≫ Read Free The Fiery Angel Dedalus European Classics Valery Bruisov 9781903517338 Books

The Fiery Angel Dedalus European Classics Valery Bruisov 9781903517338 Books

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The Fiery Angel Dedalus European Classics Valery Bruisov 9781903517338 Books

This is Bruisov's masterwork, but it is not the sort of novel that everyone can enjoy - even among the crowd that generally enjoys Dedalus' occult and fantastic releases.
"The Fiery Angel" is a strange journey trough beautifully and vividly invoked 16th Century Europe, with sojourns into its occult and religious underbelly. You'll encounter strange, seemingly supernatural occurrences, but they are quite underplayed and their reality is is left in the air for the largest part of this novel, much like the nature and reality of that titular figure. Humanism, "enlightenment" clash with the religion and the occult, Good clashes with Evil, much like two opposites clash in the case of our narrator and his beloved. And that last clash makes the core of this novel, and it is indeed fascinating, layered, unpredictable, rich in symbolism.
But, as I've said, supernatural is underplayed, occult is mostly occulted - you'll find neither the elaborate ceremonies, nor spectacular apparitions, nor heavy handed symbolism here- and novel can be excruciatingly slow at times. Patience and understanding are necessary. Translation itself is gorgeous, joy to read, but its archaic and flowery nature might deter many a reader.
There's a somewhat rough gem of Russian literature here, but it is not meant for everyone.


Tags : The Fiery Angel: Dedalus European Classics [Valery Bruisov] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. The Fiery Angel is one of the great achievements of modern Russian literature, as powerful and revolutionary as its contemporary,Valery Bruisov,The Fiery Angel: Dedalus European Classics,Dedalus Limited,1903517338,Literary,Classics,FICTION Classics,FICTION General,FICTION Literary,FICTION Occult & Supernatural,Fiction,Fiction - General,Fiction-Literary,GENERAL,General Adult,Great BritainBritish Isles,Historical fiction,Russia

The Fiery Angel Dedalus European Classics Valery Bruisov 9781903517338 Books Reviews

This is a review of The Fiery Angel not the Occult Reader. To be fair one has to credit Dedalus with printing this along with it's expansive list of rare and obscure occult themed fiction, it fits right in. However this one was best destined to remain out of print. The Fiery Angel is a weak blend of touristic occult nonsense and weaker still Gothic romance. It was a real grind to read as it was full of awkward turns of phrase and frankly terrible occult flirtations that illustrate that the author knew nothing of the topic. In fact he ends the book with an explicit and heavy handed catholic denouncement of the entire practice. One wonders if he did this to save his reputation or to admit that he was ignorant of all occult matters. This book is saved only by a amusing but ultimately pedestrian description of the Witch's Sabbath. Avoid this one and enjoy other Occult literature that is more than a crappy romance in attractive wrapping paper.
I just received the book and checked the table of contents.... OH NO! I've read like 15 out of the 20 or so stories/selections.

One of the things I love about Dedalus collections is that they typically dig for hidden gems -rather than going for the obvious... how disappointing.

As a comparison... I received Dadelus's Surrealism2 collection at the same time. and Im only familiar with about 3/50 writers.
Insofar as Russian novels go, it's up there with The Master and Margarita. As a historian, I generally can't read historical novels because I keep spotting anachronisms, but this book, set in sixteenth-century Germany, almost flawlessly captures the sense of the era in which it is set. Basic plot a German mercenary becomes attracted to a woman, Renata, allegedly in communication with an angel (an attraction hazardous to one's health during the wars of religion and era of witch burning). I say "allegedly" because this novel leaves it to the reader to decide if any of the supernatural happenings described by the protagonist, Rupprecht, are actually real or merely the product of the mindset of his time (Briussov -- spelled Bryussov as well -- wrote the novel in the early 20th century).
A powerful work that leaves you thinking about it long after you read it. Can see why Prokofiev made into an enjoyable opera later on.
If you want this in hardback, get a second-hand copy of the Neville Spearman (1970) edition with Colin Wilson providing the foreword also available on .
This is Bruisov's masterwork, but it is not the sort of novel that everyone can enjoy - even among the crowd that generally enjoys Dedalus' occult and fantastic releases.
"The Fiery Angel" is a strange journey trough beautifully and vividly invoked 16th Century Europe, with sojourns into its occult and religious underbelly. You'll encounter strange, seemingly supernatural occurrences, but they are quite underplayed and their reality is is left in the air for the largest part of this novel, much like the nature and reality of that titular figure. Humanism, "enlightenment" clash with the religion and the occult, Good clashes with Evil, much like two opposites clash in the case of our narrator and his beloved. And that last clash makes the core of this novel, and it is indeed fascinating, layered, unpredictable, rich in symbolism.
But, as I've said, supernatural is underplayed, occult is mostly occulted - you'll find neither the elaborate ceremonies, nor spectacular apparitions, nor heavy handed symbolism here- and novel can be excruciatingly slow at times. Patience and understanding are necessary. Translation itself is gorgeous, joy to read, but its archaic and flowery nature might deter many a reader.
There's a somewhat rough gem of Russian literature here, but it is not meant for everyone.