Imitator

Author: (Russia) Ye Xin, translated by Liu Xianping
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2007-01-01
Features: This book vividly recreates the bizarre phenomena in the intellectual circles of the former Soviet Union during the reform era. It raises an extremely complex social psychological issue about whether something is "what it is" or "how it appears." The central character of the novel, Semirayev, has gained significant influence in society—he is a famous painter and the director of an art museum. In reality, however, he is completely mediocre in terms of artistic ability, and from a moral standpoint, he is a despicable and corrupt person. For his own advancement, he is willing to betray and sell out his friends and family, leading to his wife's suicide and his daughter and favorite student leaving him one after another. To secure a national project that could immortalize his name, Semirayev goes to great lengths, but in the end, his efforts fail, and his daughter and that student win the struggle. Truth triumphs over imitation, and falsehood retreats to sincerity. After its release in the late 1980s, the work caused a sensation and is considered a substantial work in the early Soviet literature of the 20th century.