The "Magic Realism" of Tatyana Tolstaya

Somebody said that we live the stories that we are telling to ourselves. And Tatyana Tolstaya writes about the people who live through the kind of stories that make their existence unbearable. The protagonists of her books -- Soviet clerks, doctors, engineers, and housewives -- are all stuck in something. For some it is hopes and dreams for a better life, for the others it's unbearable circumstances they chose for their own existence. And the only way to escape the burden of this reality is to create your own world of enchanting dreams and imagination, full of lively characters, magic objects, and playful interactions...


(Photo by Sasha Reshetilov)

Tolstaya's stories do not only offer an interesting way of looking at our perception of everyday life, they also provide a new understanding of life in Russia and The Soviet Union during that time. The period when Russian people had to transform from dreaming romantics into ruthless survivors and when the longing for material well-being came in conflict with the desire for inner peace.

Tolstaya's style is often called "Magic Realism" for the reason that normality in her book is exploded with the world of dreams and imagination, where the grey suburbs transform into beautiful labyrinths of existence; where the gloomy old men and women bloom to become beautiful and fearless emperors of their own lives and start creating the stories they enjoy living.

"It was getting dark. An autumn evening was playing with small pieces of paper scooped from dustbins. [Galya] dropped in the shop one last time [...] She stood in front of the joyless counters: bare beef bones, insipid puree... [...] And now -- let's go home. The journey will be long. The new winter, new hopes, new songs are waiting for us. So, let's sing of the suburbs and rains, the glowing gray houses and long evenings at the doorstep of darkness. Let's praise abandoned land, brown meadows, and coldness of the earth under timid feet. Let's praise the indolent autumn dawn, the barking of the dogs among lonely trees, the fragile golden web of fresh frost on our windows, and the first ice, the first blue ice in a deep imprint of somebody's step."

You can get Tatyana Tolstaya books at the Russian online bookstore Ozon.Ru on Amazon.Com or Amazon.Co.Uk

In Russian, we especially recommend the book "Krug", in English you can read "On the Golden Porch..." (which is a bit hard to get) or the newer "Sleepwalkers in a Fog".