Russian Masterpiece

Fri Apr 4 13:23:47 UTC 1997

FOR THE FIRST TIME IN THE ENGLISH LANGUAGE!
A masterpiece of 20th century Russian literature.

Announcing the forthcoming publication on May 1, 1997 of:

T H E  T O W E R  by  KONSTANTIN VAGINOV (1899-1934)
Prologue, 35 chapters, Epilogue. 248 pages.

(Original title: The Goat-Song -- Kozlinaya Pesn'.
Leningrad: Priboy Publishers, 1928)

With Translator's Afterword

Russian Translator: Benjamin Sher.

Publisher:
SHER PUBLISHERS

First Edition, First Printing

"A totally unique figure in world literature (sovershenno unikal'naya
figura v mirovoi literature)" -- Mikhail Bakhtin on Vaginov in "Raz-
govory s Bakhtinym" (Conversations with Bakhtin, published in Chelo-
vek, 1994/4, pp. 178-189).

Available on diskette for both PC and MAC.
Also available in bound hard copy.

Comments on The Tower.

HANDBOOK OF RUSSIAN LITERATURE:

"A phantasmagoric picture of Leningrad as a cultural necropolis, popu-
lated by ex-intellectuals, now turned into faceless members of a So-
viet petite bourgeoisie." -- Yale U. Press, 1985.

MIKHAIL BAKHTIN:

"... and it is precisely here that Vaginov's brilliant gift is re-
vealed: on the one hand, a world of infinite detail (detalizatsiia),
of the most subtle nuances, and, on the other hand, an extraordinary
breadth of vision of nearly cosmic proportions (neobychainaya shirota
gorizonta, pochti kosmicheskaya). And this unique quality is also re-
vealed in Teptyolkin. . . It is, I'd say, a totally unique tragedy in
the history of literature: the tragedy of, one may say, of a ridicu-
lous man."-- "Razgovory s Bakhtinym" in Chelovek, 1994/4, pp. 178-189.

PROFESSOR VICTOR TERRAS:

"It is a worthy companion piece to Pasternak's Doctor Zhivago and
Bulgakov's Master and Margarita. Its translation will do a service
to the Russian profession, to literary studies at large, and to the
general reader as well." -- in a letter to the translator.

Other Translations by Benjamin Sher:

Soviet Politics and Repression in the 1930's. (Yale U. Press, 1997).
Theory of Prose by Viktor Shklovsky. (Dalkey Archive Press, 1990).
Last Days of Leo Tolstoy by Chertkov: http://www.linguadex.com/Tolstoy

ABSTRACT (by the Translator):

The Tower is the tragedy (from the Greek word "goat-song") of an
idealist circle of artists and scholars, headed by Teptyolkin, who
seek refuge from the cultural void of post-Revolutionary Leningrad
in a utopian classical humanism. Teptyolkin himself, a scholar,
serves as a kind of John the Baptist to the pagan but Christ-like
Unknown Poet, whom he and his circle revere and emulate. The Unknown
Poet is the pivotal center of this tragic multi-faceted satire. In
this respect, The Tower anticipates, by at least a decade, Bulgakov's
Master and Margarita, which similarly contrasts a tragic center (Pi-
late and Christ in Judea) with a satirical periphery (20th century
Moscow). Unlike Bulgakov, however, Vaginov does not separate these
two strands. Instead, he interweaves center and periphery throughout
the 35 chapters of the novel, creating thereby a rich and complex
texture and tone. The Tower is directed at both the new and the old:
at Bolshevik materialism, of course, but also at Teptyolkin's doomed
and deluded followers, who are brought to ruin as a result of their
own carnal and material needs and by the inherent imperfectibility
of human nature and human institutions.

PROLOGUE (from The Tower):

"For some time now, Petersburg has been awash in a greenish hue,
a gleaming, blinking, phosphorescent, horrifying color. A greenish
light, venomous and sniggering, trembles on houses, faces, souls.
The light blinks,-- and you are facing a clammy reptile instead of
Pyotr Petrovich. The light flares up,-- and you yourself are worse
than a reptile. Lift up the hats of women passing by, and you'll dis-
cover snakes where heads should be. Take a good look at that old wo-
man,-- that's a she-toad moving its belly. Now for the younger folk.
Each is nursing his own dream: The engineer pines for Hawaiian music,
the collegiate wants to hang himself with bravado, the schoolboy to
prove his masculinity by knocking up some broad. Just walk into any
ol' store,-- an ex-general is standing behind the counter, a studied
smile on his face. Enter a museum,-- your guide knows he's lying to
you, yet keeps on lying. There is no love in me for Petersburg. My
dream is dead.

"Petersburg no longer exists. But Leningrad does,-- though that is of
no concern to us.  The author is by trade a maker of coffins and not
of cradles. Show him a coffin and he'll tell you instantly the ma-
terial it is made of by tapping on it, its age, the name of the master
who built it,-- even, perhaps, the parents of the deceased. Indeed,
even as he is speaking, the author is building a coffin for the first
twenty-seven years of his life. He is fiendishly busy, but don't sup-
pose for a moment that he is doing it with any specific purpose in
mind. No, it's just a passion with him. Just let him get wind of a
corpse and -- you guessed it! -- somebody is in need of a coffin. He
loves the dead and follows them on their rounds even while they are
still alive, shaking their hands, striking up conversations with them,
piling up plenty of boards and nails and, on occasion, even throwing
in trimmings and lace."

I hope the reader is indulgent in view of the obvious limitations of
reproducing the Prologue in ASCII plain text format.

THE TOWER is available on diskette in two versions: one for PC (Win-
dows 3.1 and Windows 95) and one for MAC (regular Mac and PowerMac).
The Windows version comes as a single file. The Mac version includes
two files and requires uncompressing (see below). Once installed, just
double click on it, and The Tower will come up automatically on the
screen. You may then view it or print it (in whole or in part).

NOTE TO MAC USERS: You MUST have a StuffitExpander or a similar file
uncompressing program. Fortunately, most Macs (all Powermacs) come
with it. Please check your system documentation to be sure.

Please indicate with your order whether you need a PC or a Mac version.

FREE SAMPLE CHAPTER:

If you would like to receive Chapter 1 of The Tower, please contact
me at: sher07 at bellsouth.net (or by telephone or fax) and I'll send you
a plain text copy by e-mail.

HOW TO ORDER THE TOWER:

Note: Order now before May 1,1997 and you will qualify for 20% dis-
count on all orders.

DISKETTE ORDERS (for USA and for all foreign countries):

Individuals: $12.50.
Libraries, organizations and institutions: $20.00.

All prices for diskette orders are for single diskettes and include
shipping costs, both in the USA and throughout the world.

ORDERS FOR PAPER COPY:

A paper copy (hard copy) in a simple binding and cover is available
for purchase in the continental United States ONLY. The price is $50
(fifty dollars), which includes free shipping via UPS or FedEx 5-7 day
Ground Service.

Orders postmarked no later than the official publication date of May
1, 1997 will qualify for a 20% discount as follows:

A single diskette (for individuals): $10.00.
A single diskette (for libraries, etc.):$16.00.
A paper copy (for individuals or libraries, etc.):$40.00.

All prices will revert to their full value after May 1, 1997.

METHODS OF PAYMENT:

All orders must be accompanied by full payment in advance. Such orders
should be sent to the address listed below.

IN THE USA (for diskettes and hard copy):

Payment within the USA may be made by Personal Check, Money Order,
Certified Check or Cashier's Check. NO CREDIT CARDS OR CASH, PLEASE.
Your order will be processed immediately upon publication and should
reach you shortly. However, delays may occur, so  please allow up to
4 weeks for delivery, longer for international orders.

INTERNATIONAL ORDERS, including CANADA (for diskettes only):

All payments must be made in US dollars only, that is, in Certified
Checks, Cashier's Checks or Money Orders in US DOLLARS ONLY.

Please remember that the official publication date of THE TOWER is
set for May 1, 1997. Copies of the novel will be sent out as soon as
it is published. So please be patient. In return, as explained above,
all orders postmarked no later than May 1, 1997 will receive a full
20% discount.

Please send your orders to:

SHER PUBLISHERS
802-C Fern St.
New Orleans, LA 70118
Tel: 504/866-3686
Fax: 504/866-3729
sher07 at bellsouth.net

Sincerely yours,
Benjamin Sher
Publisher