Death of Vazir-Mukhtar

Yury Tynyanov's novel The Death of Vazir-Mukhtar is a brilliant meditation on the nature of historical and poetic consciousness and artistic creation. It explores the relationships among individual memory, historical fact, and the literary imagination and is a hybrid text containing elements of various genres. It was completed in 1927 and marked the between revolution and reaction, grappling with the themes of disillusionment, betrayal, and unrealized potential.

Format: Hardback
Length: 632 pages
Publication date: 27 April 2021
Publisher: Columbia University Press

The Death of Vazir-Mukhtar, a novel by Yury Tynyanov, one of the leading figures of the Russian formalist school, delves into the final year of Alexander Griboedov, the author of the comedy Woe from Wit. As the ambassador to Persia, Griboedov tragically met his demise in 1829 at the hands of a Tehrani mob during the sacking of the Russian embassy. This profound work stands as a central text in Russian formalist literary production, offering a captivating exploration of historical and poetic consciousness, as well as artistic creation. It is a complex and intricate masterpiece that delves into the intricate relationships between individual memory, historical fact, and the literary imagination. The result is a hybrid text that blends elements of various genres, including historical, biographical, existential, and adventure novels, while also serving as a deeply personal and almost confessional testament to the writer's relationship to his generation and the state. Completed in 1927, nearly a century after the events it depicts, The Death of Vazir-Mukhtar marks a significant turning point between revolution and reaction. At a time when the Soviet regime was tightening its grip on freedom of expression and conscience, Tynyanov grappled with themes of disillusionment, betrayal, and unrealized potential. Unabashedly intellectual yet brimming with intrigue and suspense, The Death of Vazir-Mukhtar stands as a remarkable historical novel of Russian modernism.

Weight: 906g
Dimension: 151 x 231 x 50 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780231193863