The Kukotsky Enigma
The Kukotsky Enigma (Russian: Казус Кукоцкого) is a novel by acclaimed[1] Russian novelist and public intellectual Lyudmila Ulitskaya. The Kukotsky Enigma won the 2001 Russian Booker Prize.[2] With five, Ulitskaya holds the record for the most nominations for that prestigious award. In 2005, a television series based on the novel by director Yuri Grymov was aired in Russia. Critics suggest that the book's focus on abortion offers a new reading of Stalinism through the lens of family life and the female body.[3]
 | |
| Author | Lyudmila Ulitskaya |
|---|---|
| Original title | Казус Кукоцкого |
| Translator | Diane Nemec Ignashev |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Northwestern University Press |
Publication date | August 2016 |
| Media type | Print (Paperback) |
| Pages | 392 pp |
| ISBN | 9780810133488 |
Plot summary
The novel follows the life of the family of gynecologist Pavel Alekseevich Kukotsky. The story follows him from Stalin’s 1936 ban on abortions through the mid-1960s.
The novel consists of four parts. The first describes the life of the Kukotsky family members before the 1960s: his wife Yelena, their adopted daughter Tanya, a classmate Toma, and a former nun working as a housekeeper in Yelena’s home. The second part is a dream Yelena experiences while hovering between life and death. The third part covers the life of the family after 1960 and up to Tanya's death. The fourth part forms a brief epilogue.
Editions
- 2001, Russian Federation, Izdatelstvo Ast, Pub date 2001
- The Kukotsky Enigma translated by Diane Nemec Ignashev. Northwestern University Press, 15 August 2016; ISBN 978-0-8101-3348-8
References
- New Yorker link. Retrieved April 30, 2016.
- "Archive – 2001" (in Russian). Russian Booker Prize. Retrieved 18 November 2015.
- Sutcliffe, Benjamin (2009). "Mother, Daughter, History: Embodying The Past In Liudmila Ulitskaia's Sonechka And The Case Of Kukotsky". The Slavic and East European Journal. 53 (4): 606–622. JSTOR 40651214.