Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #288851 in Books
• Published on: 1995-05-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 316 pages

Customer Reviews

An hilarious tale of Soviet bureaucracy
I'll try to keep this as brief as possible in order to give you a little more time in your lunch hour to order it. Voinovich has always produced funny commentaries on Soviet life and this is no exception. Almost every line of Chonkin is quotable, the set pieces are beautifully written and for a short book the characters well defined. This book made me laugh out loud in parts and convinced me of Voinovich's talent as an author. If you've read the Ivankiad and Moscow 2042 read this.

Even better than Shwejk!
The adventures of Iwan Chonkin are a master piece of satyre! They even surpass Hasek's world famous adventures of the soldier Shwejk! But, of course, the Soviet Union in the time of Stalin was more absurd than the Habsburg Monarchy in the time of Hasek and Kafka!

A Shorter, Sweeter Svejklike Satire
Funny, good-natured look at a bumbling Soviet private sent to guard an airplane which is stuck out in the sticks just prior to the German invasion in 1941. Satirizes all manner of things Soviet, most especially bureaucracy and the pomposity of its upper echelons. Somewhat similar to The Good Soldier Svejk in this respect, but at a much more manageable size and pace. Some really funny bits about Comrade Stalin. Especially recommended for Russian literature devotees, but should be enjoyable to most. There is a sequel called Pretender to the Throne.