Victor Pelevin is a writer whose life is shrouded in mystery. The name and creativity of this man is fascinating and causes unceasing interest. Despite the fact that his first novel was published in 1996, the non-standard prose of the author still raises controversy today. And the most surprising is that Victor Pelevin, whose books are breaking records on sales, remains one of the most mysterious figures in contemporary literature.

Mysterious person

Pelevin is a writer about whom little is known. Few journalists can boast of a personal acquaintance with him. At one time, the television crew made unimaginable efforts to invite the writer into a program or talk show, but could not even get through to him.

Victor Pelevin, whose books have been translated into many European languages, is reluctant to give interviews to Russian journalists. And when he is in public, which he does infrequently, he appears before the fans only in black glasses. Publishers, whose interests include the promotion of Pelevin's books, on the proposal of press workers to organize interviews with the mysterious author, are invited to send questions via e-mail. The author of sensational novels from personal meetings, as a rule, refuses.

Several years ago there were even rumors that Pelevin Victor Olegovich - a person who does not exist. And the books published under this name are the fruits of the works of so-called literary ghosts. And yet, who is Victor Pelevin? What about him is known from official sources?

short biography

Pelevin Viktor Olegovich was born in Moscow in 1962. Childhood future writer spent on a communal apartment, in the heart of the capital. In the seventies, the family moved to Chertanovo, where, according to some reports, Victor Pelevin still lives today. After graduating from the prestigious school in Leontief Lane, he entered the Power Engineering Institute. Then there were postgraduate studies and several years of work at the department. In 1987, the writer, like his famous hero Tatarsky, entered the Literary Institute . Gorky.

Victor Pelevin, whose biography can not be represented completely due to the large number of blank spots, according to some sources, served in the army, never was married, worked for several years as a correspondent in one of the Moscow magazines. The first collection of short stories was published by a large Russian publishing house in 1992. The novel, which made him famous, was published in 1991. But before proceeding to the topic of Pelevin's work, it is worthwhile to say a few words about what still became known to curious employees of the press about the life of the author of the sensational novel Chapaev and Void.

School and Institute

Pelevin's former classmates and teachers remember him as a closed-minded teenager. Among peers he was distinguished by a great erudition, but he always kept himself apart.

Pelevin was expelled from the famous university, which produces graduated poets and prose writers. There were many legends about him at the Literary Institute. In his student years, Pelevin did not stand out. At least, that's what the teachers of literary crafts thought. Soon after the deduction, he became famous. This professor could not forgive a former student for a long time. There was a time when the applicant, seen with the book of this author, had every chance to fail the entrance exams.

The first novel

The work "Aumont Ra" was published in 1991. In genre, it is close to the thriller, but it is a parody of the educational novel of the Soviet years. The main feature of "Omon Ra" is grotesqueness. Heroes of the novel - cadets of the flight school. Maresyeva. After receipt each of them amputates legs. And this is done for the sake of the Motherland. Then the cadets study the dance "Kalinka". Casual in this fantastic and philosophical work is also mentioned the military school of Pavel Korchagin, graduates of which are all without exception - blind invalids. For the first novel Pelevin was awarded two prestigious literary prizes.

A novel whose action takes place in a void

Pelevin is a writer who, in the opinion of critics, borrowed in the Russian literature the niche of Castaneda, Borges and Cortazar. The author of the novel Chapaev and Void is the first representative of modern philosophical prose in Russia. The action of this work takes place two years after the revolution. The protagonist - Peter the Void - serves in Chapaev's division. This work was perceived by critics ambiguously, but in most cases it is positive. The novel was included in the list of applicants for the Booker Prize.

Generation P

The novel about Russians, whose views were formed in the era of change, was published in 1999. The action of the work, which became a cult, takes place in the early nineties. The hero of the novel is a graduate of the Literary Institute, forced to work in a stall, selling cigarettes and beer. But due to chance, he becomes one of the representatives of the profession, of which there were very few people in Russia at the beginning of the nineties. Tatar (that's the name of the hero Pelevin) becomes a copywriter.

Before the novel appeared on the shelves of bookstores, some of its fragments were able to read Internet users. Critics are interested in a non-standard story. Pelevin had even more fans. The publication of the novel "Generation" P "became a long-awaited event.

"DPP"

In 2003, a collection was published, which included stories and the novel "Numbers". Before this event there was a short break in the author's work. Pelevin is a writer in whose books the criticism of the Soviet consciousness is in the forefront. The author's satire is unique. It is not expressed in the author's position expressed in the text itself. It is rather a sensation of the ugliness of modern life, which, however, can not and can not be different. Similar ideas and attitudes are present in the "DPP".

Features of prose

Pelevin is a writer whose books are a kind of encyclopedia of spiritual and intellectual literature. Any of his works can be regarded as a manual on mythology. But in order to understand the meaning of Pelevin's ideas, it is necessary to have sufficient information from the field of the history of religion and philosophy. Far from everyone, even an educated reader, can decipher the intertextual references that are present in his books.

In the texts of this author there are religious and philosophical treatises. Reading Pelevin's books is reminiscent of solving a crossword puzzle. Some literary critics and admirers of Pelevin's work believe that his prose is a fascinating textbook of religious studies.

What is the reason for popularity?

The author, referred to in this article, differs from many of his colleagues with a subtle artistic taste and an unusually developed imagination. At least, that's what most Russian critics believe. Pelevin manages to find a new angle and an original approach in each book. He often surprises, and sometimes even shock. In Pelevin's books there are complex philosophical constructions, but due to the ease of the language, reading does not become tedious.

The characters in the novels of this writer are memorable and vivid. And Pelevin's literary style is a mixture of forms and genres. In one book, you can find several genres - and science fiction, and detective, and mysticism, and a drug addict. By the way, despite the fact that Pelevin's heroes abuse illegal drugs, the author claims that such weakness is unknown to him. To expand his consciousness, he is capable and without the use of narcotic drugs.

Criticism

Undoubtedly, not all readers are delighted with Pelevin's prose. But even the fans notice that the mastery of this writer does not develop according to the growing. The novel, which was published more than twenty years ago, according to critics, is still not surpassed. Pelevin's prose is distinguished by the presence of different styles that can be present in one piece. In the book you can find episodes that do not play any role in the story. All these features of prose cause both positive and negative reactions among critics and readers.

Pelevin and classics

One of the literary critics once said that Pelevin is trying to build a bridge between the youth subculture and the cultural heritage. The author of fashionable intellectual prose is called the follower of Bulgakov and Gogol. After all, Pelevin's books contain both social satire and mystical subjects.

The question of whether Pelevin's work relates to art and real literature remains controversial. And today there are critics who respond to it negatively. However, poor prose, as is known, needs promotion and obsessive advertising. Pelevin's books became popular without a special advertising campaign.