Feel sympathy for Piotr, married with three sons, in Craig Raine's new story in the June 1st issue of the The New Yorker? He has betrayed his wife, Basia, in their own apartment. Piotr is sleeping with the poet Agnieszka. She likes to tell all in her verses so Piotr is worried that he going to appear in her next volume. Well, if you know a writer then you are taking certain chances.
So I was enjoying myself trashing Piotr but Craig Raine puts a stop to that. Piotr is worried that he may succumb to his family's predisposition to cancer. His mother had died of the disease in her late 40's.
Early on CR mentions Agnieszka's signature eyeglasses. This detail comes up again later. When the poet is about to make love to Piotr; she has to take them off. This is a small effect but having been set up so well; it comes off as sheer finesse. There is no irrelevant detail in Craig Raine's prose style.
Every descriptive passage is put to work. Agnieszka brings her own fringed blanket, in her tote bag, to her sexcapade afternoon at Piotr's place. As for Piotr, he has an erection before he's even touched her. Maybe it's that blanket, some kind of Pavlovian conditioning.
"Secondaries" in the title refers to secondary cancer growths. This is the only story I've ever read where characters having cancer can count as a tactical maneuver. This is the love affair as warfare with a take-no-prisoners attitude. Read it here:
-DH
2 comments:
It's nice work. I had never heard of Raine before. Apparently his new book is in the style of Kundera, and this must be an excerpt? Anyway I found it Kundera-like but far funnier.
I agree, funnier than Kundera. I guess there's more of Oxford in CR than Czechoslovakia. But I'm very glad that the New Yorker has brought this apparent excerpt to our attention.
Post a Comment