Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
NYRB Classics (2009), Paperback, 208 pages
Description
Platonov's dystopian novel describes the lives of a group of Soviet workers who believe they are laying the foundations for a radiant future. As they work harder and dig deeper, their optimism turns to violence and it becomes clear that what is being dug is not a foundation pit but an immense grave.
User reviews
LibraryThing member DieFledermaus
In the introduction to the NYRB edition of The Foundation Pit, Platonov is described as “doing violence to language” and that is an apt description of the book. It has a disjointed, surreal plot and isolated characters who react with numb indifference to violence or bizarre events. The story is
I did enjoy Platonov’s Soul, which told its story of extreme deprivation in gorgeous language. Here, it’s the opposite – another story of deprivation but related in a deliberately bizarre way. The main character, Voshchev, is “made redundant” at his job and wanders until he is employed digging the foundation for what is supposed to be a great workers’ home. The foundation is never done and the unhappiness that prevails is the permanent state of things. Many of the characters look forward to some bright future – seeing it in various children and the girl that comes to join them, Nastya. Here, Platonov portrays the characters having accepted the state-mandated optimism in the face of actual hardship. Even though this idea comes from different characters, they are still unhappy – Voshchev worries about the meaning of life, Prushevky, the director, continually thinks of his death, the workers live in crowded, poor conditions. The futility of communication in such a society is shown through the disjointed conversations and notably unnatural language of the characters.
Some of the characters get involved in the collectivization of a nearby village (although place is kept ambiguous). Bizarre things happen here as well – there’s a random fight over coffins, which keep popping up, some people die in a random way (I thought they weren’t serious at first when the fact was mentioned), one character, Chiklin, keeps punching people with either no appreciable effect or deaths that spark minimal reactions, and a bear suddenly appears and points out kulaks. The division between kulaks (rich peasants, but often a term used for anyone you wanted to get rid of) and other peasants is a major event but the kulak liquidation is weird and again alienating. The notes and introduction point out that even Platonov’s oddest events have a basis in actual events, Russian philosophy and literature or Christian history and rites. Some I could see – the chickens who don’t lay eggs are “pro-kulak” and a windy day is also evidence of a conspiracy. Life and death hinge on a comma in an official document. And one kulak gets in this comment – ‘All right then, make the whole republic into a collective farm – but the whole republic will end up belonging to a single man. It’ll be his private holding!...Well you look out! There’s no me today, and there’ll be no you tomorrow…And that’s how it’ll end – the only person who’ll ever reach socialism is that one important man of yours.’
I am sure I didn’t get a lot of the allusions or references what with the translation (this is a book were every word is important) and my ignorance of the Russian philosophers, specific speeches and Christian traditions that were alluded to. This is one book where I would say the introduction should be read first. I didn’t really like it but it is interesting and admirable in a rather clinical way. I’ll have to see if my opinion of this one changes over time.
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told in extremely alienating language, both in the actual prose and the general disconnect of dialogue and plot elements. I can’t say it was an engrossing or enjoyable read. It’s perhaps admirable in the way Platonov uses these techniques to illustrate the misfortune of the Soviet state and the forced peasant collectivization. I did enjoy Platonov’s Soul, which told its story of extreme deprivation in gorgeous language. Here, it’s the opposite – another story of deprivation but related in a deliberately bizarre way. The main character, Voshchev, is “made redundant” at his job and wanders until he is employed digging the foundation for what is supposed to be a great workers’ home. The foundation is never done and the unhappiness that prevails is the permanent state of things. Many of the characters look forward to some bright future – seeing it in various children and the girl that comes to join them, Nastya. Here, Platonov portrays the characters having accepted the state-mandated optimism in the face of actual hardship. Even though this idea comes from different characters, they are still unhappy – Voshchev worries about the meaning of life, Prushevky, the director, continually thinks of his death, the workers live in crowded, poor conditions. The futility of communication in such a society is shown through the disjointed conversations and notably unnatural language of the characters.
Some of the characters get involved in the collectivization of a nearby village (although place is kept ambiguous). Bizarre things happen here as well – there’s a random fight over coffins, which keep popping up, some people die in a random way (I thought they weren’t serious at first when the fact was mentioned), one character, Chiklin, keeps punching people with either no appreciable effect or deaths that spark minimal reactions, and a bear suddenly appears and points out kulaks. The division between kulaks (rich peasants, but often a term used for anyone you wanted to get rid of) and other peasants is a major event but the kulak liquidation is weird and again alienating. The notes and introduction point out that even Platonov’s oddest events have a basis in actual events, Russian philosophy and literature or Christian history and rites. Some I could see – the chickens who don’t lay eggs are “pro-kulak” and a windy day is also evidence of a conspiracy. Life and death hinge on a comma in an official document. And one kulak gets in this comment – ‘All right then, make the whole republic into a collective farm – but the whole republic will end up belonging to a single man. It’ll be his private holding!...Well you look out! There’s no me today, and there’ll be no you tomorrow…And that’s how it’ll end – the only person who’ll ever reach socialism is that one important man of yours.’
I am sure I didn’t get a lot of the allusions or references what with the translation (this is a book were every word is important) and my ignorance of the Russian philosophers, specific speeches and Christian traditions that were alluded to. This is one book where I would say the introduction should be read first. I didn’t really like it but it is interesting and admirable in a rather clinical way. I’ll have to see if my opinion of this one changes over time.
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LibraryThing member McCaine
Andrey Platonov (real name: A.P. Klimentov) is one of the least well-known of the "silver era" of Russian/Soviet writers. This generation, active in roughly the period 1917-1937, is particularly famous for its dystopian, satirical and magical realist criticisms, with such writers as Zamyatin,
"The Foundation Pit" is an extremely cynical novel describing the hollow, opportunistic, brainless and hopeless lives of a group of workers creating the living space of the future, that is, a super-highrise in which all the proletariat will be housed. This project is already obviously impossible and never-ending, but things are only worsened by the fact that none of the people involved have any idea what they are doing or living for.
Written in an very simple and effective style (as one reviewer disappointedly mentioned, do not expect any flights of high-level prose here), Platonov demonstrates the futility of the grand projects of the Stalinist period, as well as the complete impossibility for regular people to make any sense out of the government ideology and propaganda. The book is extremely grim and cynical, and the pointless despair is detailed without any softening or moderation. This may at times make it hard to keep reading, especially when Platonov describes a small nearby farming town's collectivization of agriculture, which really consists of a series of completely arbitrary lethal disasters. Nevertheless, if you like and can handle harsh books, this is a certain must read. Knowing a bit about the background of the period it describes will certainly help with the enjoyment though, as then the blunt tone of the author will come into its own.
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Bulgakov, Ilf, Paustovsky, etc. etc. However, with this novel, Platonov definitely deserves to take his place beside them, despite never having received the respect due during his life. "The Foundation Pit" is an extremely cynical novel describing the hollow, opportunistic, brainless and hopeless lives of a group of workers creating the living space of the future, that is, a super-highrise in which all the proletariat will be housed. This project is already obviously impossible and never-ending, but things are only worsened by the fact that none of the people involved have any idea what they are doing or living for.
Written in an very simple and effective style (as one reviewer disappointedly mentioned, do not expect any flights of high-level prose here), Platonov demonstrates the futility of the grand projects of the Stalinist period, as well as the complete impossibility for regular people to make any sense out of the government ideology and propaganda. The book is extremely grim and cynical, and the pointless despair is detailed without any softening or moderation. This may at times make it hard to keep reading, especially when Platonov describes a small nearby farming town's collectivization of agriculture, which really consists of a series of completely arbitrary lethal disasters. Nevertheless, if you like and can handle harsh books, this is a certain must read. Knowing a bit about the background of the period it describes will certainly help with the enjoyment though, as then the blunt tone of the author will come into its own.
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LibraryThing member john257hopper
A grim slice of Soviet reality during collectivisation. Not for the general reader, as one must be aware of this political background and the political and socio-cultural background of the time. The little girl Nastya is the best character, her childlike observations and the enthusiasm she shows
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for the new life despite her suffering being chilling to the modern reader. The suffering and death in the peasantry is poignantly and starkly described, with the constant presence of coffins of varying sizes for children and adults alike. Show Less
LibraryThing member Imshi
This book excellently demonstrates the grim realities of Soviet-era life.
LibraryThing member Narboink
The Afterward in the 2009 edition (which I recommend reading as a Forward or Introduction) includes this bullseye assessment: "The Foundation Pit is probably the work in which Platonov does most violence to language." It is an incredibly difficult book to read, if for no other reason than that
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deliberate grammatical dissonance permeates it throughout. Even so, there are scenes and passages that are positively exquisite. Unfamiliarity with the Terror Famine or Total Collectivization doubtless makes comprehension tougher and lessens the ability to appreciate what Platonov has done. Fortunately, it's a relatively short novel and I expect that it will be exponentially more enjoyable on a second or third reading. Show Less
LibraryThing member lethalmauve
As if I needed anything more depressing during such severe days of repetition and bleakness, I settle with Platonov's The Foundation Pit on my lap. While this month brings a lot of rain and dark clouds, I've gotten accustomed to waking up in very early mornings; the pitter-pattering bouncing
"If we want to destroy religion and are conscious that this has to be done, since communism and religion are incompatible, then, in place of religion we must give the people not less than religion but more than religion. Many of us think that it is possible to take faith away without giving people anything better. The would of contemporary man is organized in such a way that if faith is removed, it will be completely overturned."
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against the windows, against rows of steel, against hard stone. Today I stared at the ceiling without much rest, with a tired heart, an empty mind, feeling sick, this philosophical fable brushing along my skull. The lengths people will go through for the idealistic promise of a better society have always been horrifying. In this dry yet evocative novel, the workers tirelessly dig a foundation for a majestic building. As they dig deeper, it becomes clear this is a grave for their overworked, exploited bodies. The religious allusions referred throughout The Foundation Pit greatly juxtaposes the godless utopia the Soviet Union promotes. The text from time to time is evasive, challenging. But the allegory on the early days of the Soviet Union, the disillusionment under the sickle and hammer symbol comes through; the liquidation of certain classes, Total Collectivization, dekulakilization. Several sacrifices along with the implied suffering/violence of its people for nought reveal the brutality at the expense of the progress never fully actualised."If we want to destroy religion and are conscious that this has to be done, since communism and religion are incompatible, then, in place of religion we must give the people not less than religion but more than religion. Many of us think that it is possible to take faith away without giving people anything better. The would of contemporary man is organized in such a way that if faith is removed, it will be completely overturned."
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Language
Original language
Russian
Original publication date
1930 (original Russian)
1975 (English: Ginsburg)
Physical description
208 p.; 7.9 inches
ISBN
1590173058 / 9781590173053