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Book Reviews
Review by John Compton Rybnyj D’en’/Fish de [sic] Jour is a small bilingual volume of short Russian poems by Alex Galper, translated into English and edited by Igor Satanovsky. It was published by Koja Press (kojapress.com) of New York in 2003. There is no foreward or introduction or biographical sketch, but we can quickly surmise that the authors are part of the large and lively expatriot community of Russians centered in Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, and spreading out through the other boroughs. There are two quotes on the back, one in Russian by Alexander Kogan (“In Galper is that which is going on in the the Russian language and consciousness (or part of what is going on) . . .”) and in English by Satanovsky himself (“You better believe your eyes: in front of you are the poems by the incredible poet Alex Galper.”) “Incredible” is but one word we can apply to Galper, for in this genre of brutally honest, self-revelatory, and above all satirical poems, Galper has few equals. In fact, we could say that he is a genius of the art. There are three sets of poems in all, grouped under the headings “Brains to the Wall,” “The Real Galper,” and “Paranoia.” The table of contents is placed in Russian style at the end of the book and so is easy to miss at first. But this is merely a superficial detail. The real imprint of Russian culture permeates every page, and it reflects the schizophrenia-inducing clash between Russian and American culture that is probably inevitable in view of the vast chasm between the two, especially where it comes to poetry and poets. A little historical perspective is in order here for the English-speaking audience. Russians are absolutely fanatical about their poets and have been ever since Pushkin single- handedly started an entire tradition, which raised the poet to the level of conscience of the nation and pitted him against the Russian state. (The beloved Pushkin was himself exiled South, to Moldovia, a european region on the Black Sea for a few years for his connection with the Decembrist movement.) Indeed, up until the fall of Communism many Russian poets paid for their calling with their lives, in front of firing squads, in gulags, and in mental institutions. And many others were driven to suicide for various reasons. In terms of popularity the Russian poets could be compared to modern-day rock stars (down to destroying hotel rooms), and the famous male poets could even expect to be pursued amorously by hordes of women. So when a Russian poet leaves his native land he faces a challenge of identity. In Paris the literary traditions are close enough to the Russian to allow him an environment where he can pursue his craft much as before. But in New York the contrasts are far too great, and moreover the poet is held in such low esteem that he is tormented not from without (by a repressive state), but from within (by feelings of inadequacy and self-loathing). The end result is that the rest of us benefit from the creative output of these tortured souls. We can compare Galper to the subject of one of his poems, namely Eduard Limonov, who lived in exile in New York during the waning days of the Soviet Union, working at odd jobs and producing a series of novels, only to return to Russia to start a radical, viciously anti-American political movement. We could say that Limonov approached the abyss between Russian and American culture, and then dived in head first. In the case of Galper, he approaches the precipice, but stays poised at the edge and does not not take the plunge. And therein lies the tension of his poems. It is through his gaze into the chasm that the stuff of his poems is spun. And it is wickedly hilarious stuff in the extreme. Galper’s satire ranges from political and cultural subjects to social and sexual ones. In one he rates Saddam Hussein as a great American patriot who forces his victims to watch the Oscar presentations and secretly eats pizza and Thanksgiving turkey. In another entitled “Inventions” he begins with “Silicon breats with bullet-proof lining/To walk around dangerous neighborhoods. . .” and then goes on to list an assortment of other hypothetical items, some sex-oriented, that could be useful. Absolutely nothing is sacred in these poems. Yet on the other hand they do show some restraint. For example, Galper never crosses the line into “mat,” the Russian equivalent of English four-letter-word obscenities, yet much more potent in the Russian psyche. This reviewer’s favorite poem of the collection is “Viewing of the Documentary of the Old Soviet Trial of Joseph Brodsky Interrupted by Calls of Computer Programming Employment Agents.” It interleaves the Russian commentary with the questions of agents such as “How well do you know COBOL?” In a brilliant stroke, the translation gives the English equivalent of Russian verses and Russian for the English ones. Structurally, Galper’s poems show a range of styles, from the traditional Russian style of uniform meter and rhyme to completely free forms. In spite of the more traditional style in some poems, many Russians would not accept these works as real poetry. The subject matter is too far from the norm for that. However, in terms of soul searching and honesty, these poems are very much in the Russian tradition. We feel that we know the poet’s innermost secrets after reading these gems, and we sympathize with him as being the hapless “everyman” who struggles with the rest of us in the all-American pursuit of happiness. The translator Satanovsky also deserves plaudits for his ability to capture the spirit of the Russian in the English translations. This is quite a “read” for anyone brave enough to step into Galper’s world. It would definitely be worth the effort to look further into his œuvre. John Compton 5 June 2006 Read an excerpt from this book opens in new window About the Author Mr. Galper was born in 1971 in Kiev, Ukraine and in 1989 moved with his family to New York. He graduated from Brooklyn College in 1996 majoring in Creative Writing. One of his professors was Allen Ginsberg, whom he closely worked with translating his poetry into Russian and was a major literary influence for Alex. In 2003, friends Igor Satanovsky and Mike Magazinnik translated and published the bilingual edition of Fish de Jour. In April 2006, his second book of poems Antidepressants was published (Russian only). The bilingual edition will be available by the end of 2006. Translations of Mr. Galper’s poems have been published in about 30 magazines in the US and UK. In Russia, Mr. Galper is considered marginally an outsider for his heavy use of free poetic forms, rich erotic imagery and dark humor.  |
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