The Elephant
6 hrs. 23 min.
Language
Russian
Author
Sasha Filipenko
Author
Sasha Filipenko
Narrator
Grigory Perel
Narrator
Grigory Perel
Description
One day, a man-sized elephant appears in the apartment of a famous writer. Huge, alive, the real thing. It takes up almost all the free space, stays silent, and seems to have no plans to leave. Where it came from and why is unknown—but the most interesting part is that it isn’t alone!
Elephants appear everywhere. They become so many you can’t count. Yet the whole country seems not to notice. The news talks about anything at all—just not about them. People live as if nothing has happened. Or they pretend to.
"The Elephant" is an allegorical novel where the personal intertwines with the public, satire is paired with tragicomedy, and love turns out to be the last refuge in a world where common sense gives way to total indifference. With his characteristic subtle irony and ruthless precision, Sacha Filipenko shows a world in which absurdity has become the norm, the obvious is invisible, and the indisputable is ambiguous. This is a story about collective blindness—and how easily one can become part of a system, even if you sincerely believe you are fighting it.
Sasha Filipenko was born in Minsk in 1984. He graduated from the Faculty of Philology at St. Petersburg State University. The author of novels "Kremulyator", "Red Cross", "Former Son", and others. Winner of the "Russian Prize", the "Yasnaya Polyana" award ("Readers’ Choice"), the award of the magazine "Znamya", and a finalist of the National Literary Prize "Big Book". Sasha Filipenko’s novels have been translated into many foreign languages. Listen to the new book by Sasha Filipenko performed by Grigory Perel.
Elephants appear everywhere. They become so many you can’t count. Yet the whole country seems not to notice. The news talks about anything at all—just not about them. People live as if nothing has happened. Or they pretend to.
"The Elephant" is an allegorical novel where the personal intertwines with the public, satire is paired with tragicomedy, and love turns out to be the last refuge in a world where common sense gives way to total indifference. With his characteristic subtle irony and ruthless precision, Sacha Filipenko shows a world in which absurdity has become the norm, the obvious is invisible, and the indisputable is ambiguous. This is a story about collective blindness—and how easily one can become part of a system, even if you sincerely believe you are fighting it.
Sasha Filipenko was born in Minsk in 1984. He graduated from the Faculty of Philology at St. Petersburg State University. The author of novels "Kremulyator", "Red Cross", "Former Son", and others. Winner of the "Russian Prize", the "Yasnaya Polyana" award ("Readers’ Choice"), the award of the magazine "Znamya", and a finalist of the National Literary Prize "Big Book". Sasha Filipenko’s novels have been translated into many foreign languages. Listen to the new book by Sasha Filipenko performed by Grigory Perel.
