Véra
Publisher
:
Autrement
Parution date
:
2009
EAN
:
9782746712645
Number of pages
:
116
Description
Dutch and Greek rights sold
Voted best novel of the year by Yunost magazine
In the tradition of Gogol and Dostoyevsky, Véra is a suspenseful tale of a mind tormented by jealousy.
Nikolai is obsessed by the belief that his actress wife is unfaithful. His obsession, his frightening jealousy, is manifested in the form of SB, a malicious advisor, who lives inside Nikolai’s head and home. During a perverse mental dialogue, SB tells Nikolai about Véra, describing in loving detail how beautiful she is and what is needed to keep her happy. Everything SB says torments Nikolai. Gradually the space between dream, imagination, and reality blurs. Time and time again, Nikolai cries out in vain as he watches through a small window from behind closed doors as SB seduces his beloved Véra.
Drawing us deeply into Nikolai’s mind, Skorobogatov carefully crafts scenes of unease and suspense. We come to understand that Nikolai suffers not only from the visions conjured by SB but also from tragic memories of his past and premonitions of what surely will occur. To test his obsession with Véra’s infidelity, Nikolai goes to the theater at which she works. Convinced he sees her performing naked onstage, Nikolai storms out. His fury, which cannot be contained, is expressed in acts of violence on the unfortunate souls who cross his path. When Nikolai is sent to a psychiatric hospital, is he even aware that Véra, loyal despite his behavior, will do to anything to help the man she truly loves?
Author
Alexandre Skorobogatov : Alexandre Skorobogatov was born in Byelorussia in 1963. He is the author of five novels, and his short story, “The Executioner” (EKSMO, M, 2007) was selected for an anthology of the best Russian short stories of the twentieth century. After the fall of the Soviet regime, he settled in Antwerp, Belgium. Véra was published for the first time in Russia in 1991 under the title Sergeant Bertrand and was voted best novel of the year by popular magazine Yunost.
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