Fiction

Day of the Oprichnik

Day of the Oprichnik

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  • Create Date：2022-10-12 06:57:22
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Vladimir Sorokin
  • ISBN：0374533105
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Summary

One of The Telegraph's Best Fiction Books 2011

Moscow， 2028。 A scream， a moan， and a death rattle slowly pull Andrei Danilovich Komiaga out of his drunken stupor。 But wait—that's just his ring tone。 So begins another day in the life of an oprichnik， one of the czar's most trusted courtiers—and one of the country's most feared men。

In this new New Russia， where futuristic technology and the draconian codes of Ivan the Terrible are in perfect synergy， Komiaga will attend extravagant parties， partake in brutal executions， and consume an arsenal of drugs。 He will rape and pillage， and he will be moved to tears by the sweetly sung songs of his homeland。

Vladimir Sorokin has imagined a near future both too disturbing to contemplate and too realistic to dismiss。 But like all of his best work， Sorokin's new novel explodes with invention and dark humor。 A startling， relentless portrait of a troubled and troubling empire， Day of the Oprichnik is at once a richly imagined vision of the future and a razor-sharp diagnosis of a country in crisis。

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Reviews

Michael ，

A distinctly unpleasant dystopian tale of a kind with genre classics 1984 and Brave New World， albeit more openly mocking than those。 Sorokin imagines a Russia run by morons， a place whose ruling class is consumed with mystical nonsense， base carnal pleasure， and petty infighting， a fundamentally stupid place that has been rendered useless by a malicious capitalism that allows these leaders the power， wealth， and status to carry out their basest， stupidest desires。 Many a dystopian author has de A distinctly unpleasant dystopian tale of a kind with genre classics 1984 and Brave New World， albeit more openly mocking than those。 Sorokin imagines a Russia run by morons， a place whose ruling class is consumed with mystical nonsense， base carnal pleasure， and petty infighting， a fundamentally stupid place that has been rendered useless by a malicious capitalism that allows these leaders the power， wealth， and status to carry out their basest， stupidest desires。 Many a dystopian author has described the decrepit systems of fascism， but Sorokin is one of the first I've encountered who prods at the fundamental， bleakly hilarious truth of the reason they exist: all this sorrow and bloodshed， state and God perverted， the blood and death and law and order， indistinguishable as they are， exists to turn the world into the playground of the dumbest idiots imaginable。 。。。more

Dmytro ，

Антиутопічна сатира яка виявилась пророчою。

Daria ，

I’m not surprised to see so many negative reviews from non-Russian speakers。 The book is extraordinarily well written in Russian; the choice of words， _pure_ Russian analogues for the words of foreign origin， the structure of sentences - this all gives a very specific taste to the book and， in my opinion， makes it absolutely non-translatable。 It is also impossible to truly understand， feel this book without knowing the Russian Orthodox Church and its doings， the raise of the “Skrepy” ideology， i I’m not surprised to see so many negative reviews from non-Russian speakers。 The book is extraordinarily well written in Russian; the choice of words， _pure_ Russian analogues for the words of foreign origin， the structure of sentences - this all gives a very specific taste to the book and， in my opinion， makes it absolutely non-translatable。 It is also impossible to truly understand， feel this book without knowing the Russian Orthodox Church and its doings， the raise of the “Skrepy” ideology， its communistic past， and a “true Russian soul”。 The book was written in 2006 as dystopia; 16 years later certain _unthinkable_ things back then have become quite real。 A truly masterpiece。 。。。more

Yanina Kremer ，

И в страшном сне не могло привидеться， что Охлобыстин и правда будет «гойда！» перед Путиным восклицать… horrors come true

LooseCannon ，

Давненько я не испытывал такого омерзения от событий， происходящих в сюжете книги。 Но альтернативная реальность， тем не менее， описана достаточно реалистично。 К сожалению💁‍♂️

Denis ，

Даже комментировать не хочется。 Набор слов。

Dima Shevchuk ，

Книга о моральных нравах нынешней правящей верхушки рашки））

Vanessa Fernandez ，

Not my thing- a friend asked me to read it， so I did， but i I’ll can’t say I enjoyed it。 Not having much knowledge of Russian culture， I missed a lot of the satire- wish I had looked up Oprichnik beforehand。

PartyPro200 ，

satira ruseasca este cea mai buna satira？da sincer， nu e nicio competitiem-am distrat desi in acelasi timp chiar inteleg de ce am gasit-o pe icebergul ala 。。。as scrie paragraful despre readaptarea textului la crima si pedeapsa ，dar ar fi mare rusinica。Aia este tema de citit cu voce tare

Milo ，

I’ve been quite into a day in life kind of fiction lately so when I saw this novel at Waterstones， I just had to pick it up。 Set in a dystopian futuristic Moscow， Day of the Oprichnik follows a day in life of the czar’s elite henchmen force。 Plot 📖: so many trigger warnings！ This novel is fulled of sexual violence and unnecessary tortures。 Maybe because I finished this book on a flight， but I feel pretty nauseous reading all these horrific deeds described in great details。 However， I do enjoy th I’ve been quite into a day in life kind of fiction lately so when I saw this novel at Waterstones， I just had to pick it up。 Set in a dystopian futuristic Moscow， Day of the Oprichnik follows a day in life of the czar’s elite henchmen force。 Plot 📖: so many trigger warnings！ This novel is fulled of sexual violence and unnecessary tortures。 Maybe because I finished this book on a flight， but I feel pretty nauseous reading all these horrific deeds described in great details。 However， I do enjoy the world building; the imagined political system， the weirdly cyberpunk technology （including a manmade penis？） and the futuristic recreational drugs。Prose✍️: I appreciate the direct and cold narrative， very fitting with the theme of the novel。 However， it does go on too much on sexual violence and tripping on drug which could be mentally exhausting to read。 A 3 stars novel ⭐️⭐️⭐️ 。。。more

LannyBobanny ，

A tableau of dystopian Russia crafted from the perspective of a member of the Oprichnik - the personal bodyguard corps of the Tsar-equivalent。 Full of insightful commentary and breezily delivered critiques of a caricatured version of Putin's Russia， although at times much of value seemed obscured beneath frantic narration and excessively grotesque scenes。 A tableau of dystopian Russia crafted from the perspective of a member of the Oprichnik - the personal bodyguard corps of the Tsar-equivalent。 Full of insightful commentary and breezily delivered critiques of a caricatured version of Putin's Russia， although at times much of value seemed obscured beneath frantic narration and excessively grotesque scenes。 。。。more

Brett Starr ，

“To His Majesty’s health！”“Long live His Majesty！”“Work and Word！ We live to serve， Your Majesty！”As long as the oprichniks are alive， Russia will be alive。This novel was published in 2006 with a Russian setting in a futuristic 2028 world。 Main character Andrei Danilovich Komiaga is an oprichnik， a member of the royal guard。 This short novel follows him throughout his day from morning until night。I really liked the story， it had me hooked from the beginning。 The level of debauchery reminded me o “To His Majesty’s health！”“Long live His Majesty！”“Work and Word！ We live to serve， Your Majesty！”As long as the oprichniks are alive， Russia will be alive。This novel was published in 2006 with a Russian setting in a futuristic 2028 world。 Main character Andrei Danilovich Komiaga is an oprichnik， a member of the royal guard。 This short novel follows him throughout his day from morning until night。I really liked the story， it had me hooked from the beginning。 The level of debauchery reminded me of Irvin Welsh's "Filth" novel。 Looking forward to reading the author's other novel "The Blizzard"Seek out good books & enjoy。~BJ 。。。more

Babette Ernst ，

In Wikipedia ist in Sorokins Eintrag vermerkt， er könne das gegenwärtige Russland nur noch mit den Mitteln der Satire abbilden。 Genau das machte er bei diesem 2005 entstandenen und 2006 veröffentlichten Buch。 Mir schien， dass der Autor mit gehöriger Frustration und viel Wut eine Vision Russlands entwirft， die den Menschen im Land einen Zerrspiegel oder ein Vergrößerungsglas vorhält und die Absurditäten der Realität in gehöriger Weise überspitzt。 Vieles， was mir erst in den letzten Monaten richti In Wikipedia ist in Sorokins Eintrag vermerkt， er könne das gegenwärtige Russland nur noch mit den Mitteln der Satire abbilden。 Genau das machte er bei diesem 2005 entstandenen und 2006 veröffentlichten Buch。 Mir schien， dass der Autor mit gehöriger Frustration und viel Wut eine Vision Russlands entwirft， die den Menschen im Land einen Zerrspiegel oder ein Vergrößerungsglas vorhält und die Absurditäten der Realität in gehöriger Weise überspitzt。 Vieles， was mir erst in den letzten Monaten richtig klar geworden ist， lässt sich hier schon deutlich ablesen， wie die ungeheure Macht der Geheimorganisation， die Toxizität männlicher Herrschaft mit der Verkörperung von Kraft und Potenz， die Abkehr vom Westen und Hinwendung nach China， die Macht， die die Gasversorgung darstellt， die Scheinheiligkeit bei der neuen Bedeutung der Kirchen， die Doppelmoral der Gesellschaft bis hin zur Missachtung von Juden und anderen Bevölkerungsgruppen。Erzählt wird， wie der Titel schon ankündigt， der Tagesablauf eines Opritschniks， der etwa einem Geheimdienstler gleichzusetzen ist， aus dessen Sicht。 Dabei erfahren wir kaum etwas über das frühere Leben des Protagonisten， können den Charakter nur wenig erkennen。 Die Situation im Land （es soll 2027 spielen） hat sich verändert und ähnelt den Gegebenheiten unter Iwan dem Schrecklichen unter Hinzufügung von chinesischer Hochtechnologie， aber wie es dazu kam， bleibt unklar。 Auch die Sprache hat sich verändert， ob mit Ausdrücken wie „Faustkeil“ für das Mobiltelefon eine Art Neusprech ala Orwell gemeint sein sollte oder die Rückbesinnung auf die Tradition so weit ging， dass für moderne Gegenstände russische Namen gewählt werden mussten， erschloss sich mir ebenfalls nicht。Ich fand das Buch ganz unterhaltsam， soweit man Gewalt und Sexorgien unterhaltsam finden kann， mochte die überbordende Fantasie des Autors， habe aber aus der Geschichte keine neuen Erkenntnisse gezogen。 Es ist wahrscheinlich nicht das beste Buch Sorokins， ein den Staat provozierendes und entlarvendes ist es aber allemal。 。。。more

Peter ，

Nein， das war nicht mein Buch。 Sicherlich， literarische Übertreibung ist ein gängiges Mittel um den Lesern gegenwärtige Missstände vor Augen zu führen。 Brauchen wir das aber， gerade in der aktuellen Zeit？ Muss ich plastische Schilderungen von Vergewaltigungen， Folterungen， Verbrennungen lesen um zu wissen， dass Putin sich wie ein neuer Zar gebärdet und seine Kettenhunde von KGB， GRU， Wagner-Gruppe， Kadyrowcy usw。 agieren wie mittelalterliche Landsknechte？ Ich dachte es wäre interessant das Innen Nein， das war nicht mein Buch。 Sicherlich， literarische Übertreibung ist ein gängiges Mittel um den Lesern gegenwärtige Missstände vor Augen zu führen。 Brauchen wir das aber， gerade in der aktuellen Zeit？ Muss ich plastische Schilderungen von Vergewaltigungen， Folterungen， Verbrennungen lesen um zu wissen， dass Putin sich wie ein neuer Zar gebärdet und seine Kettenhunde von KGB， GRU， Wagner-Gruppe， Kadyrowcy usw。 agieren wie mittelalterliche Landsknechte？ Ich dachte es wäre interessant das Innenleben einer solcher Truppe zu sehen， aber da ist nichts！ Nichts als Trieb nach Sex， nach Fressen， nach Geld， nach Drogen。 Zugegeben， einiges hat Sorokin im Erscheinungsjahr des Romans （2006） schon （vorher）gesehen: die Verbandelung von Staatsmacht und Kirche， die Übernahme des Staates durch den KGB， die Rückorientierung auf das zaristische Russland mit Peter I。 als großem Vorbild， die Abschottung vom Westen， die Hinwendung zu China， der latente Antisemitismus， die ausgreifenden Korruption vor allem in höchsten Kreisen。 Aber all dies hätte ich auch in einer journalistischen oder wissenschaftlichen Schrift lesen können， wozu also ein belletristisches Buch。Wären da nicht die handwerklich hervorragende Übersetzung des schwierigen Textes voller Umgangssprache und Neologismen durch Andreas Tretner und die stimmige Einlesung durch Stefan Kaminski， hätte ich sogar nur einen Stern vergeben。 。。。more

Thomas Sulmon ，

J'ai entendu parler de ce livre lors d'une conférence littéraire。 Apparemment lors de sa sortie， un critique allemand aurait dit que Sorokine devait être "complètement ivre tout au long de l'écriture de ce livre"。 Qui en dirait autant aujourd'hui， au vu de la situation en Russie？J'ai tout simplement adoré cette lecture。 On suit le personnage de Komiaga pendant un jour dans ses fonctions， et on comprend au fur et à mesure ce qu'est devenue la Russie en 2028 : une autocratie s'appuyant sur la reli J'ai entendu parler de ce livre lors d'une conférence littéraire。 Apparemment lors de sa sortie， un critique allemand aurait dit que Sorokine devait être "complètement ivre tout au long de l'écriture de ce livre"。 Qui en dirait autant aujourd'hui， au vu de la situation en Russie？J'ai tout simplement adoré cette lecture。 On suit le personnage de Komiaga pendant un jour dans ses fonctions， et on comprend au fur et à mesure ce qu'est devenue la Russie en 2028 : une autocratie s'appuyant sur la religion， la violence et l'instrumentalisation du passé pour maintenir son régime oppressif。 A l'heure de la montée des nationalismes en Europe， ce roman est on ne peut plus actuel。"J’aime l’hiver。 Le gel nettoie la tête， vivifie le sang。 Durant l’hiver en Russie， les affaires d’État sont résolues， discutées plus rapidement。""Nikolaï Platonovitch， a posé la première pierre des fondations de la Grande Muraille occidentale， il y a seize ans， dès que nous avons entrepris de nous débarrasser de ce qui nous est étranger et vient de l’extérieur， et de ce qui est démoniaque et vient de l’intérieur， les ennemis se sont enfuis par toutes les lézardes， telles des scolopendres maléfiques。 En vérité， toute grande idée engendrer un antagonisme radical contre elle。""Nos libéraux ne s’en distinguent que par leur garrulité qu’ils aspergent autour d’eux， comme de la mort-aux-rats et de la pourriture nidoreuse， enfiellant non seulement le genre humain， mais le monde divin lui-même， infestant， souillant sa très sainte pureté et sa simplicité jusqu’aux confins azurés""Nous， les opritchniks， il nous a enhardis : il n’y a pas d’intouchables dans la Nouvelle Russie。 Il n’y en a pas et ne saurait y en avoir。 Et loué soit Dieu。""J’ai envie de me remémorer les Anciens : sic transit gloria mundi。""Et tant que l’opritchnina est vivante， la Russie est vivante également Et loué soit Dieu ！" 。。。more

Frank ，

Gut lesbares Buch ohne weiteren Tiefgang， das aber Fragen aufwirft。 Eingängig geschrieben ist es "eingängig" auch deshalb， weil es Leser nicht mit Reflexionen oder gar Irritationen belästigt。 Das Böse ist böse und banal， dabei unbeirrt und von keinem Zweifel angefressen。 Von komplizierteren Charakteren， davon， seine Helden in Widersprüche zu verwickeln， sie wirklichen Entscheidungen auszusetzen etc。 hält Sorokin offensichtlich nicht viel。 Entwicklungen kommen nicht vor。 Sein Held ist kein Simpli Gut lesbares Buch ohne weiteren Tiefgang， das aber Fragen aufwirft。 Eingängig geschrieben ist es "eingängig" auch deshalb， weil es Leser nicht mit Reflexionen oder gar Irritationen belästigt。 Das Böse ist böse und banal， dabei unbeirrt und von keinem Zweifel angefressen。 Von komplizierteren Charakteren， davon， seine Helden in Widersprüche zu verwickeln， sie wirklichen Entscheidungen auszusetzen etc。 hält Sorokin offensichtlich nicht viel。 Entwicklungen kommen nicht vor。 Sein Held ist kein Simplicius， dessen Naivität Widersprüche verdeutlicht， sondern einfach nur ein Simpel， von dem man sich freilich zu fürchten hätte， wenn man denn mit ihm aneinander geriete。 Solche Typen gibt es überall。 Meint: Prophetisches über das heutige Russland kann ich beim besten Willen nicht heraus lesen， zumal einem das Grundgerüst derartiger Charaktere oder auch Praktiken aus den Geschichten um den GULAG zu Genüge vertraut ist。 Erschreckend sind höchstens die Kontinuitäten， zumal die Dystopie im Kostüm des altgläubigen Russland von Iwan IV。， genannt "der Schreckliche"， daher kommt。 Das würde bedeuten: Seit 500 Jahren nichts Neues！Womit ich bei den Fragen wäre: Der Autor suggeriert als Vorbild des geschilderten orthodoxen Ständestaates mit Bojaren usw。 Peter I。， wobei er öfter "Altgläubigkeit" hervorhebt， eine religiöse Form， die Peter I。 abschaffte。 Das Bojarentum hat Peter bekämpft und Russland dem Westen geöffnet， während der "Gossudar" bei Sorokin eine Mauer gen Westen unterhält。 Das mag also auf eine implizite Kritik an der Geschichtsklitterei unter Putin I。 hindeuten， dessen Zuwendung zu "eurasischen" imperialen Ideen in der Tat eher auf Iwan den Schrecklichen verweist， der sich aber dennoch zwischen den Polen Peter und Stalin bewegt。 So ist Peter I。 für Sorokin kein Gegenentwurf; ohnehin wird "dem Bösen" nichts "Gutes" gegenüberstellt。 Was aus den verbotenen Westsendern an Dissidentischem zitiert wird， ist bestenfalls eine Sorokinsche Karikatur der Dekadenz， die Putin dem Westen （berechtigt？） vorwirft。 Sorokin scheint keine Alternative zu sehen; Schlagworte wie "Demokratie"， "Toleranz" oder "Freiheit" kommen nicht vor。 Dafür werden moderne Kunstformen beschrieben und abgelehnt。 Ratlos macht die Art， wie das Männerbündische der Opritschina ausgerechnet mit homoerotischen Ritualen kritisiert wird。 Das liest sich， als würde Sorokin dem Sauhaufen Doppel- Moral ausgerechnet mit Blick auf den Umgang mit Homosexualität vorwerfen， meint ex negativo， dass diese dann in der Tat verabscheuungswürdig und westlich- dekadent sein müsste， womit die Opritschina der Heuchelei überführt wäre。 Wo ist also die Vision？ Russland nur als verkommener Teil einer auch sonst verkommenen Welt？ Beim Lesen beschlich mich das leise Gefühl， dass die Art， wie im Buch "falsche" Religiosität vorgeführt wird， auf "wahre Religion" （Ideal der russischen Orthodoxie） als Rettung verweist。 Dazu würde passen， dass die Hellseherin， die über Russlands Zukunft nichts sagen kann oder will， die Bücher Dostojewskis und Tolstois dem Feuer übergibt。 Was bleibt also？ Um es mit einem Schlagwort zu sagen: Sorokin belässt es beim Nihilismus。 Zu wenig für ein Buch， das mir mit dem Anspruch mehr als bloße Unterhaltung zu sein verkauft und empfohlen wurde。 Nimmt man das Buch hingegen als Unterhaltungsliteratur， so ist freilich wenig daran auszusetzen- es liest sich flüssig und ist trotz aller Kritik nicht unspannend。 Auch wenn meine Erwartung， dass der Opritschnik doch noch in Widerspruch zu sich selbst gebracht und womöglich Opfer seines Systems wird， sich nicht erfüllt hat。 Leider。 。。。more

Annika Unterberger ，

Der Tag des Opritschniks ist eine Dystopie， die in derzeitigen Verhältnissen gar nicht so unwahrscheinlich wirkt！Russland hat sich von der Welt abgeschottet， dreht Europa regelmäßig den Gas-Hahn zu und wird vom allmächtigen Gossudaren regiert， dessen Leibgarde， die Opritschnina， das Land terrorisiert。 Einen dieser Opritschnik folgen wird an einem typischen Arbeitstag。 Der ist voll mit Folter， Mord， Vergewaltigung und Drogenmissbrauch， für den Opritschnik allerdings nicht verstörend， ganz im Geg Der Tag des Opritschniks ist eine Dystopie， die in derzeitigen Verhältnissen gar nicht so unwahrscheinlich wirkt！Russland hat sich von der Welt abgeschottet， dreht Europa regelmäßig den Gas-Hahn zu und wird vom allmächtigen Gossudaren regiert， dessen Leibgarde， die Opritschnina， das Land terrorisiert。 Einen dieser Opritschnik folgen wird an einem typischen Arbeitstag。 Der ist voll mit Folter， Mord， Vergewaltigung und Drogenmissbrauch， für den Opritschnik allerdings nicht verstörend， ganz im Gegenteil， für ihn gibt es nichts Normaleres。 Sowie die Aktionen mehr als nur ein bisschen Gewöhnung gebrauchen， tut es auch der Schreibstil。 Durch seinen abgehackten Stil wirkt dieser， als ob wir direkt die Gedanken des Opritschnik lesen würden。 So tauchen aber wir immer mehr in dessen Geist ein und sehen auch wie weit er seinem Irrglauben， dass richtige zu tun， verfallen ist。 Der Tag des Opritschniks ist somit nicht nur verstörend und angsteinflößend zu lesen， sondern dient durchs seine Zeitgemäßheit auch als Weckruf！—> 4 stars 。。。more

Steven ，

I like bears， so I like the cover: but it all ends there， unfortunately。 This is the first time I've read a Russian novel that was written in the 21st century。In fact， it's the first time I've read anything by a Russian writer who isn't pushing up daisies。 It made me realise this: all the best Russian writers are in the land of the dead， and I'd much rather read a poorly translated Bulgakov or Nabokov when it comes to satire than a superbly translated Sorokin。 It's frenzied nature and graphic vi I like bears， so I like the cover: but it all ends there， unfortunately。 This is the first time I've read a Russian novel that was written in the 21st century。In fact， it's the first time I've read anything by a Russian writer who isn't pushing up daisies。 It made me realise this: all the best Russian writers are in the land of the dead， and I'd much rather read a poorly translated Bulgakov or Nabokov when it comes to satire than a superbly translated Sorokin。 It's frenzied nature and graphic violence didn't really bother me， but what did was the fact they are part of a poorly executed satire that goes over the top all too often and that I feared would turn into a complete and utter mess in the end， but it just about held itself together。 It raises some important questions as it stomps around mocking the Russian government， and has its nose sniffing around in the past just as much as it does its near future draconian setting。 But come on; just how was I going to read this and not compare to a multitude of Russian greats？Sorokin wouldn't even gain entrance to the same house let alone have a place at their table。 Nabokov sitting at the opposite end to Dostoevsky， obviously。 。。。more

Christiane ，

3，5 *The banality of evilThe Day of the Oprichnik - despite the murdering， burning and raping - is boring。 Not because it is badly written， but because Sorokin has made the biggest mistake a writer can make: He has chosen a stupid protagonist and also has him narrate from his perspective。Against such great examples as Simplizissimus and Felix Krull， who don't seem clever either， but instead of being stupid are only naïve， which has its own charm， the Opritschnik stands bare。 There is nothing in 3，5 *The banality of evilThe Day of the Oprichnik - despite the murdering， burning and raping - is boring。 Not because it is badly written， but because Sorokin has made the biggest mistake a writer can make: He has chosen a stupid protagonist and also has him narrate from his perspective。Against such great examples as Simplizissimus and Felix Krull， who don't seem clever either， but instead of being stupid are only naïve， which has its own charm， the Opritschnik stands bare。 There is nothing in his head that could arouse astonishment， there is no behaviour that the reader could not already have imagined。 He is simply too stupid to be interesting。Yet Sorokin hits the mark with this！ For wouldn't it be completely against his intention to have created an interesting opritschnik？ So now the readers have to experience for themselves how unspeakably boring gangsterism is。We already know the criminal first-person narrator from the narcissistic impostor Felix Krull or the sadistic sex offender Humbert Humbert - the one covers up his misdeeds with charming gossip， the other draws up his meticulous strategy for this purpose before us。 They are both hypocrites， which makes them interesting。The opritschnik is not hypocritical。 He does not understand that his deeds are crimes， because he is completely submerged in the maelstrom of indoctrination。 And there completely stupefied。 With all the force of criminal thinking， the oprichnik heroises his deeds in the light of secondary virtues。 The primary ones have disappeared， eradicated。 Patriotism has given way to antiquity， love to sentimental pathos， and "law and order" excuses robbery， rape and murder。 （How far this brainwashing has progressed in reality is regularly shown to us by the presenter of "Becep"）。Yes， the book is boring， but it is not bad。 Readers who persevere can feel somewhat rewarded by a psychedelic masochist orgy at the end。 At least I had to chuckle gleefully。。。Translated with www。DeepL。com/Translator （free version） 。。。more

Bas Claassen ，

In many dystopian novels， you experience the face of the human race being stomped on by a boot forever。 In Sorokin's book， you get the perspective of the boot。 Rather than expanding on how awful it must be for the repressed to live in that regime， this story follows the repressor on a single working day。 This story tries to explain by what mechanics and people such a regime can stay in power， inviting you to think how it can be prevented or toppled。The book is harsh but the subject has been expl In many dystopian novels， you experience the face of the human race being stomped on by a boot forever。 In Sorokin's book， you get the perspective of the boot。 Rather than expanding on how awful it must be for the repressed to live in that regime， this story follows the repressor on a single working day。 This story tries to explain by what mechanics and people such a regime can stay in power， inviting you to think how it can be prevented or toppled。The book is harsh but the subject has been explored to death。 Yet with this unusual perspective， it's a fresh， fun， and ultimately more helpful book than others in its genre。 。。。more

Anna Reiffenstuel ，

This is a crazy short dystopian book。 You follow an oprichnik， some kind of Russian secret service guy or government mobster for an entire day and 。。。 it's a wild day with lots of （brutal） sex， drugs and dirty deals。 The book was published in 2006 and there's a ton of criticism of Russian politics in it。 I recommend it as long as you're not afraid of violence。 This is a crazy short dystopian book。 You follow an oprichnik， some kind of Russian secret service guy or government mobster for an entire day and 。。。 it's a wild day with lots of （brutal） sex， drugs and dirty deals。 The book was published in 2006 and there's a ton of criticism of Russian politics in it。 I recommend it as long as you're not afraid of violence。 。。。more

J。C。Kool ，

A bit to dark for me

Socrate ，

Acelaşi vis: merg pe un câmp fără margini， rusesc， care trece dincolo de linia orizontului， văd în faţă un cal alb， merg spre el， simt că acest cal e deosebit， cel mai fain cal dintre toţi caii， foarte frumos， lider， iute de picior; mă grăbesc， dar nu pot să-l ajung， grăbesc pasul， strig， îl chem， înţeleg dintr-odată că acel cal e toată viaţa mea， soarta mea， norocul meu， că am nevoie de el ca de aer， alerg， alerg， alerg după el， dar el se îndepărtează la fel de absent， fără să ia în seamă ceva Acelaşi vis: merg pe un câmp fără margini， rusesc， care trece dincolo de linia orizontului， văd în faţă un cal alb， merg spre el， simt că acest cal e deosebit， cel mai fain cal dintre toţi caii， foarte frumos， lider， iute de picior; mă grăbesc， dar nu pot să-l ajung， grăbesc pasul， strig， îl chem， înţeleg dintr-odată că acel cal e toată viaţa mea， soarta mea， norocul meu， că am nevoie de el ca de aer， alerg， alerg， alerg după el， dar el se îndepărtează la fel de absent， fără să ia în seamă ceva sau pe cineva， pleacă pentru totdeauna， pleacă de la mine， pleacă pentru totdeauna， pleacă fără nicio speranţă pentru mine， pentru totdeauna， pleacă， pleacă， pleacă…Mă trezeşte telefonul mobil。O lovitură de bici ― un ţipăt。Încă o lovitură ― un geamăt。A treia lovitură ― un scrâşnet。Poiarok a scris asta în Ordinul Secret， când îl torturau pe voievodul din Orientul îndepărtat。 Melodia asta poate să trezească şi un cadavru。― Komiaga la telefon， zic şi îmi lipesc mobilul rece de urechea caldă， încă adormită。― Să trăiţi， Andrei Danilovici。 Korostilev vă deranjează， învie vocea bătrânului diac[1] de la Ordinul Ambasadei， şi imediat apare în aer， lângă mobil， moaca lui mustăcioasă şi îngrijorată。― Ce s-a întâmplat？― Îndrăznesc să vă amintesc că diseară avem întâlnire cu ambasadorul albanez。 Se cer datele celor doisprezece。― Ştiu， bălmăjesc nemulţumit， deşi， sincer， uitasem。― Scuze pentru deranj。 Aşa mi-e serviciul。Las mobilul pe noptieră。 Cu ce ocazie diacul ambasadei îmi aminteşte mie programul？ Ah， da… acum cei de la ambasadă au grijă de obiceiurile spălării pe mâini。 Uitasem… Fără să deschid ochii， scot picioarele din aşternut， îmi scutur capul: greu după ziua de ieri。 Pipăi clopoţelul， îl scutur。 Se aude cum， în partea cealaltă， Fedika sare de pe prici， umblă năuc， trânteşte vesela。 Stau， lăsându-mi în jos capul care nu are de gând să se trezească: ieri， din nou a trebuit să mă fac mangă， deşi mi-am jurat că voi bea şi voi trage pe nas doar cu ai noştri， pentru asta am făcut 99 de rugăciuni în Uspenski， m-am rugat la Sfântul Bonifaciu。 La paştele cailor！ Ce să fac， dacă nu pot să-l refuz pe ocolnicul Chiril Ivanovici。 E deştept。 Şi capabil de sfaturi înţelepte。 Iar eu， spre deosebire de Poiarok şi Sivolai， apreciez la oameni intenţiile inteligente。 Pot să ascult în continuu discursurile înţelepte ale lui Chiril Ivanovici， dar el， fără cocoaşă， nu e prea vorbăreţ… 。。。more

Kristine Kornijanova ，

Ja kas no krieviem šobrīd lasāms， tad tas ir šis darbs！ 2006。 gadā sarakstīta antiutopija， kas visticamāk precīzi atduras šodienas slapjajos Putina sapņos。 Iepazīstiet 2028。 gada Krievijas drošības spēkus， kas tirānam nodrošina pastāvēšanas iespējas。 Šķebinoša ir drošībnieku ikdiena， bet vēl šķebinošāka ir viņu izkropļotā vērtību sistēma， kas atbalstā smeļas nekur citur kā reliģijā。。。。opričņiku kāpurs bija kronis visam！ 🤯Sorokins gluži kā izveidojis Solžeņicina "Viena diena Ivana Deņisoviča dzīv Ja kas no krieviem šobrīd lasāms， tad tas ir šis darbs！ 2006。 gadā sarakstīta antiutopija， kas visticamāk precīzi atduras šodienas slapjajos Putina sapņos。 Iepazīstiet 2028。 gada Krievijas drošības spēkus， kas tirānam nodrošina pastāvēšanas iespējas。 Šķebinoša ir drošībnieku ikdiena， bet vēl šķebinošāka ir viņu izkropļotā vērtību sistēma， kas atbalstā smeļas nekur citur kā reliģijā。。。。opričņiku kāpurs bija kronis visam！ 🤯Sorokins gluži kā izveidojis Solžeņicina "Viena diena Ivana Deņisoviča dzīvē" aizspoguliju。 。。。more

Stephen ，

I wanted to get a feel for life inside Putin's Russia and The Economist recommended this book。 I quite liked it。 How accurately it portrayed an image of life in Russia is a matter of conjecture。 There were many aspects in the book for which I could see an historic arc。 The return of the knout as a means of punishment took us straight back to the days of Ivan the Terrible。 And yet， the use of body enhancing implants had a distinctly futuristic feel to it。The society represented in the book is aut I wanted to get a feel for life inside Putin's Russia and The Economist recommended this book。 I quite liked it。 How accurately it portrayed an image of life in Russia is a matter of conjecture。 There were many aspects in the book for which I could see an historic arc。 The return of the knout as a means of punishment took us straight back to the days of Ivan the Terrible。 And yet， the use of body enhancing implants had a distinctly futuristic feel to it。The society represented in the book is authoritarian and hierarchical。 The New Czar sits at the top of society， with various levels of authority below him。 Some people in favour， some people out of favour， and some people so far out of favour that they are eliminated。 How much that reflects Tsarist Russia and how much it reflects Soviet Russia could be argued。 Perhaps it's the nature of Russian society？The tools of control include rape， killing， torture， and exile。 Favourites are rewarded for good service and excused for poor service。 However， the characters live on the edge of falling out of favour at a moments notice。 And then things get bad。 Someone who disappoints runs the risk of their property being seized arbitrarily or even summary execution。 The way to counter this is to bribe a protector to intercede on your behalf。 This will cost you， but not as much as losing everything or even your life。One may ask where is the rule of law in all of this？ It isn't。 Government is by whim， using decrees， nudges， and winks。 Criticism and satire are frowned upon， with satirists being hounded and humiliated publicly。 These are the nudges that are given to ensure social and political compliance。 Before we all feel comfortable with the thought that it couldn't happen here， just think about the academics and writers who have been hounded for holding unpopular beliefs。 This is how it starts and this book acts as a call to action against what we now know as 'wokery'。The book could be disturbing to some。 The rape， killing， and torture are relatively graphic。 The character is an unpleasant one and he mixes with some pretty repellent company。 They engage in activities that can only raise one's eyebrows and you have to work your way through that。 However， it is worth the effort because it does provide a good feel for the current trajectory of Russian society。 It helps to set one's determination to resist Russian expansionism。 。。。more

Megan Vassallo ，

Didn’t even finish it。 Pretty graphic read。。

Philippe ，

À la lumière de l’actualité， j’ai relu ce beau et glaçant roman écrit en 2006 par Vladimir Sorokine， une dystopie qui décrit ce que pourrait devenir la Russie。 On est en 2028。 Beaucoup d’éléments du scénario sont inquiétants: l’économie russe est complètement dépendante de la Chine， la Russie a construit la grande muraille de l’Ouest pour se protéger des cyber punks européens， le gaz est coupé pour l’Europe， l’opritchnina accomplit toutes les basses besognes pour neutraliser toute opposition au À la lumière de l’actualité， j’ai relu ce beau et glaçant roman écrit en 2006 par Vladimir Sorokine， une dystopie qui décrit ce que pourrait devenir la Russie。 On est en 2028。 Beaucoup d’éléments du scénario sont inquiétants: l’économie russe est complètement dépendante de la Chine， la Russie a construit la grande muraille de l’Ouest pour se protéger des cyber punks européens， le gaz est coupé pour l’Europe， l’opritchnina accomplit toutes les basses besognes pour neutraliser toute opposition au Souverain…Très belle traduction française de Bernard Kreise。 。。。more

Costin Fasie ，

Fiction or a glance into possible realities in Russia。 Co-existence of abuses， violence， predominance of few casts， drugs and lectures on Russian Orthodox uniqueness。 "His Majesty built this magnificent Wall， in order to cut us off from the stench of unbelievers， from the damned cyberpunks， from sodomites， Catholics， mealancholiacs， from Buddhists， sadists， Satanists and Marxists， fascists， pluralists and atheists"。 Fiction or a glance into possible realities in Russia。 Co-existence of abuses， violence， predominance of few casts， drugs and lectures on Russian Orthodox uniqueness。 "His Majesty built this magnificent Wall， in order to cut us off from the stench of unbelievers， from the damned cyberpunks， from sodomites， Catholics， mealancholiacs， from Buddhists， sadists， Satanists and Marxists， fascists， pluralists and atheists"。 。。。more

Villem Vesingi ，

sai nutta ja sai naerda noh

yo JP ，

Odyssea do ruské duše， coby vyvoleného národu， a jak by to bylo， kdyby bylo po jejich。 Sorokin má koule， provokovat tímhle způsobem。

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Day of the Oprichnik

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Day of the Oprichnik&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Day of the Oprichnik&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0