- In full:
- Fazil Abdulovich Iskander
- Died:
- July 31, 2016, Peredelkino, Russia (aged 87)
- Notable Works:
- “Sandro of Chegem”
Fazil Iskander
-
Who was Fazil Iskander?
Fazil Iskander (1929-2016) was an Abkhazian author who wrote in Russian. He is renowned for his humorous and satirical portrayals of life in Soviet Abkhazia, often employing a digressive anecdotal style.
Iskander's career began with poetry, with six volumes published between 1957 and 1966. His prose, typically set in Abkhazia, features recurring characters and incidents, drawing from his experiences in the 1930s and 40s and incorporating autobiographical elements. His well-known works include The Goatibex Constellation, a satirical novel addressing agricultural genetics during Khrushchev's Soviet Union, and Rabbits and Boa Constrictors, an allegory on totalitarianism.
Iskander is also known for Sandro of Chegem, an epic novel chronicling the clash between Soviet values and Abkhazian village life.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Where was Fazil Iskander from?
Fazil Iskander, an Abkhazian author who wrote in Russian, was born on March 6, 1929, in Sokhumi, Abkhazia, Georgia, U.S.S.R (now Abkhazia, Georgia). He is best known for his satirical portrayals of life in Soviet Abkhazia, employing humor and a digressive anecdotal style. Iskander, raised in Abkhazia, settled in Moscow after graduating from the Gorky Literary Institute in 1954 and died in Peredelkino, Russia, on July 31, 2016.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What type of books did Fazil Iskander write?
Fazil Iskander, an Abkhazian author, was known for his satirical and humorous writings about life in Soviet Abkhazia. Though primarily known for his prose, Iskander started his career as a poet, with six volumes of verse published between 1957 and 1966, and another collection, The Path, in 1987.
His short stories, often set in Abkhazia and partly autobiographical, were compiled into collections such as Forbidden Fruit, and Other Stories and The Thirteenth Labor of Heracles. Iskander's satirical works include the novel The Goatibex Constellation, which critiques agricultural genetics during Khrushchev's Soviet Union, and Rabbits and Boa Constrictors, an allegory of totalitarianism. His epic novel, Sandro of Chegem, chronicles the clash between Soviet values and Abkhazian village life.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What are some famous stories or characters created by Fazil Iskander?
Fazil Iskander was an Abkhazian author known for his humorous and satirical portrayals of life in Soviet Abkhazia.
Famous stories and characters:
* Uncle Sandro: Featured in the epic novel Sandro iz Chegema, Uncle Sandro's often comic life chronicles the clash between Soviet values and Abkhazian village life.
* The Thirteenth Labor of Heracles: A collection of short stories set in Abkhazia with recurring characters and incidents, often based on Iskander's experiences during the 1930s and 40s and partly autobiographical.
* The Goatibex Constellation: A satirical novel that focuses on experiments in agricultural genetics conducted during Nikita Khrushchev's leadership in the Soviet Union.
* Rabbits and Boa Constrictors: An allegory that satirically comments on totalitarianism, compared to George Orwell’s Animal Farm.1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did Fazil Iskander’s background and culture influence his writing?
Fazil Iskander, an Abkhazian author, was born in Sokhumi, Abkhazia, and his writing was deeply influenced by his upbringing and culture. His stories, often set in Abkhazia, draw on his experiences during the 1930s and 1940s and are partly autobiographical. Iskander's epic novel, Sandro of Chegem, illustrates the clash between Soviet values and Abkhazian patriarchal village life through the comic experiences of the Abkhazian character Uncle Sandro. Iskander is best known for his satirical portrayals of life in Soviet Abkhazia, using humor and a digressive, anecdotal style.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
Why is Fazil Iskander considered an important author in literature?
Fazil Iskander (1929–2016) is an important author due to his satirical portrayals of life in Soviet Abkhazia, marked by humor and a digressive, anecdotal style. His works often explore the collision of Soviet values with Abkhazian patriarchal village life, drawing from his own experiences in the 1930s and 40s. Iskander's notable works include Sozvezdiye kozlotura (The Goatibex Constellation) and Kroliki i udavy (Rabbits and Boa Constrictors), a satire on totalitarianism comparable to George Orwell's Animal Farm. His epic novel Sandro iz Chegema is an unfinished collection of anecdotes based on the life of the Abkhazian character Uncle Sandro.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
Fazil Iskander (born March 6, 1929, Sokhumi, Abkhazia, Georgia, U.S.S.R. [now Abkhazia, Georgia]—died July 31, 2016, Peredelkino, Russia) was an Abkhazian author who wrote in Russian and was best known for using humour and a digressive anecdotal style in his often satirical portrayals of life in Soviet Abkhazia.
Iskander, who was raised in Abkhazia, graduated from the Gorky Literary Institute in Moscow in 1954. He subsequently settled permanently in Moscow. Though he was known mostly for his prose works, he started his career as a poet, publishing six volumes of verse between 1957 and 1966. Another collection of poetry, Put (“The Path”), was published in 1987.
His first two collections of short stories, Zapretny plod (Forbidden Fruit, and Other Stories) and Trinadtsaty podvig Gerakla (The Thirteenth Labor of Heracles), were published in 1966. His stories are generally set in Abkhazia and are linked by recurring characters and incidents; often based on his experiences in Abkhazia during the 1930s and ’40s, they are also partly autobiographical. By 1991 Iskander had published 19 collections of short stories.
Iskander’s first major work of satire, the novel Sozvezdiye kozlotura (1966; The Goatibex Constellation), focuses on the experiments in agricultural genetics conducted while Nikita Khrushchev led the Soviet Union. Kroliki i udavy (1982; Rabbits and Boa Constrictors) is an allegory that comments satirically on totalitarianism; it has been compared to George Orwell’s Animal Farm. Iskander spent decades writing the epic novel Sandro iz Chegema (Sandro of Chegem), an unfinished collection of anecdotes loosely based on the often comic life of the Abkhazian character Uncle Sandro. It chronicles the collision of Soviet values with Abkhazian patriarchal village life. Able to publish only a highly abridged version in the Soviet Union in 1977, Iskander published a complete Russian-language edition in the West in 1978, followed by additional chapters in 1981.
Restrictions on circulating his work to a Soviet audience were lifted in the late 1980s as part of Mikhail Gorbachev’s policy of glasnost. After the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Iskander wrote the novellas Pshada (1993) and Sofichka (1997).