Monday Begins on Saturday

nex3 reviewed Monday Begins on Saturday by Борис Стругацкий

None

4 stars

It's incredible that people read this as a satire of (quoting the Goodreads blurb here) "Soviet pseudo-science" when it's so clearly applicable to research-focused academia in any context, or honestly any job involving working with and around the idiosyncrasies of your colleagues. Granted Vybegallo can be read pretty clearly as a Lysenko analog, but I think the more interesting parts of the book are the ones where its affection for the process of scientific labor outshines its scorn for the foibles. The final section on Nevstruev is particularly poignant as well as being really strong science fiction writing, which obviously the authors are capable of but still takes one by surprise that far towards the end of what is up until that point a largely humorous book.

greeny reviewed Monday Begins on Saturday by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky

Review of 'Monday Begins on Saturday' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

Bizar, philosophical, rich of ideas and really funny to read. Once again a fantastic novel of the Strugatzky brothers.
As other reviewers already pointed out, you get a far deeper understanding of the books meaning when considering the time and place it has been created. In the first half of the 60ths in the soviet union. There are many references regarding the absurdity of the world view of the regime.
Another part I really enjoyed are all the work groups in the magical institute. Each of them working for decades on something very complicated in their special field - most of the time without any use for anyone. Just because they can and it's 'science'. Reminded me at my time in university ;)

The title, Boris Strugatzki mentions it in the afterword, isn't meant to be negative. Saturday begins on Mondat aka no free-time... Instead it's a very optimistic view, …

Bizar, philosophical, rich of ideas and really funny to read. Once again a fantastic novel of the Strugatzky brothers.
As other reviewers already pointed out, you get a far deeper understanding of the books meaning when considering the time and place it has been created. In the first half of the 60ths in the soviet union. There are many references regarding the absurdity of the world view of the regime.
Another part I really enjoyed are all the work groups in the magical institute. Each of them working for decades on something very complicated in their special field - most of the time without any use for anyone. Just because they can and it's 'science'. Reminded me at my time in university ;)

The title, Boris Strugatzki mentions it in the afterword, isn't meant to be negative. Saturday begins on Mondat aka no free-time... Instead it's a very optimistic view, where each od your days is good and you don't need weekends anymore because you need a rest of your exhausting worklife.

.... and the book is just full of great ideas. I laughed a lot :)

Kaslov reviewed Monday Begins on Saturday by Борис Стругацкий

Review of 'Monday Begins on Saturday' on 'Goodreads'

5 stars

What a fun read. Now How the hell am I going to get my hands on the rest of the books from this series in English... Younger Me You Fool, Why didn't you pay attention in Russian classes back in high school!?

Anyway, regrets aside, to the review. The book comprises three humorous short stories featuring Soviet Scientists/Wizards working at NITWITT (National Institute for the Technology of Witchcraft and Thaumaturgy) and their daily troubles. By the style it's like the wizards from The Unseen University but written almost 20 years before Pratchett's Discworld series and dealing with typical Soviet (and basically any variation of a socialist regime) bureaucracy, inept administration, a dishonest, show-horse professor, and equipment failures. Not to mention fairy tales gone wrong: Baba Yagas property belonging to the state and waiting for compensation, the wish granting Gold Fish died from a depth charge in WWII, the wish granting …

What a fun read. Now How the hell am I going to get my hands on the rest of the books from this series in English... Younger Me You Fool, Why didn't you pay attention in Russian classes back in high school!?

Anyway, regrets aside, to the review. The book comprises three humorous short stories featuring Soviet Scientists/Wizards working at NITWITT (National Institute for the Technology of Witchcraft and Thaumaturgy) and their daily troubles. By the style it's like the wizards from The Unseen University but written almost 20 years before Pratchett's Discworld series and dealing with typical Soviet (and basically any variation of a socialist regime) bureaucracy, inept administration, a dishonest, show-horse professor, and equipment failures. Not to mention fairy tales gone wrong: Baba Yagas property belonging to the state and waiting for compensation, the wish granting Gold Fish died from a depth charge in WWII, the wish granting trout exhausted from giving televisions and radios to the people, the all knowing cat suffering from dementia and many many more.

The characters are almost all scientists working at the institute trying to figure out happiness, meaning of life and solve mathematically proven unsolvable problems, while arguing, debating and trying to survive their other colleagues. And who knew that Merlin was a staunch Communist before Karl Marx.

And finally the brilliant title Monday Starts on a Saturday that reflects the authors ideal of a proper scientist.