Gambits
Born in 1956 in Georgia, then part of the USSR, Grigori Chkhartishvili is on an impressive run under the moniker Boris Akunin and three other pen names. He has had more than 60 books published, almost exclusively fiction. He has translated works from Japanese. He is best known for detective and historical fiction. Recently, a copy of The Turkish Gambit came my way. It is the second of 16 novels that feature master detective Ernst Fandorin. Published in 1998, it is set in 1877 against the backdrop of the war between Russia and the Ottoman Empire/Turkey, basically a land grab by the Tsar. A traitor is in the midst of the upper echelon, setting lethal traps for troops. The protagonist, 21 at the time, volunteered to fight and walked away having seen and had enough. He is soon on the case. Interestingly, he is not the main character. That is Varya, a 22-year old opinionated beauty, what would today be called a feminist, although she is not immune to the fawning of handsome males. She is seeking out her fiancé, a soldier who works behind the lines as a cryptographer. Eventually she becomes the detective’s assistant. The 211 pages of the Random House large paperback edition are not an easy go, as the print is small and many of the Russian names, as usual, are difficult to pronounce. Still, it’s an interesting and entertaining read containing a bit of humor. I have no idea how accurate the history is. I was unable to locate any articles on it. I suspect the main story line is pure fiction. It is always difficult for someone who does not speak the original language to rate the quality of translation, but Andrew Bromfield’s work seems rock solid. Here’s part of a terrific passage when the villain locks himself in a room after the detective, true to the genre, has explained the crimes in great detail: “Yes, I am a killer. But then, all of us here are killers… In these men’s games of ours there are only two possible roles: the killer or the victim. Do not cherish any illusions, mademoiselle — we all live in the jungle…” He is willing to kill and die for an idea — the governing style of western Europe and America. 133 users at Amazon have rated The Turkish Gambit, forging to a consensus of 4.2 on a scale of five. I’ll go with 3.5. Akunin has received many awards in the eastern world. There are six titles under his name at IMDb, all works filmed in Russia. A TV series is in pre-production. I wish someone in the western world would adapt his works. Akunin has been a critic of Putin, so he better watch his back. No master detective has yet fingered the former KGB master for the murders he is suspected of having ordered. Here is the author:
As for the silly gambit that is the floating book shop, my thanks to the kind folks who bought and swapped on this cool, cloudy day, a much needed break from the heat. Here’s what sold: a Harry Potter in Russian, Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse, seven DVDs, Catamarans: The Complete Guide for Cruising Sailors by Gregor Tarjan, The World’s Best Card Tricks by Bob Longe, When Panic Attacks: A New Drug-Free Therapy to Beat Chronic Shyness, Anxiety and Phobias by David D. Burns, A Demon Summer by G. M. Malliet.
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