Huff and puff. Over and over someone stebetsya Victor Pelevin’s novel iPhuck 10
On September 26 came the new novel by Victor Pelevin — the iPhuck 10. Not just another dystopia, a “novel of ideas” in which the narrative is gradually opening the second and even the third bottom
The last texts of Pelevin, whether it is the “Lamp of Methuselah” or “the Love for three Zuckermann”, was hailed by critics cool: the lack of a coherent plot, blended into the fabric of metaphysical novels lumps, and the speed of reaction of the author on the agenda is not the same. With the first two problems iPhuck 10 handle, which is not true of the third with his funny satirical hymn to the Millennials and the digital age Pelevin was late at least for five years.
IPhuck 10 and says this: literary-COP algorithm Porfiry Petrovich is conducting a criminal investigation, simultaneously turning all analyzed in the “artistic text” tabloid detective than fills the coffers of the Police Department. He is the author of hundreds of novels, and iPhuck 10 — the most popular of them, which, in fact, is written in front of you as you read the book. Porfiry Petrovich dreams (although technically this option it does not invest) on the murder charge that will attract the attention of the audience and more downloads, but instead of a long-awaited investigation is sent to the service to the critic and curator Maruha Cho. That using a police robot wants to learn all about the deals related to the art of the “era of GIPS” (per our time), in order to sell an expensive rarity the fat cats of the new world.
iPhuck 10 — not just another dystopia, a “novel of ideas” in which the narrative is gradually opening the second and even third bottom, unfolds an impressive range of topics of concern to today’s writer.
With its fun satirical hymn to the Millennials and the digital age Pelevin late at least five years
It is not quite clear, whether neoluddite Pelevin, or follower of computer technology, but the fact that the author is technically savvy, it is obvious: the first three hundred pages, generously stuffed with terms like “blockchain datum” or “transcardially grid” through which I have to Wade to the reader.
No doubt, on the agenda of the writer — artificial intelligence and its relationship to the human intellect, I must say, strained. The author is concerned with the humanization of gadgets and their growing identification of oneself with a reasonable and, most importantly, sentient being, able to rebel against the Creator. But to be honest, all this is reminiscent of cyber-punk William Gibson or Bruce Sterling, presages a similar stage of development of technologies in the 70-80. Or loosely interpreted the Greek mythology, where the creature took up arms against the demiurge. In addition, the ending of the book predictable, drawn in the style of Deus ex machina, it ends every second sci-Fi film.
Pelevin interested in the notion — now blurred — the-art, the mechanisms of the art market and art criticism theory of conspiracies. Their vision of this scope the author has built is so witty and true that I want to quote: “Young and trendy artist from St. Petersburg in the company of friends, full of grass, goes to the trash, takes out from it some kind of brilliant piece of iron (whether a Bicycle wheel, or crankshaft), raises it above his head and said: “Dude, on a dare: tomorrow I will sell this Cherubino the firm for ten thousand dollars.” Or “Print was a locked in a cage for seven months a Guinea pig. Locked them personally Pavlensky, and he was able to illegally smuggle into eternity quotes from his other works. He stabbed each pig scrotum like a little brooch silver safety pin with a tiny piece of the Kremlin cobblestones. And cut off a piece of an ear. Very small — chipped cutter for nails. On the neck of the pigs, as very Pavlensky during some of the stock, cardboard hanging tag with the words “Freedom to Pussy Riot!”. Pussy Riot at this time was already free, but the international art market in those years demanded a resonant and recognizable cultural codes. For the same reason as Matt-litter in the cages was used in the English edition of the correspondence of Nadezhda Tolokonnikova with SlovoEd by Žižek”.
Grotesque and topical, but there Pelevin they offered nothing new. For example, in the first passage he to echo the Belgian art historian Thierry de Give, to talk about such a diversity of art on the example of the famous urinal of Marcel Duchamp.
The title of the novel has gone not only from the novel by a police robot, but from the very expensive sex machine, vaguely reminiscent of the iPhone. There is still androgynous — similar, but slightly outdated version, hinting at Android. Need these toys because in the neo-digital world, the sex between people marginalities, and will soon be altogether prohibited by law.
Russia became an Empire led by the king of the tubes (the sixth dynasty), grown from the DNA of the left whisker Nikita Mikhalkov
Lasiecka offspring provides artificial insemination and sex replaced with sophisticated sex gadgets that can be programmed proximity with Julius Caesar, some prominent Nazi, and God knows who or even what.
What mobile app did not please the writer is unclear. However, the lion’s share of recent novel with a juicy sketches from the life of the future takes place in a taxi. Besides, Uber is not only a transport company but also a vehicle for disembodied Porfiry Petrovich to reach areas, the algorithm is forced “to possess” devices in passing vehicles (taxi Packed with cameras and monitors).
The pursuit of political correctness and a triumph of euphemisms (in reality only begins to circumscribed) in the novel has reached absurd degrees. Cisgender, transgender, LGBT communities, and a burning passion for animals was mixed and formed absolutely unthinkable ramifications sexual orientations. So, maruja labeled as a “woman with eggs” from her implanted testosterone dispensers. But here, Pelevin late. Something like that two years ago beat another beacon of post-modernism — the animated series South Park.
Political map of the world, we can say, drawn and quartered for a few of America (commonly called the Perineum), Bogestvenniy (Russia) and bloodthirsty Caliphate (Islamic state). Countries trade the airspace so that other States could bullet in objectionable missiles. Russia has again turned into an Empire headed by the king of the tubes (the sixth dynasty), grown from the DNA of the left whisker Nikita Mikhalkov. And Yes, for decency he is also black.
Perhaps the iPhuck 10 — work that stands apart from the others plewinski texts. Partly because already familiar to the author of this Chinese philosophy or Buddhist enlightenment with outputs to Nirvana and Satori is not here. But there is a world of cyberspace, and people like different sequences deployed to the global mind of the universal code. Besides disembodied “spirit” of Porfiry Petrovich, completely superimposed on the characteristic of Pelevin reflections on the featureless white nothingness.
In fairness I must say that the new novel, though not keeping pace with the time, hitting the target and gets hurt It is very dry and minimizes the author’s position text, through which, however, comes through the irony and the bitterness of the exhausted art and humanity.
Whatever it was, the reader is waiting for news from Pelevin, who, by the way, among other things, blamed what he computer. And artificial intelligence it prints properly.
