Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulic here presents an unorthodox, imaginative take on the transition from Communism to capitalism in the former Soviet Union. Three characters--a dog, an underdog, and a cat--offer the reader narratives that reflect on life under Communism and what has followed in its wake. The first, "An Interview with the Oldest Dog in Bucharest," is about a dog named Charlie, whose mother, Mimi, together with thousands of other pets, was thrown out into the street during the Ceausescu regime. In this ...
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Croatian writer Slavenka Drakulic here presents an unorthodox, imaginative take on the transition from Communism to capitalism in the former Soviet Union. Three characters--a dog, an underdog, and a cat--offer the reader narratives that reflect on life under Communism and what has followed in its wake. The first, "An Interview with the Oldest Dog in Bucharest," is about a dog named Charlie, whose mother, Mimi, together with thousands of other pets, was thrown out into the street during the Ceausescu regime. In this interview, Charlie describes how not only people but animals, too, became victims during the destruction of downtown neighborhoods in Bucharest in order to build a pyramid-like "Palace of the People." In "A Guided Tour of the Museum of Communism," a 60-year-old souvenir vendor-cum-cleaning woman in Prague reflects upon the meaning of such a museum and concludes wryly that she herself is possibly the Museum's best exhibit. Finally, "A Cat-keeper in Warsaw" describes an encounter with a person "of feline origin" who claims to be in possession of the cat-keeper called "General"--who declared martial law in Poland on December 13, 1981. The three stories are unified by powerful, but troubling questions: Are democracy and capitalism really a change for the better? Is the idea of social justice lost forever? Is there is such a thing as collective responsibility? And how do we remember and understand our past?
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Edition:
Intenational First Edition-First Printing (unidentified0
Publisher:
Seagull Books
Published:
2009
Language:
English
Alibris ID:
17695705094
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Seller's Description:
New in new dust jacket. First edition. Sewn binding. Cloth over boards. 112 p. What Was Communism? . Audience: General/trade. A New (Pristine Condition) copy in New (Pristine Condition) dust jacket; a tight copy that was bought new in 2009 and never read. Believed to be the International Edition-First Edition-First Printing, although those words do not appear on the Publisher's page-only 2009 (the year of publication and copyright) appears on the Publisher's page. Author Slavenka Drakulic presents an unorthodox, but imaginative take on the transition from Communism to capitalism in the former Soviet Union with three characters-a dog, an underdog, and a cat offering narratives that reflect on life under Communism and what has followed in its wake. Rest assured, this collectible copy is well protected in an archival Mylar cover; and will be very carefully packaged with protective material; and will be shipped in a new box. We always treat all of our books, and book buyers with the utmost respect.
