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Dr Zhivago

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Clarissa

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I always wondered why a clumsy, trite novel like Doctor Zhivago merited its author the Nobel Prize. Boris Pasternak is a genius poet. Extraordinary, absolutely incredible. But his novel is saccharine, melodramatic crap.

Well, guess what? Finally, I found out. The CIA made huge efforts to get him the Nobel Prize because they thought the novel could be used to discredit pro-Soviet feelings around the world.

I’m so glad to have found out because it really bothered me.

P.S. Vladimir Nabokov also thought it was a bad novel. I literally never managed to finish it because it’s boring. Chocolate-covered snot.

17 responses to “Dr Zhivago”

  1. Robert Basil Avatar
    Robert Basil

    Pasternak knew the novel was a melodrama; that’s why he supplied those wonderful poems at the end.

    You are the blessing of a fatal step,
    When life’s more sickening than illness,
    Yet courage is the root of beauty,
    And that’s what draws us to each other.

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      The poems are truly wonderful. They are the only thing that reconcile me to the novel.

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  2. Robert Basil Avatar
    Robert Basil

    Frank O’Hara chose the word “audacity” over “courage.”

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  3. ShadowsCollide Avatar
    ShadowsCollide

    Anything that discredits and makes Communists looks bad is worth it, even if it’s crap. That’s why my father refused to listen to salsa, that was the only music allowed in Cuba to be played on the radio and the only music to get a license.

    Slightly off topic, but since I’m laid up for the next few months with a fractured hip, I’ve been thinking about starting a reading project of reading proper classic literature. On my bookshelf I found a copy of War and Peace along with a full version of the Tale of Genji and several Brontë Sisters novels. Are War and Peace, Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre worth reading or should I stick to finishing the Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice?

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    1. Clarissa Avatar
      Clarissa

      War and Peace is deathly boring, so I don’t recommend. Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre are great, however.

      Very sorry to hear about your hip. Swift recovery to you!!

      Liked by 1 person

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      1. ShadowsCollide Avatar
        ShadowsCollide

        Thanks, I’d bought War and Peace used on eBay years ago after hearing that it’s an important book. I might check it out anyway to see if I like it, it could be good. I got hit by a car four weeks ago on the way to church, I’m supposed to be off my left leg for the next eight weeks so I’ve been reading lots of different stuff and watching odd things on TV, plus writing a YA story that isn’t woke

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        1. cliff arroyo Avatar
          cliff arroyo

          “I got hit by a car four weeks ago on the way to church”

          What???? I hope you’re recovering!!!!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. ShadowsCollide Avatar
            ShadowsCollide

            I know, it’s a real WTF thing. The doctors were shocked because they thought I’d gotten hit in a parking lot, which is more common. I have a hip fracture and use a walker to get around, I’ve been reading more novels and watching odd stuff, plus writing a YA novel. I can’t let my brain atrophy

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              That’s an attitude deserving great applause and admiration.

              Liked by 1 person

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              1. ShadowsCollide Avatar
                ShadowsCollide

                Thanks, it’s either I get depressed about my injury or I can use my time to catch up. Before my injury I had little free time and was exhausted, now I got nothing but free time

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        2. random reader Avatar
          random reader

          Wow, I am sorry to hear about your injury and I hope you will get well soon!

          Liked by 1 person

          Reply
          1. ShadowsCollide Avatar
            ShadowsCollide

            Thanks, one has to have a twisted sense of humor to laugh off being hit by a car on the way to church of all places. I’ve been reading a lot and watching odd shows, trying my hand at writing a YA novel to keep my mind occupied, since I have to be off my leg for 8-12 months

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            1. Clarissa Avatar
              Clarissa

              My mother once set a woman on fire during church service. The woman was deep in prayer and didn’t immediately notice. My mother was deep in a conversation and didn’t notice either.

              Just so you don’t feel alone in this.

              8-12 months or weeks?

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              1. ShadowsCollide Avatar
                ShadowsCollide

                8-12 weeks, God Willing. How did your mother light the woman on fire, was it a candle?

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              2. methylethyl Avatar
                methylethyl

                This past Pascha weekend, I watched *two* different people light themselves on fire.

                It’s a hazard.

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    2. Avi Avatar
      Avi

      Dear ShadowsCollide, The Tale of Genji is wonderful bedside reading stuff! Truly recommended. Best wishes of a whole and prompt recovery!

      Liked by 1 person

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  4. Avi Avatar
    Avi

    Dear ShadowsCollide, The Tale of Genji is wonderful bedside reading stuff! Truly recommended. Best wishes of a whole and prompt recovery!

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A conservative literary critic and college professor

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