Old Ways and New Directions

Originally published in 1949 by New Directions, this brief compendium of works by Boris Pasternak (1890-1960) is a collaboration of four different translators and comprises not only the titular piece, but the short stories "Aerial Ways" and "Letters from Tula," the novella "The Childhood of Luvers" and 33 poems. Even given the fact that every translator has his or her own unique rendering and takes certain liberties, there can be no doubt that the inherent verbosity and cryptic syntax is truly that of Pasternak. Readers will wade through a morass of metaphors and peripatetic passages which, at their eventual conclusion, almost audibly demand clarification, or at least a second reading. To his credit, Pasternak masterfully employs imagery, describing the most mundane situations in the most colorful terms. Thus, a train making routine stops at several different cities

". . .stretched out like a chain-mail wonder wrought from the ten-times-riveted carriage frames.
The small leather corridor connections dilated and expanded like a blacksmith's bellows (43)."

He also uses a great deal of personification, which, if used judiciously, enhances writing, but if employed excessively can and does backfire.

Written when Pasternak was 40, his autobiography recounts a circuitous, fickle existence, as the incipient scribe drifts from one prospective career to the next, choosing first music, then law, and afterwards philosophy, before settling on poetry. Each stage in the author's life comes with its heroes, whom he reveres in turn, never forgetting the individual influences that each respective mentor has had on him. Fleeting attention is given to his parents, Leonid and Rosa, as well as to his siblings, and Pasternak refers to his first wife, "Zhenia" (Evgenia) and their son perhaps once. Juxtaposed to this omission are scenes such as the one in Chapter IV in the first part of the book, in which Pasternak relates an excruciating recital that he performed for the renowned pianist Alexander Scriabin, under whom he studied. Again Pasternak utilizes the most routine details to convey a palpable sense of urgency and insecurity, which sets the stage for the inevitable end of his musical aspirations.

But Pasternak reserves the lion's share of his admiration for the ill-fated poet Vladimir Mayakovsky, who later committed suicide. Pasternak implies that Mayakovsky's tragic demise enhances his greatness, making him a kind of poet-martyr. During his formative years as a poet, the early 1910's, Pasternak hobnobbed with several other writers as well, and in Safe Conduct describes the small, almost incestuous gatherings, without really mentioning any details of what was recited. Pasternak relates one such occasion on which Mayakovsky "offered to read one or two things."

"It was the tragedy Vladimir Mayakovsky which had just come out. I listened raptly, with all my heart,
holding my breath, forgetting all about myself. I had never heard anything like this before (115). Much of Pasternak's autobiography is similarly self-effacing, and in retrospect, almost seems like false modesty. However, he does leave a trail of clues leading to the eventual explanation of his complex psyche.

Those readers expecting something akin to Dr. Zhivago in this book's sparse selection of fiction will be disappointed. The syntactical consistency in the three stories which appear in this publication reinforces the earlier point made regarding the integrity of preserving Pasternak's inimitable style. That the entire book was translated by the same individual would be entirely plausible.

"Aerial Ways" is a brooding mystery set against a maritime backdrop. The two main characters are separated by space, time and the ineluctable fate of a certain child with whom they share a bond. Throughout the course of the narrative nearly two decades elapse swiftly and silently. "Letters from Tula," the second fictional offering, is the shortest of the stories, although it manages quite well to be the most convoluted. First published in 1918, the piece fluctuates between an epistolary tale and a conventional third person account, the former distinguished from the latter by the use of quotation marks. The protagonist is a poet, describing a railroad sojourn to Moscow. "The Childhood of Luvers" is the not-so-epic saga of an upper-class Russian family, told from the perspective of Zhenia, the daughter. Among the family's tribulations, only one can really be construed as potentially catastrophic, although the young protagonist sees drama in everyday life.

Although most literature can and does stand on its own merits, rudimentary knowledge of Pasternak's background, as well as some understanding of Russian culture, will greatly benefit readers. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, for example, during the doomed Romanov dynasty, it was fashionable for the Russian aristocracy to speak French. So it is not strange that in Part V of Chapter 1, Pasternak writes that one of four Belgian gentlemen who regularly visit the family "had been trying to learn Russian (205)." Slavic naming conventions can be a bit perplexing too, as diminutives are usually preferred. Therefore Evgenia is called "Zhenia" and Sergei is called "Seriozha." Surnames are treated differently, as well, with women generally adding the suffix "a" or "na." This is why the wife of Mr. Deffendov calls herself Mrs. Deffendova. The title Safe Conduct is particularly apt, given the turbulent times which the author survived, specifically two revolutions (1905 and 1917) and as many world wars. Although a childhood injury prevented Pasternak from serving in the military, he was hardly unaffected. And almost prophetically, the title hints at the persecution he endured with the publication of his magnum opus, which was completed in 1954 and garnered him the Nobel Prize in 1958. Many years would elapse before the book's publication in Russia.

By far the best section is that containing the selected poems. That most of them rhyme or nearly rhyme, and adhere to metrical parameters, while at the same time exhibiting wonderful, rich imagery understandably leads purists to question the integrity of the translation, by C. M. Bowra and Babette Deutsch. The poetry manifests an affinity for themes about nature, as evidenced by titles such as "Sparrow Hills," "Summer" and "Waving a Bough." A lesser poet -or translator- might inadvertently wax prosaic, but these poems bear no trace of that. Other topics delve into the historical ("Spring 1944") or the philosophical ("May it Be.")

Much is left omitted regarding the life of Pasternak, both because he was to live another 30 years following the book's publication and because he focuses on the cerebral rather than the situational. Overall, Safe Conduct, An Autobiography And Other Writings fulfills a niche for those who want more insight into one of Russia's foremost writers, but is by no means an easy read.