Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Grupo editor de Buenos Aires
Description
Originally written in 1974, Definitely Maybe is here presented in its first ever unexpurgated edition. Its protagonist, Dmitry Alekseyevich Malyanov is an astrophysicist; just as he begins to realise that he is on the verge of a revolutionary discovery worthy of a Nobel Prize, his life becomes plagued by strange events. Malyanov suspects that his discovery is in the way of someone (or something) intent on preventing the completion of his work. An explanation is proposed by Malyanov's friend: the force is the Universe's adverse reaction to mankind's scientific pursuit.
Media reviews
The Definitely Maybe is a novel by Arkady Strugatsky & Boris Strugatsky, published in 1974 or 1975. The version I've read is the Hungarian edition, published by Kozmosz Könyvek in 1978. It is a drama about researchers who face strange phenomena, hindering their works. I did not enjoy the book from
Show More
the Strugatsky brothers, and I think there are better stories out there to read. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member gbill
No, not the 2008 romantic comedy, though that was good too. :)
Written in 1977 in the Soviet Union under the title “A Billion Years Before the End of the World”, this is the story of a group of scientists who are on the verge of making important discoveries in their various fields, when their
The novella is described as “science fiction”, but it was a vehicle for the Strugatsky brothers to comment on life in the Soviet Union, a fact not lost on the censors at the time. The full text was not published until 2000, and just recently translated into English. It was a very personal story for them, one of the difficulties of having courage in the face of an oppressive power which is absurd, faceless, and blind. Some back down out of fear for themselves or their family, knowing that it’s wrong, will mean that they won’t be able to look their kids in the eyes the same way again, and that others will have to carry forward the fight without them. The spiritual desolation that results is captured in this haunting line which recurs: “I was told that this road would take me to the ocean of death, and turned back halfway. Since then crooked, roundabout, godforsaken paths stretch out before me.”
Written in 1977 in the Soviet Union under the title “A Billion Years Before the End of the World”, this is the story of a group of scientists who are on the verge of making important discoveries in their various fields, when their
Show More
work is interrupted by a series of random events which range from the sensual to the ominous. There is an unseen force at work that threatens them, something they’ll never completely comprehend, though one of their more interesting speculations is that it’s the Universe organically ‘striking back’ against rationality and the advances of science, essentially in an entropic counterbalance, in order to maintain stasis. The novella is described as “science fiction”, but it was a vehicle for the Strugatsky brothers to comment on life in the Soviet Union, a fact not lost on the censors at the time. The full text was not published until 2000, and just recently translated into English. It was a very personal story for them, one of the difficulties of having courage in the face of an oppressive power which is absurd, faceless, and blind. Some back down out of fear for themselves or their family, knowing that it’s wrong, will mean that they won’t be able to look their kids in the eyes the same way again, and that others will have to carry forward the fight without them. The spiritual desolation that results is captured in this haunting line which recurs: “I was told that this road would take me to the ocean of death, and turned back halfway. Since then crooked, roundabout, godforsaken paths stretch out before me.”
Show Less
LibraryThing member Booktacular
A short but captivating tale of confusion on a cosmic scale, all taking place inside a few units of some undescribed soviet era apartment building. Vonnegut-esque with a Russian twist. This still feels very modern today here in America, possibly due to so much talk about government control and all
Show More
of the paranoia that accompanies such talk. A novel from a time and place where there was actually that sort of government influence in everyday lives rings true in the cultural climate of America circa 2014. A very fun read, too. Show Less
LibraryThing member greeniezona
This book had been on my TBR for a long while. The back cover claims the Strugatsky brothers were the greatest science fiction writers of the Soviet era, so I was a little embarrassed to have not read them yet. Once I picked it up, I read the whole thing over my birthday weekend.
It starts out as
The story is very Soviet in nature and also sometimes Kafka-esque. There ends up being some meditating on the ties that bind -- those who have wives (of course only wives in this story, there are no female or LGBTQ scientists or engineers) and children and those who don't -- and how that impacts who has the luxury of both resistance and also dedicating themselves to research.
Messy, sometimes madcap, sometimes sinister. Always interesting.
It starts out as
Show More
almost a comedy of errors. Malianov, an astrophysicist, is on the brink of a breakthrough, but every time he sits down to work on his paper, a bigger and more demanding distraction interrupts him -- from wrong numbers to a surprise food delivery to neighbors dropping by to a criminal investigation. It starts to get suspicious when the friends drop in, who also have strange tales of interruptions and roadblocks sidetracking them from taking on bold new work. Things rapidly progress to competing conspiracy theories and alien vs. governmental control, and strong disagreements on whether it is safe, or if there is even a point to resist.The story is very Soviet in nature and also sometimes Kafka-esque. There ends up being some meditating on the ties that bind -- those who have wives (of course only wives in this story, there are no female or LGBTQ scientists or engineers) and children and those who don't -- and how that impacts who has the luxury of both resistance and also dedicating themselves to research.
Messy, sometimes madcap, sometimes sinister. Always interesting.
Show Less
LibraryThing member mkfs
Something is keeping leading scientists from getting any work done, threatening the future of scientific progress.
Is it a meddling alien civilization, intent on keeping the human race from ascendancy?
Is it an unyielding law of conservation, preserving order in an uncaring universe?
Is it an Era of
This is an enjoyable little book, intent more on the human reaction to the ongoing interference than on its actual cause. One can even glimpse the novel's inspiration behind the mysterious events: an author, constantly distracted and interrupted by neighbors, friends, spouses, the telephone, the doorbell, and the relentless heat, wonders what it would be like if these were all part of a concerted effort, and what would that mean for the individual and for humanity.
N.B.: The title in Russian is apparently "One Billion Years Before the End of the World" (or Universe), which is drawn directly from the text, but which is somehow less evocative of its themes than the English edition title "Definitely Maybe".
Is it a meddling alien civilization, intent on keeping the human race from ascendancy?
Is it an unyielding law of conservation, preserving order in an uncaring universe?
Is it an Era of
Show More
Stagnation in a poorly-planned socialist economy?This is an enjoyable little book, intent more on the human reaction to the ongoing interference than on its actual cause. One can even glimpse the novel's inspiration behind the mysterious events: an author, constantly distracted and interrupted by neighbors, friends, spouses, the telephone, the doorbell, and the relentless heat, wonders what it would be like if these were all part of a concerted effort, and what would that mean for the individual and for humanity.
N.B.: The title in Russian is apparently "One Billion Years Before the End of the World" (or Universe), which is drawn directly from the text, but which is somehow less evocative of its themes than the English edition title "Definitely Maybe".
Show Less
LibraryThing member djh_1962
What an extraordinary book this is. Think Bulgakov combined with the Asimov of 'Asimov’s Mysteries' meets Wallace Shawn. It’s a wholly sustained SF novel set exclusively in an apartment. That description of course belies its scope and ambition. The very informative Afterword by Boris Strugatsky
Show More
describes the first idea for the book as ‘“Faust, 20th century.” Hell and Heaven try to stop the development of science.’ Perfect. They carry it off. Show Less
Subjects
Awards
NPR: Books We Love (2014)
Language
Original publication date
1978 (English translation)
1976
Other editions
Decididamente tal vez by Boris y Arkadi Strugatski (Paperback)