Memoir of a Russian Punk
 | |
| Author | Eduard Limonov |
|---|---|
| Original title | Подросток Савенко |
| Language | Russian |
| Genre | autobiographical novel |
| Publisher | Sintaksis |
Publication date | 1983 |
| Publication place | France |
Published in English | 1990 |
| Pages | 262 |
Memoir of a Russian Punk (Russian: Подросток Савенко, lit. 'Adolescent Savenko') is a 1983 autobiographical novel by the Russian writer Eduard Limonov.
Plot
[edit]Interweaved with flashbacks, the story takes place in Kharkov in 1958, during the 41st anniversary of the October Revolution. Eddie is a 15-year-old boy who comes of age as he writes poetry and tries to rebel against a society he thinks is amoral. He is friends with a group of like-minded youths who occupy themselves by drinking, stealing and raping. Eddie loses his virginity, wins a poetry contest and participates in a robbery that goes wrong. His poetry saves him from a criminal career. Eventually, his friends end up in prison and one of them is executed, but Eddie moves to Europe.[1]
Reception
[edit]Kirkus Reviews wrote that the book "tries hard to shock but ends up being the story of your basic bright, sensitive boy who isn't quite cut out to be a monster of depravity, though he does try".[1] Publishers Weekly wrote that "Limonov expertly captures the horrifying boredom of working-class Soviet urban life, and uses just the right hip, offhand tone to describe Eddie's adventures in the demi-world of teenage gangs and small-time hoods".[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "Memoir of a Russian Punk". Kirkus Reviews. 15 November 1990. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
- ^ "Memoir of a Russian Punk". Publishers Weekly. 1990. Retrieved 18 April 2024.