are torn apart. Dr. Zhivago is separated from Lara, never to find her again.

One of the scenes that sticks in my mind is a battle where men are ordered to fire on the "enemies," i.e., people opposing the politicians running their side of the struggle. One man simply aims at a tree on the battlefield. Occasionally someone chances to come between him and the tree. He considers it a matter over which he has no control.

It is an example of politicians using people as pawns to fight their opponents, the opponents being people who might otherwise have been their friends. It is a classic struggle for power.

Rating:
Summary: Making love, war and revolution
Review: One of the biggest difficulties a western reader have to overcome when he/she starts reading Boris Pasternak's "Doctor Zhivago" is to stop trying to figure out how to pronounce those giant strange Russian names and focus on the narrative. Once that is done, the reader has reached half way to succed in reading this book.

Sure the big and unusual names are not the most difficult part of this novel of epic proportions, but when one stops worrying about them, things smooth over. Those Russian names are beautiful, but very difficult to imagine how to pronounce them, and we have a tendency of wanting to pronounce everything --even if it is inside our minds. Forget the names.

Names issue aside, "Doctor Zhivago" is a great book --in more than one sense-- telling the story of love, war and revolution. It is possible to argue that Zhivago and Lara's love story is the central spine of the narrative, while the war and revolution work as background. This concept is too reductive, once both war and revolution have main role in bringing the couple together and them apart.

The three issues are what conduce the narrative. Of course the reader has the expectation of seeing the two lovers interacting together, but they spend so much apart from each other that it is impossible not to start to follow attentively the war and then the revolution. These three aspects take turn in the major focus of the action. And this is one of the aspects that make this novel so multi layered. One can find love, adventure, political ideas and a portrait of life in Russia in the period before and right after the revolution, not to mention, the portrait of the human existence that is in the whole book.

The characters are very well developed and human. The unfolding of the action takes time, and this why the novel may seem to be slow going at times. It is not a fault, but actually Pasternak's style. Contemporary readers may be annoyed, but not the ones who care beautiful and deep narratives. This aspect reminded me of Charles Frazier's "Cold Mountain".

To sum up, "Doctor Zhivago" is a very beautiful book, highly recommended. Its story may please those who like adventures, those who prefer love, and those who enjoy political dramas alike.

Rating:
Summary: See the movie instead; Pasternak's no Tolstoy!
Review: Absolutely terrible. He should have stuck to writing poetry. If you're interested in the story, see the movie: it's true to the book but is actually organized and coherent.

Rating:
Summary: Must read classic
Review: This book is about the survival of human spirit and love above war and other evils that affected Russia during the revolution. The story follows Dr. Zhivago a middle class doctor and his trials and tribulations that he undergoes because of the the revolution. It is about how war affects man, so as to reduce him to his basic instincts. Dr Zhivago's unflinching love for Lara, his moral responsibilities o his family and the beautiful Russian countryside juxtaposed with horrifying images of war make this book a great peace of literature. The writer expresses his political views through Dr Zhivago and how correct of the author Pasternak to have predicted the downfall of communism. I would definitely recommend this book as this is one of the greatest books of this century.

Rating:
Summary: great book !!
Review: This is really a great book. As I understand, when it first came out, it was banned in the Soviet Union and the author was not allowed to go and get his Nobel Prize.

I definitely admire Boris Pasternak for his insight and his boldness in writing this book, exposing the defects of Communism. When it came out in 1957-58, Communism was very dominant in the world. What happened in the 1990's - the decline of Communism world-wide and the breakup of the Soviet Union have all vindiicated him.

It is really comforting to hear that this book is no longer banned in Russia and that Pasternak's son had been allowed to travel to Stockhom to get the Nobel Prize on his behalf. Truth and justice have finally prevailed. This book should be mandatary reading for young people all over the world.