Andrey Platonov (1899–1951)
Author of The Foundation Pit
About the Author
Andrei Platonov was born in Yanskaya, Sloboda, Russia. An engineer and land-reclamation specialist, Platonov was also a writer. He His first poems were published in the 1920s. Stories and folk tales followed. He became a member of the Pereval group of the 1920s and early 1930s. This group of show more writers was influenced by the humanistic, cultivated ideas of the critic Voronsky. After World War II, the more extreme proletarian writers and critics of the time vehemently attacked Platonov for what was considered his ideological mistakes. Platonov was forced to stop publishing. Russians knew only a portion of his real output until the 1960s when he became popular again. During the 1970s, publication of Platonov's writings in the West revealed him to be an important figure in modern Russian prose. His key novels, The Fountain Pit (1975), and Chevengur (1978), explored the bitter ironies of a land of triumphant socialism-a new Utopia-which systematically deforms language. Profoundly pessimistic, the novels reveal a man deeply skeptical of attempts to remold human nature and highly sensitive to the dark underside of Stalin's grandiose economic projects. (Bowker Author Biography) Andrei Platonov was born in Yanskaya, Sloboda, Russia. An engineer and land-reclamation specialist, Platonov was also a writer. He His first poems were published in the 1920s. Stories and folk tales followed. He became a member of the Pereval group of the 1920s and early 1930s. This group of writers was influenced by the humanistic, cultivated ideas of the critic Voronsky. After World War II, the more extreme proletarian writers and critics of the time vehemently attacked Platonov for what was considered his ideological mistakes. Platonov was forced to stop publishing. Russians knew only a portion of his real output until the 1960s when he became popular again. During the 1970s, publication of Platonov's writings in the West revealed him to be an important figure in modern Russian prose. His key novels, The Fountain Pit (1975), and Chevengur (1978), explored the bitter ironies of a land of triumphant socialism-a new Utopia-which systematically deforms language. Profoundly pessimistic, the novels reveal a man deeply skeptical of attempts to remold human nature and highly sensitive to the dark underside of Stalin's grandiose economic projects. (Bowker Author Biography) Alvar Aalto is considered the father of modernism in Scandinavia. He was born in Kuortane, Finland. His reputation as an architect has spread far beyond the bounds of his native country, where he built the major part of his work. He is perhaps Finland's greatest architect and certainly one of the major figures of twentieth-century architecture. As early as 1923, Aalto built in a typical Scandinavian style, relying heavily on native materials-timber in Finland's case-and produced such masterworks as the Library at Viipuri (1927-35), the Paimio Sanitarium, and the Villa Mairea. In 1932 he invented the process for making bent wood furniture. After World War II, his work began to be noticed internationally as he developed his own singular style, and he built some of his finest works-the Finlandia Concert Hall, in Helsinki, and the Baker Dorms at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, his only building in the United States, (1947-49). His style is based on irregular and asymmetric forms with many curved walls and single-pitched roofs and with a highly imaginative use of natural materials. Aalto is also known for the design of several classic styles of chairs, tables, and glassware. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Image credit: ©The Random House Group
Series
Works by Andrey Platonov
Võlusõrmus : [muinasjutud] 3 copies
Nel grande cantiere 2 copies
Razmyšlenija čitatelja 2 copies
Избранное 2 copies
Избранные произведения 2 copies
Повести и рассказы 2 copies
The Potudan River 2 copies
ポトゥダニ川 1 copy
白い汽船――ソヴェト作品集 — Author — 1 copy
Dżan i inne opowiadania 1 copy
Osada Pocztyliońska 1 copy
Utwory wybrane 1 copy
Powrót i inne utwory 1 copy
Деревянное растение 1 copy
Сокровенный человек 1 copy
不死 プラトーノフ初期作品集 1 copy
" Masterskai͡a". 1 copy
Чевенгур (Russian Edition) 1 copy
Волшебное кольцо 1 copy
Котлован (Russian Edition) 1 copy
Fro 1 copy
Schastlivaya Moskva 1 copy
Von der Feuerstätte bis zum Reaktor — Illustrator — 1 copy
Tchevengur 1 copy
The River Potudan 1 copy
В прекрасном и яростном мире 1 copy
La primavera della morte 1 copy
Il mare della giovinezza 1 copy
U chelovecheskogo serdtsa 1 copy
The Foudation Pit 1 copy
Csevengur 1 copy
Sobranie 1 copy
O zlé carevně 1 copy
O hloupém Ivanovi 1 copy
Associated Works
Meesters der vertelkunst : zevenenderdig verhalen uit de moderne wereldliteratuur (1975) — Contributor — 2 copies
The Eagle — Illustrator — 1 copy
ソヴェート文学 Советская Литература No.17 / 1968 1月号 — Contributor — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Klimentov, Andrei Platonovich
- Other names
- Платонов, Андрей Платонович
- Birthdate
- 1899-08-28
- Date of death
- 1951-01-05
- Burial location
- Armenian Cemetery, Moscow, Russia
- Gender
- male
- Nationality
- Russia
- Birthplace
- Voronezh, Russian Empire
- Place of death
- Moscow, Russia, USSR
- Places of residence
- Voronezh, Russia
Moscow, Russia - Education
- Voronezh Polytechnic Institute
- Occupations
- journalist
writer
engineer - Short biography
- He was married to Maria Aleksandrova Kashintseva, with one son, Platon, and one daughter, Maria.
Members
Reviews
The River Potudan by Andrei Platonov
As far as short stories go, this was... fine? Not really memorable in my opinion, but definitely fine. It gave me some things to think about I guess? It was a little bit weird, I wouldn't mind reading more by Platonov but wouldn't go out of my way.
½
This one was slightly more memorable than "The River Potudan," but it wasn't better. I didn't enjoy it more or anything but the kids running after the train and the whole thing with the son acting like an adult and stuff ... I feel like I'm more likely to remember it, but actually I don't think that makes a huge difference in my opinion compared to the one before (this takes place after River Potudan) and it was still kind of meh to me. There is some interesting stuff going on though I guess… (more)
Story: 2.0 / 10
Characters: 4
Setting: 8.5
Prose: 3.5
Tags: Communism, Socialism, peasantry, work, meaning, generations
Characters: 4
Setting: 8.5
Prose: 3.5
Tags: Communism, Socialism, peasantry, work, meaning, generations
The book comprises a main story 'Happy Moscow' and related works - short stories, an essay, and a screenplay. Unexpectedly, the story I like most is "The Sparrow's Journey". I was contemplating skipping it since it is not the main story. Glad I read it. It is a simple story but it leaves a deep impression. An old lonely fiddler finds company in a sparrow which has been listening to his playing. One day, the sparrow was carried away to a faraway land by a hurricane. Since then, the sparrow had been trying to find a way home whereas the fiddler was left forlorn by the sparrow's absence. The sparrow did make its way home and by coincidence or design, the old man found the sparrow. The return journey had left the sparrow severely injured and it died not long after. The old fiddler was inconsolable. You wonder if it would be better if the sparrow had not returned?… (more)
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- Works
- 129
- Also by
- 16
- Members
- 2,314
- Popularity
- #11,097
- Rating
- 3.9
- Reviews
- 42
- ISBNs
- 206
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- Favorited
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