a picnic for stalkers

[wytchcroft]

 

and so now i am reading again
Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, which was the basis of the Andrei Tarkovsky film Stalker.

Stalker, like Solaris, is one of my very favourite movies.



However, unlike the source novel for Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem, which i love and have read many times - i have only read a section of 'Picnic' and that was many years ago.

The film of Stalker is sometimes known as Zone (and often the use of the concept of 'Zone' is remarked upon in critics' writings) which for me immediately calls to mind the poem Zone by Apollinaire - an extraordinary work in itself. (A very crude translation of which can be found on-line here.)



You are weary at last of this ancient world
Shepherdess O Eiffel tower whose flock of bridges bleats at the morning - zone.

So, maybe in a couple of days, i might have a bash at reviewing Picnic and talking a bit about my love for Stalker and for Zone. 

Comments

[gunter-spb.livejournal.com]

You started to look old Russian fiction? When waiting for a review? :)

[reginaclarejane.livejournal.com]

Hmm... seems interesting... I'll be waiting.
:)

[mrimidalv.livejournal.com]

"Roadside Picnic" has not something in common with "Stalker", except a place of action - the Zone.

[stoshagownozad.livejournal.com]

should be very interesting.
The Brothers were used to say the work on the story for the movie was really exhausting and that the movie and the book have little connections... but anyway indeed it became part of our minds - Stalker as depicted by Kaydanovsky... and the Zone as it became real thing after Chernobyl :(((

[mr-stapleton.livejournal.com]

fascinating thing(s) - i like it!
start waiting for review :)

[alex-kraine.livejournal.com]

My nick in many forums is Stalker... :)
The film shot by Tarkovsky was based rather not on the novel as such as on Strugatskys' screenplay named "The Machine of Desires", which, in its turn, was based on the idea of the Zone and Stalkers developed in the book.
The other news is that all of the Russian section of Internet is discussing hotly the final part of the film "Inhabited Island" based on Strugatskys' novel of the same name.
(the trailer Russian is here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iXZXB5tRck )
And here is the info of that book (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prisoners_of_Power)
It's the first part of the trilogy about Maxim Kammerer
2. Beetle in the Anthill http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beetle_in_the_Anthill
3. The Time Wanderers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Wanderers

Hope, you will like these too if or once you have read them.

Snail on the Slope

[alek-morse.livejournal.com]

I'll wait your review from the Strugatsky's novel.

By the way, the most close novel to "Roadside Picnic" is "Snail on the Slope"... in my view, indeed. I recommend it too :)

[eugenebo.livejournal.com]

I'd be interested to hear your opinion. That book is a wonderful mix of concepts originating from very different grounds, ranging from "depressing existentialism" to "ramping communism". I [hopefully] have no trouble separating them in the book, but would be interested to know if that obsructs a view of a person with a different cultural background :)

Nvertheless, I believe you made a right choice -- that's one of the best pieces of Soviet literature. Hope you'll enjoy it :)