by Boris Pasternak
Introduction. Although Boris Pasternak began working on Doctor Zhivago in
the 1910s and 1920s, he didn’t complete the book until 1955. Further, upon
its completion, the book was immediately smuggled out of Stalin’s Soviet
Russia in secrecy, and published in Italy by Giangiacomo Feltrinelli in 1957.
The book was smuggled in secrecy because it was extremely controversial at
the time in Soviet Russian society, even resulting in Pasternak’s expulsion
from the writing organization he was a part of. Worse still, the CIA
recognized the opportunity to embarrass Soviet Russia, so the organization
influenced the Nobel Price committee to select Pasternak’s book as the
winner. Pasternak was informed by the Soviets that he would be refused re-
entry into Russia if he accepted the medal, so he ended up conceding to the
pressure by writing a letter to the committee and rejecting the recognition.
Analysis. The book itself is a historic Russian novel bearing resemblance
to, and inspired by, Leo Tolstoy’s War and Peace. Doctor Zhivago achieved a
length of 592 pages at the time of its publication, making it about half the
total length of War and Peace (but still quite long). The book is extremely
winding in its very thin plot, following the life and hardships of the
protagonist, Doctor Zhivago, briefly during World War I, predominantly during
the Russian Civil War, and again briefly reaching into World War II.
Primarily, the reader experiences the Russian Revolution in real-time through
the perspective of the protagonist, a quintessential independent thinker,
while appreciating Pasternak’s frequent use of marvelously vivid poetry.
Evaluation. Although the poetry contained in the book is exceptional, the
plot of the book leaves the reader with a sense of want. Meanwhile,
Pasternak discusses weighty topics such as loneliness, reality, history, and
others with impressive philosophical undertones. Further, the poetic
descriptions of the countryside and people in the novel deliver breathtaking
passages- rivaling the finest poetry captured in Russian literature.
However, it seemed clear that Pasternak is first and foremost a poet, not a
novelist. The plot is practically non-existent and there are way too many
new characters introduced (close to 200 unique characters in total).
Conclusion. The plot in Doctor Zhivago is lacking, which results in the
reader feeling lost or confused about the context of the unfolding scenes.
While this can cause a sense of frustration, admittedly, it is consistent
with the protagonist’s confusion about the revolution unfolding around him.
The book’s poetry and political shockwaves are its strongest attributes.