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Rivers of Babylon #1
Rivers of Babylon
Racz has come to Bratislava to make money so that he can be a suitable suitor for the woman from his village he loves. He gets work as the stoker in the Hotel Ambassador, one of the most prestigious hotels in Bratislava, and in his single-mindedness soon discovers that he can take advantage of his position. People will pay to have the heat on and, in short, Racz learns that he who puts the heat on can control things. He rises quickly from stoker in the Ambassador to its owner and much else. Those who oppose him (small-time money changers, former secret police, professional classes) knuckle under while those whose dreams have foundered in the new world order have to make do or become, like academics, increasingly irrelevant. Peter Pišt'anek’s reputation is assured by Rivers of Babylon and by its hero, the most mesmerizing character of Slovak literature, Rácz, an idiot of genius, a psychopathic gangster. Rácz and Rivers of Babylon tell the story of a Central Europe, where criminals, intellectuals and ex-secret policemen have infiltrated a new ‘democracy�. Slovak readers acknowledge Peter Pišt'anek as their most flamboyant and fearless writer, stripping the nation of its myths and false self-esteem. The novel has been translated by Peter Petro of British Columbia University, in close collaboration with author and publisher.
259 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
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About the author
Peter Pišťanek
23books18followersPišťanek is a prose writer who managed to come out with a new type of prose at the beginning of the 1990's. He began publishing at the end of the 1980's in Slovenské pohľady, the best literary magazine in those years. His novelistic debut, Rivers of Babylon was an unusual success with the readers as well as the critics. The author describes what was then a non-traditional topic for the Slovak literature - the Bratislava underground - using very expressive language and a variety of stylistic levels. The characters that fill his novel are small-time crooks and bigime entrepreneurs-privatizers as well as prostitutes. The only ambition of these people is to make their life more pleasant which, in their understanding, means to cheat, exploit, or destroy the others. In this world, one person manages to make his way to the top, a man from the village, the main character Racz, due to his unswerving pursuit of power and money. Somewhere in the background of these activities, the revolutionary changes of 1989 (the break-up of the Soviet Empire, the liberation of Eastern Europe) unfold. Inspiration for this novel comes from the para-literature and Pišťanek stresses the rectilinear narrative and fast-paced plot. While he presents the situation in an impersonal, laconic manner, he is precise in his analysis of the actual situation, even though the subject of his work may be rather bizarre and grotesque. The Young Dônč is a collection of three long short stories: Debutante, The Young Dônč, and Music. In the story The Young Dônč we encounter the topic of the degeneration of the Dônč family caused not only by alcoholism of all its members, but also by its accompanying feature: the total ignorance and disinterest in anything that goes on outside the territory of their own home. The author parodies here some texts of previous periods, nevertheless, his irony is aimed at the present. Even his story Music, with its grotesque elements, is a precise sociological probe of the "normalized" life of the Seventies. Pišťanek followed-up his successful novel by publishing Rivers of Babylon 2, or Wooden Village, and Rivers of Babylon 3, or Fredy's End. This trilogy is so unusual, provocative and controversial that it will take Slovak criticism and literature in general some time to come to terms with it. One should also not overlook his fascinating The Tales of Vlado the Great and The New Tales of Vlado the Great. These are satirical tales that combine the charm of Hassidic fairy tales, Sufi instructional tales, and Slovak folktales with Buddhist koans in
a transcendent manner, so that even the intended target was said to have enjoined reading them.
Rivers of Babylon (1991), The Young Dônč (Mladý Dônč, 1993), Rivers of Babylon 2, or Wooden Village (Rivers of Babylon 2, alebo Drevená dedina, 1994), The Tales of Vlado the Great (Skazky o Vladovi, 1995), The New Tales of Vlado the Great (Nové skazky o Vladovi, 1998), Rivers of Babylon 3, or Fredy's End (Rivers of Babylon 3, alebo Fredyho koniec, 1999)
a transcendent manner, so that even the intended target was said to have enjoined reading them.
Rivers of Babylon (1991), The Young Dônč (Mladý Dônč, 1993), Rivers of Babylon 2, or Wooden Village (Rivers of Babylon 2, alebo Drevená dedina, 1994), The Tales of Vlado the Great (Skazky o Vladovi, 1995), The New Tales of Vlado the Great (Nové skazky o Vladovi, 1998), Rivers of Babylon 3, or Fredy's End (Rivers of Babylon 3, alebo Fredyho koniec, 1999)
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September 16, 2021
"Nie je problem zarobit vela penazi, problem je zarobit ich tak, aby si clovek mohol sam seba vazit."
Po dvoch zenskych knihach som potrebovala nejaky maskulinny vibe a lepsie ako legendarne Pistankove Rivers of Babylon som ani nemohla vybrat. Pribeh o spolocenskom vzostupe hoteloveho kurica Racza v dzungli ekonomickej a spolocenskej transformacie ranych devatdesiatych rokov s odbockami sledujucimi osudy vekslakov, podvodnikov, vypalnikov a prostitutok v prostredi luxusneho hotela, ktory je metaforou na nasu kratku, no dlhu krajinu.
Inspiraciou na postavu Racza bol Vladimir Meciar, no ked clovek cita Kocnerovu Threemu, vidi, ze dnesni gauneri sice maju saka trosku lepsich strihov a konzervativnejsich farieb, no ako spolocnost sme sa velmi neposunuli. Teda posunuli - k horsiemu - v dnesnej verzii Rivers of Babylon by hotelu (krajine) nevladol hruby, no ucenlivy a brutalne efektivny Racz, ale ktorakolvek z vedlajsich postav, neschopakov, vyberacov parkovneho ci mafianskych starterov (ahoj, Boris!).
Mimoriadne zabavna smutna sprava o stave mladej republiky, az sa clovek (spolu s jednym z recenzentov na ŷ) pyta, preco v ramci povinnej stredoskolskej literatury citame o vselijakych dobrodruzstvach pri obzinkoch a nie toto. Kurva zivot!
"Raczov prichod vzbudil pozornost, v kozmopolitne mondennom ovzdusi interhotela posobia jeho spinave monterky a vystrihana lebka ako chrchel v pohari sampanskeho."
"Tento maly narod s umelo hypertrofovanou a nepochopitelnou narodnou hrdostou je narodom nepochopenych a svetom neuznanych geniov."
Po dvoch zenskych knihach som potrebovala nejaky maskulinny vibe a lepsie ako legendarne Pistankove Rivers of Babylon som ani nemohla vybrat. Pribeh o spolocenskom vzostupe hoteloveho kurica Racza v dzungli ekonomickej a spolocenskej transformacie ranych devatdesiatych rokov s odbockami sledujucimi osudy vekslakov, podvodnikov, vypalnikov a prostitutok v prostredi luxusneho hotela, ktory je metaforou na nasu kratku, no dlhu krajinu.
Inspiraciou na postavu Racza bol Vladimir Meciar, no ked clovek cita Kocnerovu Threemu, vidi, ze dnesni gauneri sice maju saka trosku lepsich strihov a konzervativnejsich farieb, no ako spolocnost sme sa velmi neposunuli. Teda posunuli - k horsiemu - v dnesnej verzii Rivers of Babylon by hotelu (krajine) nevladol hruby, no ucenlivy a brutalne efektivny Racz, ale ktorakolvek z vedlajsich postav, neschopakov, vyberacov parkovneho ci mafianskych starterov (ahoj, Boris!).
Mimoriadne zabavna smutna sprava o stave mladej republiky, az sa clovek (spolu s jednym z recenzentov na ŷ) pyta, preco v ramci povinnej stredoskolskej literatury citame o vselijakych dobrodruzstvach pri obzinkoch a nie toto. Kurva zivot!
"Raczov prichod vzbudil pozornost, v kozmopolitne mondennom ovzdusi interhotela posobia jeho spinave monterky a vystrihana lebka ako chrchel v pohari sampanskeho."
"Tento maly narod s umelo hypertrofovanou a nepochopitelnou narodnou hrdostou je narodom nepochopenych a svetom neuznanych geniov."
July 23, 2023
je to hnus, je to bizár, je to jedna z mojich najobľúbenejších knižiek vôbec a ponúka - podľa mňa - vynikajúci opis slovenska a najmä bratislavy po '89 a tiež aj kvapku trpkého vedomia, že sme sa v realite zase až tak dopredu neposunuli. po šiestich rokoch som si ju znovu prečítala a od geniálnej prvej vety - ráno sa kurič zobúdza s takou nenávisťou v duši, že mu ani jesť nechutí - až po poslednú stranu som bola rovnako nadšená, ako v 15tich. na každú postavu sa pozerám trošku cez prsty a zároveň im všetkým najviac držím palce. je úplne jasné, že knižka nesadne každému, moja mamka ju napríklad neznáša, môj tatko zbožňuje. mne je tento typ humoru ako dieťaťu vychovanom na rozprávkach pre neposlušné deti a ich starostlivých rodičov (väčšinou mi totiž pred spaním čítaval práve tatko) naopak veľmi blízky a teším sa, ako si prvýkrát prečítam aj pokračovania.
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a hrozne by ma zaujímalo, ako si iní čitatelia predstavujú hotel ambassador. ja si ho predstavujem ako hotel kyjev stojaci na mieste hotela devín.
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a hrozne by ma zaujímalo, ako si iní čitatelia predstavujú hotel ambassador. ja si ho predstavujem ako hotel kyjev stojaci na mieste hotela devín.
December 10, 2017
Breaking Bad po slovensky. Román o kuričovi, ktorý pri svojej ceste nahor nahradzuje nedostatok chytrosti surovosťou, je skutočne vizionárskym dielom. Už v roku 1991 sa Pišťankovi podarilo prekvapujúcim spôsobom vystihnúť realitu nadchádzajúcich deväťdesiatych rokov, bolesti mladej demokracie i krutý prerod agrárnej spoločnosti na kozmopolitnú. Brutálny príbeh však nemá význam len ako historický exkurz do doby šušťákových mafiánov a prichádzajúcej privatizácie � má čitateľovi čo ponúknuť i dnes. Mnohých nešvarov z tej doby sme sa totiž vôbec nezbavili, len sa nám ich podarilo zamaskovať lepšími oblekmi a kultivovanejším správaním. A teraz ťažká otázka � prečo nie sú knihy, ako je táto, nikdy súčasťou zoznamov povinnej literatúry? Prečo sme namiesto nich museli čítať všelijaké dobrodružstvá na obžinkoch a zámeny postáv na tisíc spôsobov?
September 23, 2020
„Rivers of Babylon� to kultowała słowacka książka z lat 90-tych, omawiana nawet w ramach przygotowania do matury. I ja się wcale nie dziwię, bo to coś świetnego! W warstwie zewnętrznej to pełna satyry powieść przygodowa dla dorosłych, a jak sie zacznie grzebać głębiej to znakomity komentarz do Czechosłowacji czasu przemian i wkraczającego kapitalizmu.
Prymityw Rácz ze słowackiej wsi wyrusza za pieniędzmi do wielkiego miasta. Przypadkowo zostaje palaczem w kotłowni hotelu Ambassador, a że nie bardzo ma ochotę na ciężką pracę i wkurza go rozkazywanie Dyrektora to zakręca kurki i zabiera ogrzewanie nie tylko hotelowi, ale okolicznych sklepów i lokali. Wystarczyło zabranie ludziom ciepła, by jedli mu z ręki i zrobili dla niego wszystko. Tak oto bardzo szybko Rácz przejmuje władzę w hotelu, w dodatku staje się królem cinkciarzy i terroryzuje całą okolicę.
To bardzo męska książka i używam tego stwierdzenia celowo, choć sama takich podziałów nie lubię. Ale to, że jest męska, nie oznacza, że jest przeznaczona tylko dla mężczyzn, mam na myśli bardziej, że to meżczyźni grają w tej książce pierwsze skrzypce, a kobiety są bohaterkami pobocznymi. Można jednak napisać książke męską i gangsterstką, w której nie brak seksizmu , ale w której to wszystko klika i składa sie w całość. Można też stworzyć antybohatera, który jest chamem i prostakiem, ale zrobić to tak, że nie czuje się niesmaku. Zresztą wszyscy bohaterowie są tu anty - ale przy tym są barwnymi dziwakami.
Sporo tu surrealizmu i satyry, dzieją się rzeczy niemożliwe i wyolbrzymione, trochę jak u Pielewina, a czytając tę łotrzykowską historię bawiłam się wybornie.
Prymityw Rácz ze słowackiej wsi wyrusza za pieniędzmi do wielkiego miasta. Przypadkowo zostaje palaczem w kotłowni hotelu Ambassador, a że nie bardzo ma ochotę na ciężką pracę i wkurza go rozkazywanie Dyrektora to zakręca kurki i zabiera ogrzewanie nie tylko hotelowi, ale okolicznych sklepów i lokali. Wystarczyło zabranie ludziom ciepła, by jedli mu z ręki i zrobili dla niego wszystko. Tak oto bardzo szybko Rácz przejmuje władzę w hotelu, w dodatku staje się królem cinkciarzy i terroryzuje całą okolicę.
To bardzo męska książka i używam tego stwierdzenia celowo, choć sama takich podziałów nie lubię. Ale to, że jest męska, nie oznacza, że jest przeznaczona tylko dla mężczyzn, mam na myśli bardziej, że to meżczyźni grają w tej książce pierwsze skrzypce, a kobiety są bohaterkami pobocznymi. Można jednak napisać książke męską i gangsterstką, w której nie brak seksizmu , ale w której to wszystko klika i składa sie w całość. Można też stworzyć antybohatera, który jest chamem i prostakiem, ale zrobić to tak, że nie czuje się niesmaku. Zresztą wszyscy bohaterowie są tu anty - ale przy tym są barwnymi dziwakami.
Sporo tu surrealizmu i satyry, dzieją się rzeczy niemożliwe i wyolbrzymione, trochę jak u Pielewina, a czytając tę łotrzykowską historię bawiłam się wybornie.
November 12, 2008
Rivers of Babylon by Peter Pišťanek (pronounced pishtyanek, apparently) is a caustic satirical novel set in a big hotel in Bratislava, now the capital of Slovakia but then in Czechoslovakia, at the time of the collapse of the communist government. It has a cast of prostitutes, black-market money changers, former secret policemen and sex tourists.
The anti-hero of the novel Rácz, who starts out stoking the boilers the hotel, but ruthlessly fights his way up the food chain. The introduction suggests that 'Rácz will prove as immortal a rogue as Fielding's Jonathan Wild, Gogol's Chichikov or Thomas Mann's Felix Krull'. I'd only add that 'rogue' seems too mild a word for a character as brutal as Rácz.
The comparison that sprang to mind for me (and I should probably be more careful of these comparisons to half-remembered books I read more than a decade a go) was A Confederacy of Dunces. It has something of the extravagantly grotesque quality that I remember Toole's book having. Rivers of Babylon was published in 1991, so it was absolutely topical at the time, and it has the real edge of satire written in response to dramatic current events.
This translation by Peter Petro was published in 2007 by Garnett Press, a small press set up by the Russian Department at Queen Mary, University of London. Rivers of Babylon is the first book in a trilogy, and apparently they hope to publish the other two books ‘soon'. I imagine that it's an uncertain business trying to publish on that scale, but I for one would certainly pick up the sequel if I got the chance.
The anti-hero of the novel Rácz, who starts out stoking the boilers the hotel, but ruthlessly fights his way up the food chain. The introduction suggests that 'Rácz will prove as immortal a rogue as Fielding's Jonathan Wild, Gogol's Chichikov or Thomas Mann's Felix Krull'. I'd only add that 'rogue' seems too mild a word for a character as brutal as Rácz.
The comparison that sprang to mind for me (and I should probably be more careful of these comparisons to half-remembered books I read more than a decade a go) was A Confederacy of Dunces. It has something of the extravagantly grotesque quality that I remember Toole's book having. Rivers of Babylon was published in 1991, so it was absolutely topical at the time, and it has the real edge of satire written in response to dramatic current events.
This translation by Peter Petro was published in 2007 by Garnett Press, a small press set up by the Russian Department at Queen Mary, University of London. Rivers of Babylon is the first book in a trilogy, and apparently they hope to publish the other two books ‘soon'. I imagine that it's an uncertain business trying to publish on that scale, but I for one would certainly pick up the sequel if I got the chance.
November 20, 2024
Neni o čom.
June 19, 2019
Foršākais, ko esmu lasījis par postkomunisma ēras sākumu Austrumeiropā. Ja Latvijā būtu iznācis īstajā laikā, popularitātē un citējamībā sacenstos ar Šveiku.
August 3, 2022
3.4
kurcze, szczerze nie mam pojęcia co sądzę o tej książce.
podczas czytania „rivers od babylon� oburzeniom nie było końca, dopóki w pewnym momencie nie zrozumiałam, że tak właśnie miało być.
bohaterowie, a raczej antybohaterowie mieli być obrzydliwi, chciwi i wywołujący zgorszenie. sama powieść jest bardzo groteskowa, agresywna i nie wiem, czy nie jest to dla mnie zbyt duże wyjście ze strefy komfortu jak na jedną lekturę.
jedno jest pewne, na pewno mocno zapadnie mi w ona w pamięć, bo czegoś takiego jeszcze nie czytałam!
kurcze, szczerze nie mam pojęcia co sądzę o tej książce.
podczas czytania „rivers od babylon� oburzeniom nie było końca, dopóki w pewnym momencie nie zrozumiałam, że tak właśnie miało być.
bohaterowie, a raczej antybohaterowie mieli być obrzydliwi, chciwi i wywołujący zgorszenie. sama powieść jest bardzo groteskowa, agresywna i nie wiem, czy nie jest to dla mnie zbyt duże wyjście ze strefy komfortu jak na jedną lekturę.
jedno jest pewne, na pewno mocno zapadnie mi w ona w pamięć, bo czegoś takiego jeszcze nie czytałam!
January 26, 2021
Silná, pre mňa ťaživá kniha vykresľujúca pomery po nežnej revolúcii v Bratislave z pohľadu obyčajných ľudí nízkych mravov a morálky.
Každý sa snaží ako vie, aby prežil, aby si ukrojil kúsok úspechu a peňazí, bez ohľadu na spôsoby a dôsledky.
Čo ma najviac zamrazilo, je, že to, čo sa zdá ako dávna minulosť má pre mňa dosah aj do súčasnosti.
Zaujímavý dej, postavy každá so svojim osudom a pri hlavnej postave som škrípala zubami od začiatku do konca.
Smutné, že recenzisti z obdobia po vydaní knihy vyjadrovali želania, aby sa príbeh nestal realitou. Čo je až strašidelné, že príbeh až priveľmi dobre zobrazil podmienky a situáciu, ktorá na Slovensku aj skutočne nastala a trvala dosť dlho a do dnešných dní sa z toho asi krajina nevie úplne spamätať.
Každý sa snaží ako vie, aby prežil, aby si ukrojil kúsok úspechu a peňazí, bez ohľadu na spôsoby a dôsledky.
Čo ma najviac zamrazilo, je, že to, čo sa zdá ako dávna minulosť má pre mňa dosah aj do súčasnosti.
Zaujímavý dej, postavy každá so svojim osudom a pri hlavnej postave som škrípala zubami od začiatku do konca.
Smutné, že recenzisti z obdobia po vydaní knihy vyjadrovali želania, aby sa príbeh nestal realitou. Čo je až strašidelné, že príbeh až priveľmi dobre zobrazil podmienky a situáciu, ktorá na Slovensku aj skutočne nastala a trvala dosť dlho a do dnešných dní sa z toho asi krajina nevie úplne spamätať.
December 2, 2024
Спершу книжка здається гумористичною: старий кочегар шукає собі наступника, який працюватиме в котельні, в підвалі готелю. Знаходить селюка Раца, який вперше їде в місто в пошуках роботи. Цей Рац - простакуватий, єдина його перевага - сила, здобута працею на землі й службою в армії. Картина змінюється, коли Рац розуміє, що його сила тут важить. Містяни, звичні до усталеного порядку, просто ламаються під тиском Раца, в якого чимдалі більшає апетит. Темний бік досягнення вершини - наркотики, ґвалтування, рекет, убивства. Оповідь досі приправляється кумедними деталями, але загальне тло - безрадісне. Просто концентровані 90-і, які в Словаччині почалися трохи раніше, ніж у нас.
January 8, 2016
The story is very interesting for anybody who wants to know what the "wild nineties" in post-communist Slovakia looked like. The language is rough but true, the characters are believable. Nevertheless, the huge amount of spelling and grammar mistakes was driving me crazy and somehow destroyed the book for me.
June 19, 2021
Vtipný a absurdný príbeh, no potom si človek uvedomí, že vôbec nebol absurdný ale úplne realistický. Stále som čakala nejakú spravodlivosť a ono nič. Pútavá kniha, dobrý spád, zaujímavé postavy. Odporúčam.
March 3, 2019
Sam falus, sama kurva. V podstate take porno. Riaditeľ ma sral, to bola strašná postava. Inak ak ta kniha odráža realitu, tak s pánom Bohom.
September 10, 2024
No veruže neni o čom.
January 18, 2025
značne expresívny, miestami uletený a dosť pritiahnutý za vlasy, (bohužiaľ) pomerne verný obraz (nielen) porevolučných rokov našej malebnej krajiny
December 28, 2019
Hviezdička dole za podľa mňa odfláknuté ženské postavy a totálne absurdnú postavu riaditeľa. Inak dokonalé.
October 25, 2021
In my humble opinion, one can truly understand the brilliance of this grotesque piece of satire only if they've been born and raised Slavic.
October 31, 2020
Zozačiatku mi mierne vadila na mňa trochu príliš karikaturizujúca štylizácia, kvôli ktorej príliš nefungovala komplexnejšia psychologizácia postáv. Prirýchly kariérny postup Rácza (z úplnej nuly na vrchol sa dostal prakticky za 1-2 strany, stačilo mu raz zavzdorovať vedeniu, v realite by ním podľa mňa riaditeľ rýchlo zatočil - kurič predsa nebol úplne nenahraditeľný), šialená postava eskymáckeho riaditeľa, sex so psom na videu a podobne. Pišťánkovi zrejme bola dôležitejšia braková, groteskná estetika ako realistickejšie dokumentovanie doby. Napokon som si však na jeho štýl zvykol a ku koncu sa dostavila aj akási katarzia a cítil som v tom aj výpoveď o mečiarovskych 90tkach. Takže koniec koncov palec hore, Rivers je určite z tých lepších slovenských porevolučných počinov.
December 30, 2024
Rzeki Babilonu - trafny tytuł, bo ta książka porwała mnie niczym prąd wielkiej rzeki. Rzeki brudnej, pełnej szlamu i różnego rodzaju syfu, ale wciąż, rzeki potężnej, pełnej potencjału w którym utonęło tak wielu ludzi, a w którym główny antybohater nauczył się pływać.
December 2, 2022
"This small nation with its artificially hypertrophied and incomprehensible national pride is a nation of geniuses misunderstood and unrecognized by the rest of the world, he feels. They all believe that they’re better than they seem at first sight. The young hustler and unlicensed taxi driver thinks he is an artist. The blonde whore never fails to stress that she was originally a ballet dancer. The stooped porter with spidery bony fingers who takes your bags turns out to have been at one time a lecturer at the evening university, now closed, of Marxism-Leninism. He was a philosopher, or so he says. Whatever they do now is only temporary, done out of necessity."
Dark satire about capitalism in slovakia
Dark satire about capitalism in slovakia
September 8, 2021
Od palacza do Dona Corleone - tak w prostym zdaniu można opisać tę książkę. Główny bohater Racz nie jest postacią do polubienia - jest prymitywny, agresywny i prostacki, a jego zachowania w ogóle mi się nie podobały. A z drugiej strony kurczę, tak go polubiłam!
Naprawdę dobry kawał książki, gdzie satyra goni satyrę, wszystko jest przerysowane i niedopowiedziane, a jednocześnie cholernie normalne, brutalne i ludzkie. Naprawdę świetny debiut!
Naprawdę dobry kawał książki, gdzie satyra goni satyrę, wszystko jest przerysowane i niedopowiedziane, a jednocześnie cholernie normalne, brutalne i ludzkie. Naprawdę świetny debiut!
December 1, 2018
Una novela excelente y cargada de intriga. Peter Pišťanek nos pasea por la posterior Bratislava de la revolución de terciopelo pegados de la mano de Racz, un fogonero pueblerino llegado a la capital en busca de sueños. Con su entrada a la mafia, alcanza poder y prestigio viviendo fuertes escenas policíacas, pleitos, extorsiones , y de paso nos deja ver de su sociedad, el crisol cultural que converge allí, y las aspiraciones de los eslovacos en las postrimerías del comunismo. Por su estilo y fecha de publicación, Rivers of Babylon es precedente y a su vez propuesta eslovaca al Breaking Bad celebrado en cartelera.
June 30, 2017
So many memorable characters and stories
August 15, 2021
Przez 150 stron wczuwałam się w klimat. Ale gdy już mi się to udało, bawiłam się przednio 😀
September 26, 2022
Veľmi príjemná kniha, ktorá verne zobrazuje Slovensko 90. Rokov, plná humoru a vtipu, veď ktorému bývalému stbakovi napadne namaľovať sa na čierno ako kamufláž?
February 9, 2022
Wulgarna, monotonna.... Ale hertszéntseget, nie mogłem się oderwać od groteskowego życia Rácza.
July 10, 2021
I thought the prose left a lot to be desired, and although the imagery was very vivid, the story too often felt like a typical Slovak grotesque and overly caricatured comedy show garbage.
January 10, 2014
If you've ever been to Eastern Europe and wondered why, in the midst of crumbling Soviet-era buildings, potholed streets and headscarved beggars, you find the finest cars, pristine shopping malls and conspicuous consumption by the families of uneducated, uncultured but clearly very rich men then Pist'anek can provide you with an explanation.
This book is set in the immediate aftermath of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution. A revolution embodied by the playwright-cum-president, Vaclav Havel, who for years had exhorted his countrymen to break free from a morally bankrupt social contract that saw the populace acquiesce to the government in exchange for the quiet life and a comparatively decent standard of living. Havel urged people to 'live within the truth', even if it meant a spell in prison. What followed the revolution was the explosion of corruption on a massive scale, only this time not embodied by soviet-style bureaucratic clientelism, but rampant 'robber-baron' capitalism, almost anarchic (in the negative, inaccurate sense of the term), where those in the right place at the right time could build huge fortunes.
Pistan’ek has a unique style. The novel is written in the present tense and it reads like someone is breathlessly telling you an anecdote. This fast pace, combined with short chapters makes Racz’s rise from boiler stoker to all-powerful businessman seem all the more meteoric.
The whole cast of characters are corrupt and/or break the law with regularity. We have prostitutes, gypsy extortionists, Albanian foreign currency dealers, sex traffickers, sex tourists and even a corrupt car park attendant. Yet some do have a sense of decency, even fragility. At the start of the tale even Racz displays a mix of shyness and uncouthness as he enters the city for the first time in his life, with the crude yet noble intention of making enough money to win the hand of his true love back in the village; the prostitute Silvia imagines setting up a dancing school; and Urban the illegal currency dealer dreams of making an honest living filming weddings. Yet the socio-economic situation of post-communist Eastern Europe demanded that they break the law to survive. This state of affairs is still prevailing in many of the former Soviet republics (I cannot speak for Slovakia, having not been there). Everyone has to survive, and everyone has to have their own scheme, legal work is not readily available and does not pay enough. This is perfectly exemplified by a scene in the bar of the Hotel Ambassador:
Urban knows that this is a blend of the cheapest Scotch, Grant’s, with local spirits, but pretends not to notice. He pretends he’s drinking what he ordered. This is a game played by customer and waiter. Most customer don’t know they’re playing it; Urban plays it� His motto is not to spoil somebody’s racket as long as that person does it decently. Everybody has to survive somehow.
If there has to be a criticism of Rivers of Babylon it is that some of the scenes and elements of the plot are a touch far-fetched (particularly those concerning the fate of the hotel manager). However any failing are redeemed in the compelling final chapters when Pist’anek perfectly elucidates the true nature of the ‘democracy� that was replacing communism.
“‘We’ll promise to help all of them� advises the lawyer� Racz fixes his eyes on him. ‘All of them?� he murmurs unhappily. ‘All those with chances of good seats in the elections� the lawyer corrects himself. ‘We’ll give something to the Left and something to the Right; something to the Catholics, and something to the Atheists. Let’s not forget about the Ecologists either, or the Nationalists�. ‘What about the Hungarians?� Racz asks menacingly. ‘We’ll give something to them too� we’ll get it back after the elections. Whoever wins does so with our help. That help will be repaid a hundredfold. No man is an island�.
It is little wonder that many in Eastern Europe still consider themselves to have been better off under Communist rule.
Incidentally I would never have found this relatively obscure gem of a book were it not for the renowned journalist Neal Ascherson, who mentions it as an aside, in this fantastic lecture
This book is set in the immediate aftermath of Czechoslovakia's Velvet Revolution. A revolution embodied by the playwright-cum-president, Vaclav Havel, who for years had exhorted his countrymen to break free from a morally bankrupt social contract that saw the populace acquiesce to the government in exchange for the quiet life and a comparatively decent standard of living. Havel urged people to 'live within the truth', even if it meant a spell in prison. What followed the revolution was the explosion of corruption on a massive scale, only this time not embodied by soviet-style bureaucratic clientelism, but rampant 'robber-baron' capitalism, almost anarchic (in the negative, inaccurate sense of the term), where those in the right place at the right time could build huge fortunes.
Pistan’ek has a unique style. The novel is written in the present tense and it reads like someone is breathlessly telling you an anecdote. This fast pace, combined with short chapters makes Racz’s rise from boiler stoker to all-powerful businessman seem all the more meteoric.
The whole cast of characters are corrupt and/or break the law with regularity. We have prostitutes, gypsy extortionists, Albanian foreign currency dealers, sex traffickers, sex tourists and even a corrupt car park attendant. Yet some do have a sense of decency, even fragility. At the start of the tale even Racz displays a mix of shyness and uncouthness as he enters the city for the first time in his life, with the crude yet noble intention of making enough money to win the hand of his true love back in the village; the prostitute Silvia imagines setting up a dancing school; and Urban the illegal currency dealer dreams of making an honest living filming weddings. Yet the socio-economic situation of post-communist Eastern Europe demanded that they break the law to survive. This state of affairs is still prevailing in many of the former Soviet republics (I cannot speak for Slovakia, having not been there). Everyone has to survive, and everyone has to have their own scheme, legal work is not readily available and does not pay enough. This is perfectly exemplified by a scene in the bar of the Hotel Ambassador:
Urban knows that this is a blend of the cheapest Scotch, Grant’s, with local spirits, but pretends not to notice. He pretends he’s drinking what he ordered. This is a game played by customer and waiter. Most customer don’t know they’re playing it; Urban plays it� His motto is not to spoil somebody’s racket as long as that person does it decently. Everybody has to survive somehow.
If there has to be a criticism of Rivers of Babylon it is that some of the scenes and elements of the plot are a touch far-fetched (particularly those concerning the fate of the hotel manager). However any failing are redeemed in the compelling final chapters when Pist’anek perfectly elucidates the true nature of the ‘democracy� that was replacing communism.
“‘We’ll promise to help all of them� advises the lawyer� Racz fixes his eyes on him. ‘All of them?� he murmurs unhappily. ‘All those with chances of good seats in the elections� the lawyer corrects himself. ‘We’ll give something to the Left and something to the Right; something to the Catholics, and something to the Atheists. Let’s not forget about the Ecologists either, or the Nationalists�. ‘What about the Hungarians?� Racz asks menacingly. ‘We’ll give something to them too� we’ll get it back after the elections. Whoever wins does so with our help. That help will be repaid a hundredfold. No man is an island�.
It is little wonder that many in Eastern Europe still consider themselves to have been better off under Communist rule.
Incidentally I would never have found this relatively obscure gem of a book were it not for the renowned journalist Neal Ascherson, who mentions it as an aside, in this fantastic lecture
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 15, 2018
Neskutočný príbeh kuriča Rácza pospájaný skutočnostiami post-komunistickej Bratislavskej éry dokáže človeka pevne pripútať k deju. Pišťanek je trefný, vtipný, vulgárny a úprimný. Pre mňa osobne sa veľmi ťažko rozoznáva realita s fikciou v nedávnej dobe, v ktorej som nežil, ale aj napriek tomu si myslím, že aj toto dielo je dôkazom faktu, že sa slovenská spoločnosť od samostatnosti výrazne posunula. Faktory ako kvalita a hodnota diela dosahujú strop, bohužiaľ, je to jediné Pišťankove dielo v podobnej kategórii.
May 24, 2018
Great characters...of the repellent variety. Often comically, tragically repellent. The anti-hero is so popular these days in TV and movie, and this novel's main character, Racz, can compete with the best of the them. Racz's transformation from a simple villager to "man of the city" (I don't want to give too much away) is an extreme evolution...perhaps outrageous would be a better word. The lesser story lines and their characters are just as compelling, with one story line even more outrageous than Racz's.
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