The
move from Hemingway to Updike might not seem natural, but for me it
was, since both were part of that joint reading experience in my
youth when everyone I knew was reading the same book. Let me remind
you that it was a serendipity which translated books reached Russia.
But when they did they were always a sensation, and because there
were never enough copies the few lucky people shared their treasures
with friends. Queues in libraries were enormous. Like many translated
and original works,
The Centaur was published in a literary
magazine, probably in several issues. I don't remember reading it as a
book, and I don't think I even read it in English, although I read
the Rabbit novels,
Couples and
Marry Me in English.
Of
The Centaur, I remembered two details: the very last sentence,
“Chiron accepted death”, and a notice in a autorepair shop,
PROTECT YOUR
YOU WON'T BE GIVEN ANOTHER PAIR.
I
figured out, rather than remembered, that the main character had some
connection with Chiron the centaur, and I know I would have
recognised all the mythical allusions back then because I knew Greek
mythology inside out, and Chiron had always been one of my
favourites.
I
did not remember the main character's name, which is forgivable, and
not one single detail of the plot, which is less forgivable if this
was an important book. I did not remember that part of the novel is
told by Caldwell's young son. I did not notice then that the other
parts are told in the narrative present tense, which has become so
common today that some people think it was invented in the 21
st
century. Memories did not appear as I was reading (as they did with
Hemingway and even Marquez).
I am
in two minds about the novel. I did enjoy some of it, for instance,
Peter's sarcastic comments on his father, or the lengthy description
of the father and son attempting to start a dead car. Peter saved the
book for me – I wasn't interested in the pathetic father at all,
and he didn't deserve the comparison to the noble Chiron. I am not
the kind of reader (or critic) who needs a moral, but I couldn't help
wondering why the author is telling me this story.
I
will not re-read this book, and I won't recommend anyone to read it.
When I am finished with my re-reading challenge, I may try another
Updike, either
Rabbit Run
or
Of the Farm.
