EARTH OF LIFE (ZHIVAYA ZEMLYA)
Book ID/图书代码： 05224010B40286
English Summary/英文概要： In his sequel to the nationally acclaimed CHLOROPHILIA, Andrei Rubanov draws a bitter and strikingly evocative panorama of the country’s life after “the uprooting”.
It has been only 20 years since the grass disappeared—or was uprooted, as the authorities claim—yet Denis Gertz has never known any other way of life. The country’s consumption-based economy has collapsed, the government has moved to a new capital built around lithium deposits, and Muscovites have had to learn to survive on meager supplies of allocated goods. For the young man this implies living in a small apartment on a floor no higher than the twelfth story (since no water or electricity are provided above that level). He spends his time doing manual labour: demolishing skyscrapers; stopping by local dives for cheap vodka, tea, and sauerkraut; buying local food and clothing in the next-door maxi-market; and delivering goods to the few crazy outcasts who choose to remain on the upper levels of the city’s landmarks. Covering 100 flights in one “run” pays well—Denis can at least provide for his mother’s treatment for the after-effects of grass-eating.
The new slogans of the Muscovites differ drastically from the “You are Beholden to No One” of the times of prosperity: “Make Things, Not Money” and “Guard your Savings”. Those few who spend time and money in restaurants instead of contributing to the well-being of society, who choose delicacies over simple nutritional products, or prefer fashionable clothing to rough leather and cotton items from a local store, are disapprovingly called the decomposed. The latter, however, prefer to leave the city and settle in the new capital—“New Moscow”—a city under a dome built in the heart of Siberia. The dome protects the authorities and the business, science and cultural elite from external aggression—be it climate change or unwanted immigrants. The price for a comfortable, rich and safe life is personal transparency. All citizens are implanted with personal ID files that are open to the public. The authorities can add anything to a file: from information, to feelings that range from remorse and shame to euphoria or respect—a vast field for manipulation.
Denis, however, has other worries besides choosing New Moscow over his native city, or a satiated yet transparent life over the challenging and rudimentary lifestyle of Old Moscow. His girlfriend leaves him for his best friend, and his mother is gradually succumbing to her illness …
Until one day, he and a friend get hold of what everybody believes to be a myth: a grass seed. Now Denis Gertz knows he can change it all. The seed just has to be planted.
Chinese Summary/中文概要： 即其所编著的国内闻名《CHLOROPHILIA》之后，安德烈•卢巴诺夫又一力作描绘被“连根拔起”后国家艰苦而又令人记忆犹新的生活全景。
如当局政府声称的，据草地消失或者说被连根拔起才20余年，但丹尼斯•葛兹从不曾知晓其他生活方式的存在。该国以消费为基础的经济已经崩溃，政府已经转移到有丰富锂矿围绕的新都。莫斯科人不得不学会依靠微薄的物资或计划分配的货物生存。本故事的男主人公住在一所不超过12层的小公寓里(因为超过这个高度，水电将无法供应)。他以手工劳动为生：大楼拆迁、贩卖廉价伏特加酒、茶叶或酸菜；然后在隔壁马克西市场购买当地的食品和衣物，送到这个城市标志性建筑顶层，有那么几个疯狂的弃儿，执意留在那里。每跑一次包括100个弃儿的话报酬还不错——至少丹尼斯可以为他母亲的食草后遗症担负治疗费。
在莫斯科的新口号与以往繁荣时期的 “不能依赖于任何人”、“做事情不为钱”和“保护您的财产”大大不同。那些极少数在饭店花钱消磨时间而不为社会福利贡献的人，选择精美食品而不是简单营养食物的人，或是喜欢时髦服饰胜过当地商店里粗糙皮革和棉花制品的人被非难地称作分裂主义分子。然而，后者，宁愿离开这座城市搬迁到新都——“新莫斯科”，一个地处西伯利亚心脏，圆顶笼罩的城市。正是这个圆顶保护着当局、商业、科学，文化，不受外部侵略，如气候变化或不想接纳的移民。想要一个舒适、安全而丰富的生活的价格是私人且透明的。所有公民都被植入对外公开的身份证明文件。政府可以任意改动文件，从个人信息到抑或悔恨、耻辱抑或高兴自尊的个人情感——可以操纵的领域相当广泛。
然而，丹尼斯，还有其他顾虑：要么选择新莫斯科，要么在旧莫斯科过着温饱有保障的简单生活。他的女朋友为了他最好的朋友而离开了他，他的母亲也渐渐被病魔侵噬。
直到有一天，他和一个朋友获得了在众人眼里被看作神话的草种子。丹尼斯•葛兹知道他可以改变这一切。种子即将被种下。(JDM)
Awards/获奖情况：Praise for the author:
«A true breakthrough . . . the attempt alone is worthy of a medal, but this one goes the whole ten yards». ---Chastny korresponde nt
«One of the most convincing anti-utopias of the recent past». ---Booknik
«What a novel! Dashing, smart, witty, funny—and very Rubanesque...Chlorophilia stands every chance of becoming a bestseller». ---A fisha
«Rubanov’s novel makes a stunning contribution to the driving th eme of contemporary letters: th e search for an all-encompassing Metaphor for Russian Life». ---Prochtenie
«Chlorophilia is both intelligent and cruel; but, most important, it seems to me, is that it is the very crux of the present moment; one hundred per cent here and now. This is why it is required reading». ---Knizhny bazar
About the Author/作者介绍： 安德烈•卢巴诺夫，是一名专业的记者。2006年在一本俄罗斯主流杂志《Afisha》上对他第一部小说的点评使他成为家喻户晓的人物。在这本自行出版半自传体的小说《把握时间，获得时间》中，他描述了关于自己在监狱中的自我完善。在点评发表后一周内，他收到了所有主要俄罗斯出版商的青睐。两个月后，小说入围全国畅销书奖。安德烈是一个现实主义小说大师，小说大多以真实故事为基础，在他的小说《CHLOROPHILIA》里他塑造了深刻的反乌托邦式的理念。这本《生命的土壤》是紧随其后的一部续集，并成为迄今为止印刷四次的全国畅销书。安德烈住在莫斯科，经营着自己的小本生意。
Andrei Rubanov, a journalist by profession, became widely known to Russian readers in 2006, when a review of his first novel appeared in Afisha, a major magazine. In this self-published semi-autobiographical novel, DO TIME, GET TIME, he wrote about self-perfection in prison. Within a week after this review appeared he had received the offers from all the most prominent Russian publishers. Two months later the novel was short-listed for the National Bestseller prize. An established master of realistic fiction, mostly based on true stories, he has created a penetrating anti-utopian vision in his novel CHLOROPHILIA, to which EARTH OF LIFE is a sequel, which became a national bestseller with four printings to date. Andrei lives in Moscow and runs his own small business.
Format:HARDCOVER
Rights Status/版权销售情况：Simplified Chinese/简体中文：AVAILABLE
Complex/Traditional Chinese/繁体中文：AVAILABLE
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