Keynote
The fascinating story of a young Russian filmmaker’s attempts to portray Catherine the Great, before and after the collapse of the Soviet Union
Book Title
A Woman Loved
Subtitle
A Novel
Cover Image
- “Dreamy and impressionistic. . . . [Makine’s] writing demonstrates psychological acuity and an intuitive feel for the telling detail.”—New York Times Book Review
Body
Catherine the Great’s life seems to have been made for the cinema—her rise to power, her reportedly countless love affairs and wild sexual escapades, the episodes of betrayal, revenge, and even murder—there’s no shortage of historical drama. But Oleg Erdmann, a young Russian filmmaker, seeks to discover and portray Catherine’s essential, emotional truth, her real life, beyond the rumors and facades. His first screenplay just barely makes it past the Soviet film board, and is assigned to a talented director, but the resulting film fails to avoid the usual clichés. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, as he struggles to find a place for himself in the new order, Oleg agrees to work with an old friend on a TV series that becomes a quick success—as well as increasingly lurid, a far cry from his original vision. He continues to seek the real Catherine elsewhere . . .
With A Woman Loved, Andreï Makine delivers a sweeping novel about the uses of art, the absurdity of history, and overriding power of human love, if only it can be uncovered and allowed to flourish.
With A Woman Loved, Andreï Makine delivers a sweeping novel about the uses of art, the absurdity of history, and overriding power of human love, if only it can be uncovered and allowed to flourish.
List Price
$16.00
Purchase at
Purchase at:
About the Author
Credit: Hermance TRIAY/Opale
Praise
- “Andreï Makine is among the most skilled and subtle authors working today, and this novel is one of his masterpieces.”—Times Literary Supplement
- “Complex and tender. . . . [A] masterful, wise romance whose ultimate purity stems from its rejection of the distracting corruptions of power.”—KGB Bar & Lit Journal
- “[An] energetic novel. . . . It presents an ‘intoxicating mass of detail,’ and it’s a marvel to get lost in. A lively look at the pitfalls of making state-sponsored art.”—Kirkus Reviews
- “Makine captivates. . . .The novel wonderfully captures the challenges and betrayals of biographical art as it strives to animate figures from the ‘grotesque vaudeville’ of history.”—Publishers Weekly
