Infinite Books

For a reader, there is nothing better than discovering a new, great writer. I hadn’t heard about Sigizmund  Krzhizhanovsky (1887-1950) until I got a short book, “Stravanging Strange,” which consists of three stories, his notes, and excerpts from his wife, Anna Bovshek’s memoir. It was the perfect material to ignite my interest in this unique writer. Reading his stories reminded me of a great movie, “The Saragossa Manuscript,” which, according to Kristin Jones of The Wall Street Journal, “interweaves the rational with the supernatural.”

Krzhizhanovsky thought in images. The first two stories are a magical yet logical description of travels similar to Gulliver’s journey but on a smaller scale. In the first story, after drinking a potion, the protagonist is reduced to the size of a “dust mote.” As such, he watches his beloved in her apartment, where even the shortest distance transforms into a week-long journey. The second transformation is even more radical – this time, our hero enters the bloodstream of his rival, and there with help from his new friend Null and other equally small cells, becomes a mini David who defeats Goliath. The third story is perhaps the most realistic but also the most philosophical: it talks about Katafalaki, a man living in London, a careful observer with the eyes of a wondering child, whose project is to walk every one of London street according to the carefully hatched up plan.

The language of the stories is beautiful and unique. Apart from the already mentioned “The Saragossa Manuscript,” it reminded me of some great English stories with a Kafkaesque twist and the addition of haunting longing. I read that Krzhizhanovsky spent most of his life in Moscow, giving lectures about literature and theater, and writing. He did most of his traveling through his imagination – which is the best way to travel.

“STRAVANGING STRANGE” by Sigizmund Krzhizhanovsky, Columbia University Press, 2023