#andrej bolkonsky

[bettychars]

Nome: Andrej Ivanovitch Bolkonsky

Idade: 38 anos.

Ocupação: Espião. 

Orientação: Heterosexual.

Verse: Seleção.

Origem: Moscou, Rússia.

FC: Henry Cavill.

Status: Ocupado.

pinterest

tbd

[whenyoulosesmallmind]

skimming through wap and i realised that andrej really is the most character of all time: first of all, he got cucked by all the kuragin siblings,

[allpartofthejob]

Tag game 😻!!

Thanks for tagging me, @jonairadreaming 😻😻😻

(I just found out that the misspelling-force is strong with me... Did I really misspell your username before?!? I'm so sorry! 🙈)

Heres the game:

rules: list 5 of your favourite books on a poll, so your followers can vote which book they think captures your vibe the best

I'd like to change it bc I don't know which book would match my vibe?!? I would like to turn it into:

Please join, anyone! Tagging @firawren @adelaideismyhood @midnight-els @eternally-conflicted @louisahalikiopoulou @shmit1

What I liked about the books:

Pride & Prejudice: I always return to it & still enjoy every scene and turn of events. And love it's lightness, the humor & of course the romance...

Jane Eyre: I love Jane's firm character, the spookiness, the balance of Jane's & Rochester's relationship, and of course the romance...

War & peace: I once managed to read all 2.000 pages... I loved the beautiful & sometimes heartbreaking descriptions of human nature, people's hopes & flaws. There are a lot of amazing characterizations. (I read a superb translation btw.). As for the romance: there is Andrej Bolkonski....

Count of Monte Cristo: it's just so good, so much tension & perfect plotting! Just a lot of fun. (Don't be scared by the blurb telling you about 14 years in Chateau d'If: it's just some pages long). There is a little romance (shhhh).

Breakfast at Tiffany's: not as light as the movie, more melancholic. But it beautifully describes a one-sided love. Holly Golightly is a summer breeze, passing by and not to be captured.

[danjaley]

8 favourite characters

thanks for the tag @nocturnalazure​ !

Share ten different favorite characters from ten different pieces of media, in no particular order, then tag/send to ten people (anon or not).

Feel free to join in, I have cold, tagging people is stressing me out more than usual.

Filifjonka (Moomin series, Tove Jansson). While there are a lot of characters in this series I share attitudes with, I especially identify with this one. The Filifjonka is tidy, cares about family while not being very gregarious by nature, is frequently nervous to the point of totally panicked, but always manages to regain her ground. Then again she’s unexpectedly brave and rebellious or freaks everyone out by saying overly dramatic things (”When will our execution take place?”) In the end she learns to play the mouth-organ, to become a little more like Mumrik, whom I also admire.

Thursday Next (The Eyre Affair (and sequels) Jasper Fforde): Okay, maybe it’s not the character alone, but this is the most brilliant work of (meta) fiction I ever read. I appreciate that Thursday, as the protagonist of a fantasy novel, is over thirty, and I like her matter-of-fact way to deal with the most surreal of situations. As the first person narrator she doesn’t get kitschy or sentimental about her own feelings, and never loses her sense of humour. The whole book manages to be the most hilarious of Jabberwocky and deeply touching at the same time.

Andrej Bolkonsky (War and Peace, Leo Tolstoi): Even at dying he was better than other people! I also relate to the feeling when you’d love to speak to someone on eye-level, but everyone around you is more interested in meaningless small-talk. He did an interesting thing in my head. At the beginning of the novel I imagined him a light blonde, but the more he realized there was no place for him in this world, the darker-haired he grew. Also: That feeling when you’re heartbroken about a book, but nobody understands how you could read War and Peace in the first place. In 2018 I felt that as an expert on the Napoleonic times I ought to tackle it. My mother had bought our copy in order to disapprove of it. I read past her bookmark from 1982. Actually I was surprised how many characters’ storylines, outside the Rostov-Bolkonsky connection, just ran into nowhere. This wouldn’t have happened with Victor Hugo!

Gösta Berling (Gösta Berling, Selma Lagerlöff): Most things he does end in disaster, but in such an incredibly aesthetic way, it’s a delight to read. Also no amount of tragedy stops him from being the coolest historical guy in Sweden.

Desirée Clary / Bernadotte (Desirée, Annemarie Selinko): Again, this is generally one of my favourite books. It follows the (somewhat fictionalized) biography of the first Bernadotte Queen of Sweden and her entanglements with Napoleon Bonaparte. In the course of the novel she goes from a silly teenager to a world-wise adult to a slightly patronizing middle-aged lady, while always staying true to herself. The transition is almost imperceptible. She also speaks the author’s charming Austrian German :)

Leslie May (Rivers of London series, Ben Aaronovitch): My role-model on how to maintain dignity and self-respect in the event of ones face falling off. (This mainly refers to volume 1-3. In volume 4 she changes sides and rarely appears any more. I quit reading it when I realized the series wasn’t working towards a conclusion.)

Walter Blythe (Anne of Green Gables series, Lucy Maud Montgomery): I am rather a fan of the later volumes of Anne actually. Not to say anything about his story being truly heartbreaking, he’s a great example of how to build up a tragic hero while still letting him be a kid. In general I’m deeply fascinated with how the World Wars impacted serial literature for young girls. If I had stayed with history of literature, I would have done research about this.

Alm-Öhi (Heidi, Johann Spiry): Admittedly, as a child I identified more with Heidi herself, but I was always in awe of her grandfather. He reminded me a little bit of my own grandfather. He’s self-reliant and can do anything that needs to be done in their little world. He cares about his family while not being a gregarious person at all. When I was five years old myself, I thought he had lost his son a lifetime ago - but in fact it was less than five years. When I grew older and became a historian I also started noticing his occasional references to his past as a soldier.

[sneakydraws]

im the "would bottoming fix andrej" anon and i wanted to thank u for ur wonderful analisys, and that i agree with all ur points. i think andrej has both mommy AND daddy issues - i want to put him in a petri dish.

ps. WHERE is the footsie scene i skimmed thru my wap copies but i couldnt find it. was that a joke. pls am going insane

pps. i reread borodino battle and i think if andrej and pierre fucked there it wouldve saved andrej's life. unrelated but idk i think is a good point

(on a serious note: thank you for giving such an interesting answer to my shitposting, i really appreciate it, your thoughts were very interesting <3)

First of all thank you so much for that ask.

Second of all it is literally one sentence but worry not I have it on repeat in my brain 24/7 so I gotchu. It's from anatole's cringefail proposal to Marya

Third of all borodino battle and the preceding chapters made me feel dead and empty inside so I don't think I'll be rereading them anytime soon so I'll have to take your word on that. Ironically enough I somehow skipped them on my first listen???????

And finally you're SO welcome honestly replying to it made me realise Things about Andrei I hadn't before. Like the mommy issues. It's like a double fucking hit combo every day with this man I swear to god... Couldn't have done it without Andrei bolkonsky: an imagined sex life analysis so thank you once more

[shesarainbow]

Battle of Austerlitz: *Prince Andrej is wounded and reported dead*

Prince Andrej: *suddenly appears* Actually, I'm not dead.

Battle of Borodino: *Prince Andrej is wounded and reported dead*

Prince Andrej: *suddenly appears* Actually, I'm not dead.

[tisthedvmnseason]

♫ + Andrej & Nikej

Andrej: Prologue, Natasha Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812

Nikej: Miss Americana & the Heartbreak Prince, Taylor Swift.

[dorothva]

I thought i knew you for a minute + andrej&nikki

Emanava uma tranquilidade de quem havia tido um dia completamente normal. O monóculo estava posicionado no olho esquerdo, e as mãos, trabalhavam em desenhar a caligrafia com a caneta tinteiro, antes de finalmente selar a carta. Foi o pronunciamento de Nikola que fez com que Andrej levantasse a cabeça, finalmente repousando os olhos azuis nela. " ––– Eu também, srta. Pensei que te conhecia." Declarou, levantando-se da poltrona com o papel lacrado em mãos; indiferente demais para quem já havia inúmeras vezes dividido a cama com a loira. Já deixara claro para ela que a carta detalhava sobre quem era a Shelley, e suas verdadeiras intenções dentro do palácio. Seus métodos, e tudo o que fez e conversou até o presente momento.

Naquela mesma noite, haviam dialogado por horas a fio. Nikki havia detalhado sua situação, quem estava por trás e os verdadeiros motivos pelo que havia se enfiado no palácio de Moscóvia. E Andrej ouviu tudo com neutralidade; fez perguntas, como quem realmente quer saber mais sobre o ocorrido, e inúmeras vezes balançou a cabeça em sinal de compreensão. Contudo, dizia não ser o suficiente; assassina era assassina, ele disse, e o seu trabalho era alertar ao rei justamente sobre aquele tipo de ameaça. Contudo, não fez menção em imobilizar Nikola enquanto redigia o texto; tampouco a trancou no quarto. Não era para isso que estava ali. " ––– Não posso fazer nada a respeito, srta. Shelley. Esse é apenas o meu trabalho." Concluiu, levantando-se da poltrona com a carta selada. Antes de sair pela porta, olhou para trás, vislumbrando um uma última vez o semblante de Nikola; logo, sorriso sem um pingo de humor brotou nos lábios, e ele deu de ombros de forma melancólica. " ––– Me perdoe, srta." E finalmente, deixou os aposentos.

Não sabia se Nikola iria em sua direção, ou se permaneceria no seu quarto. Não sabia se viria gritando, o amaldiçoando, ou se simplesmente jamais olharia na cara dele de novo. Contudo, o moreno sabia do conteúdo da carta. Sabia que o nome de Nikola não estava naquela carta, tampouco a assinatura de Andrej; havia escrito com a mão esquerda, mesmo sendo destro, e a carta anônima denunciava uma conspiração do lado de fora do palácio, o que ele esperava que desviasse a atenção dos monarcas das selecionadas; pelo menos, enquanto encontrava uma forma de livrar uma Nikola que não havia tido escolha da situação, e incriminar apenas quem havia arquitetado o assassinato do rei. 

@cinderellc

[disneyverso]

Era quase automática a consciência de que, mesmo em eventos de tamanho porte, Andrej haveria de se manter completamente sóbrio ––– afinal, não estava ali a passeio, mas sim, a trabalho. E manter-se ciente de cada passo de cada selecionada exigia dele uma concentração e sobriedade que ele não teria caso passasse da segunda taça de vinho. Não que não gostasse de bailes, ou eventos preenchidos por toda aquela animosidade. Apenas havia, há anos, colocado na cabeça que o palácio era nada mais do que o seu ambiente de trabalho ––– este que ele vinha cumprindo muito bem desde que, desde que fora contratado com seus vinte e poucos anos.

Garotas que pareciam ter realmente desenvolvido um amor platônico pelo príncipe soltavam risinhos à sua esquerda, os olhos brilhando ao observar a figura de sua alteza sentado no trono, tão animado quanto uma galinha no abate. Outras, certamente foram pressionadas pela família ou por condições financeiras escassas, e as juras de amor e de que estavam ali por vontade própria eram tão convincentes quanto uma moeda de bronze com o símbolo da coroa. Contudo, dentre inúmeros arquétipos que Andrej já esperava, uma selecionada parecia ainda nebulosa demais. O que ela queria? Casar por amor? Não mesmo; parecia o completo oposto  disso. Mas fazer a família subir de vida? Bom, tampouco parecia se encaixar nesse outro grupo, que tentavam enganar a coroa com falsos sorrisos e juras decoradas; e segurando a taça de vinho intocada, Bolkonsky foi em sua direção até a varanda, esperando que, talvez com diálogo, conseguisse tirar alguma informação a mais da selecionada. Com a destra livre, bateu levemente na posta aberta da varanda, a fim de anunciar sua chegada. " ––– Está ocupado?" Não esperou a resposta alheia, antes de seguir até a sacada. " ––– Não é todo dia que há a seleção para um herdeiro. Uma vez na vida, arrisco dizer." Da forma mais literal possível, porque era a primeira que Andrej veria, e possivelmente, a última. " ––– A festa está nos gostos de vossa majestade." Comentou, lembrando-se que o rei podia ser bem extravagante quando queria. " ––– Deveria está aproveitando."

@mumurizando​

[devosopmaandag]

Het opvoeren van een personage

Na het lezen van een passage* in 'Oorlog en vrede' van Leo Tolstoj waarin een personage wordt opgevoerd, dacht ik aan hoe zo iets eigenlijk in het leven gaat. Onlangs beschreef ik iemand aan een vriendin, maar dat had veel beter gekund. Tostoj beschrijft de jonge vorst Andrej Bolkonski in een paar zinnen zo geestig, zo scherpzinnig en op een bepaalde manier meedogenloos, dat ik zin kreeg ook op deze plek een karakter te introduceren. Overigens telt de lijst van personages in het boek er maar liefst 44! Bij iedere introductie weet je al dat je een behoorlijk lange tijd met hem of haar zult doorbrengen.

Ik zocht naar een verwante situatie in het werkelijke leven, waarin je iemand voor het eerst ontmoet en weet dat je een tijdje met die persoon zult doorbrengen, én dat de ontmoeting van dien aard is dat je hem of haar met grote intensiteit observeert. Zo'n ontmoeting is bijvoorbeeld een ‘blind date’, waarvan ik er ruim twintig jaar geleden vier  (de enige vier in mijn leven) had en die uiteindelijk leidde tot een gelukkig samenleven met G. Laat ik mijn personage K noemen; zijn naam ben ik vergeten.

Op het stationsplein liep een man op mij af. Hij was lang en mager, zijn huid van iemand die veel buiten was. Met zijn verwassen overhemd en katoenen broek, de blote voeten in oude sneakers, kon hij evengoed een niet zo oude hippie zijn als een natuurfilosoof. Zijn blik was absoluut terughoudend, evenals zijn handdruk. Zijn vlassige blonde haar dunde al wat uit, maar de aanblik als geheel beviel mij wel. K stelde voor ergens op een rustig terras te zitten. De grote, wat vertraagde stappen klopten precies bij de man die ik nog maar vijf minuten geleden had leren kennen. Maar er was wel iets wat mij tegenstond.

Toen wij eenmaal zaten, draaide hij zijn lichaam van mij weg. Onze conversatie verliep zoals dat bij een eerste beladen ontmoeting gaat: afwachtend en nieuwsgierig. K afwachtend, ik vooral nieuwsgierig. Onze woorden verplaatsten amper lucht, zo voelde het. Toen hij begon te vertellen over zijn recente ervaringen in oorlogsgebied leek zijn blik nog meer naar binnen gekeerd en de paar keer dat hij glimlachte maakte zijn kwetsbaarheid nog duidelijker. Wat voelde ik toen pijnlijk de lichtheid van mijn eigen leven als kunstenaar.

Heel geleidelijk aan werd ik gewaar wat ik tijdens die korte wandeling niet kon thuisbrengen. Met de zwaarte die hij om zich heen droeg, kwam ook zijn lichaamsgeur tevoorschijn en die twee samen maakten onze hele ontmoeting vanaf dat moment vergeefs. Ach, wat wenste ik hem een lange blonde vrouw met verwaaide haren, met een zonovergoten tuin en die in staat zou zijn zijn zwaarte weg te nemen. Zo'n vrouw was ik niet.

* Oorlog en Vrede, Leo Tolstoj, Uitgeverij van Oorschot 2019, vertaling Yolanda Bloemen en Marja Wiebes, pag. 21, 2e alinea

[hunterartemis]

The Assistant (Appendix 3): Trivias About Maxine

She was born on 31st October 1893, she is four years older than Newt Scamander and Four Years Younger than Theseus Scamander. Her Zodiac Sign in Scorpio

She is 5′9 tall, but still likes to wear Heels. According to her “men seldom cross a woman in heels and red lipstick”

Her three sizes are 34-27-36. She is a rectangular type.

Her favourite food  Bouillabaisse, from her birthplace Marseilles. 

Audrey left (was sent to Azkaban) when Maxine was only a year old. She lived alone with maids and bunch of House elves in the Chateaux D’if till she was seven. She and her mother were basically prisoners. All they would feed Maxine was Bouillabaisse. It was the only meal she would eat for several months when she was brought in the Paris estate. Even today, when she feels bad, she would ask for Bouillabaise--although she is never seen eating one in the story.

At the age of Seven, while having her meal, Maxine bit her tongue. She screamed so loud that every glass window on that floor shattered and every object of her room flew from the place and got suspended in the air. Lampito, her elf in care informed Hrothgar at the instant, and she was brought in Paris Estate.

Maxine has many books, but she seldom reads–the only thing she genuinely likes to read is poetry, and scandalous ones: thus she likes Baudelaire so much.

If she had a Theme Song it would be Rondo Capricciosso by Camille Saint Saens.

She marries a 38 year old Theseus when she herself is 34 years old.

During Holidays when she use to come home at her Parisian Home: the Conciergerie, she seldom slept at night and would sneak out and roam the streets of Paris–That is how she knew the streets of Paris so well when she took Newt on tour.

Maxine is extremely fond of Classical Music: Bach, Mozart, Puccini, Beethoven, Shostakovitch, Tchaikovsky, Ravel are her favorites. But she is often forced with Vivaldi, Handel, Monteverdi by her family who prefers Ecclesiastical music. She can stand Vivaldi but to her “the rest is absolute murder”.

Maxine can speak Five languages, English, French, German, Russian and Japanese. Her elder sister-in-law Svetlana taught her Russian and Slovanian, but Maxine cannot speak the latter, but can understand it

Her wand is Aspen wood and Phoenix feather. Wand of a very prolific public speaker, rebel and a duellist. Aspen commutes with the God Hermes, God of Speed and Thievery something which Maxine is well acquainted with. Phoenix signifies detachment and independence, which commutes well with her explorer nature.  

Her MBTI type is ENTJ-P, the Commander/Argumentative type.

Her Archetype is “The Trickster”/“The Jester”/ “The Explorer”

she worked as Espionaged-Auror with Theseus. She was quiet successful interrogating perpetual suspects by using a Modified Imperius Curse which makes the victim to hallucinate that they are having sex with her.

She has an extensive collection of Lingerie–from Corsets to Stockings. She had used them during interrogation and her “recreational” purposes.

She has invented spells: including the modified versions of Cruciatus and Imperius Curses; the first one gives spontaneous (and painful) orgasms. She is proficient in Non-verbal and wandless magic. 

Her patronus changed throughout her life: during Durmstrang it used to be Vulture, then it changed into Baltic fox. She realised her love for Theseus when her patronus changed into Bull, mimicking the Minotaur that King Theseus defeated in the myths.

Maxine’s initial inheritance included 10,000 Galleon worth of money, Three Baroque necklaces worth 5 million Euros of Muggle money, Two rings worth 2 million Euros of muggle money and Her mother’s apartment in London (in which she lived)

After spending 10,000 Galleon worth of inheritance into travelling in places (for learning various forms of Magic), she started looking for a job. after two years of unemployment and poverty she got a job at British ministry.

during this two year of poverty she had to do something to make money. She sold her 3000 galleon worth Provincial chaise for just only 100 galleons, her Alexandrite family ring, a pearl necklace to Borgin and Burkes. After that she sold a black book to Zonko’s joke shop where she had kept all of her invented prank spell. Being generous Zonko’s paid 500 galleons to her. To this day, Maxine’s prank spell is still used in Zonko’s joke shop and Weasley’s Wizard Wheezes.

When she got her job, She bought all the things she had sold, with Leprechaun gold, some real currency and by Imperius curse.

She found a way to solidify the Love Potion and to smoke it; it was depicted twice in the story: one in her days in Durmstrang while other the night before wedding. Apparently smoking the love potion is almost equal to having sex for ten hours without the fatigue. However only she can smoke it like a normal cigarette and enjoy the pleasure–any person who had little experience with it will go rabid with its effect and will end up killing themselves in the process to satiate the libido. 

She is very fond of Mardi Gras/ Masquerade parties. She would often invite sons and daughters of European Ministries, lock them in a room with food, drinks and cigarettes filled with Amortentia, and go. It was a common entertainment between the women of Valois Family to spy on the naked and masked revel from a secret space. This was a tradition started by Maxine’s great-great Grandmother Regan Valois in Early 18th Century to have fun and to collect intel about the enemy; both Muggle and Wizards. It is an exception that Maxine should physically participate in it before her wedding.

She was admitted into St. Jean Baptiste de Deboir after Anatole tried to kill her with Cursed Fire, however what she told Newt that she could not have Obliviation was a lie. She resisted the Memory Curse by tipping off a healer who taught her the spell : Occlumenta Horribilis. It was so because Maxine could kill Anatole one day and practice herself not to fear him,

Maxine hates her portrait that hangs in Conciergerie; according to her, her family told the painter to ‘soften’ her features and make her ‘less mischievous’. It was painted when she was 19 years old.

Her character colors are Black, Red, Olive Green, Pink and Gold. Black represents her physical beauty, Red her sexual boldness, Green her impishness and envy, Pink represents her public image as a Valois, Gold represents her uniqueness and vision

Maxine has a special gait in which she sways her hips in a peculiar and yet very subtle fashion. This gave her away in front of Theseus when she was in Newt’s place.

Theseus was offered an enormous dowry when he proposed Maxine to marry him. The dowry included The Duchy of Croy, 30,000 Galleon, the Chateaux D’if of Marseilles where Maxine was born. However Theseus rejected it.

Theseus and Maxine’s first wedding dance was not an Waltz, but Minuet, as per the tradition of the Valois family. They danced to Henry Purcell’s Hole in the Wall. The second dance was an waltz, danced on Beethoven’s Violin Concerto: Rondo, Played by the dragon keeper Ernst Bongartz

Theseus had Maxine’s mother’s grave shifted at Edinburgh. He even took her to that place before they parted for Honeymoon.

When Maxine returned from the Exile, she found out Marguerite and Svetlana came to reconcile with her, after knowing what she had been through. Through them she found out Elena died while giving birth: now the baby boy will be cared by Svetlana. She and Magnus (Elena’s husband) elected Maxine as Godmother and Named the child Maximus Renaldo (a name his mother chose) Valois. The boy has blond hair and black eyes.

 Throughout her life she had seven lovers : Anatole Malfoy (who turned out to be using her), Clemens Charlemagne (broke off with mutual consent), Andrej Bolkonsky (Svetlana’s Cousin, she hooked up with him once at the wedding of Svetlana and her brother Menelaus), The eldest son of Italian Minister of Magic (for an espionage mission), Percival Graves (on a dare with Theseus Scamander), Newt Scamander (the one whom she could not get) and Theseus Scamander (Colleague, Partner-in-crimes, Husband)

[thatscarletflycatcher]

War and Peace (2007) livestream

I was wondering if some of you would be interested in doing a livestream of this miniseries sometime in July or August.

The miniseries is an European production and its run time is four episodes, one hour forty-five minutes long each. It stars Clemence Poesy as Natasha Rostova, Alessio Boni as prince Andrej Bolkonsky, Alexander Beyer as Pierre Bezukhov, Malcom McDowell as Prince Bolkonsky, and Brenda Blethyn as Márja Dmitrijewna between others. You can watch a trailer here:

So, if you are interested, reply to this post, send me a message or an ask and if there’s interest, we can work out a schedule to watch it.

[duchess-of-tales]

I was tagged by @motherofkittens94 thank you! I was tagged before, so I chosed three other fandom I adore ^^.

rules: Choose any three fandoms (in random order) and answer the questions, then tag 10 people you want to know better.

My Three Fandoms:

Harry Potter

War and Peace

Galavant

The first character you loved: 

Harry Potter

 Vassily Kuragin

King Richard duh 

The character you never expected to love so much:

Draco Malfoy

Anna Pavlova

Gareth 

The character you relate to the most:

idk Frank Bryce, he lived alone and made some tea before he died. Also he wanted to find that Harry Potter kid or call the police when he heard Voldemort’s plan. Hmmm I thik he is actualy underrated.

Andrej Bolkonsky

Gwynne or King Richard

The character you’d slap:

Cho Chang

PIERRE

Madalena

Three favorite characters (in order of preference):

Ron Weasley, Luna Lovegood, Rubeus Hagrid

Vassily Kuragin, Anna Pavlova, Andrej Bolkonsky

King Richard, Gwynne, Chef 

A character you liked at first but don’t anymore:

idk

idk

idk

Three otps: 

Romione, Luna/Neville, Remus/Tonks

Vassily/Anna, Andrej/Happines, Nikolaj/Sonia

Gwynne/Chef, Galavant/Isabella, Gareth/Madalena

Im tagging: @proskenion04 @silver-mare @mrs-storm-andrews @wedonnotcare

[wintertuin]

Max Hermens -  Hoe je aan Oorlog en Vrede begint

Tijdens het Wintertuinfestival hebben de schrijftalenten van De Nieuwe Oost (vh Wintertuin) allerhande prachtige teksten voorgedragen met als uitgangspunt de Vrije Lezer. De komende weken lees je ze hier na. Wat een feestelijke traktatie! Deze week breekt schrijver Max Hermens een lans voor Tolstoj en bevrijdt de vastgelopen doch vastberaden lezer. Hoe je aan Oorlog en Vrede begint Van alle dikke boeken die moedig aangekocht worden maar ongelezen in de kast belanden is Oorlog en Vrede heer en meester. Er zijn oneindig veel redenen om niet aan Tolstojs loodzware epos te beginnen. In deze korte bespreking hoop ik de moedige lezer een handreiking te doen en hem aan te sporen de sprong toch te wagen.

Omdat er over een boek van meer dan duizend pagina’s ontzettend veel te zeggen is, concentreer ik mij op de opening. Deze eerste vijftien pagina’s gaan over een soiree. Dat is een soort negentiende-eeuws feestje: de adel komt na het eten bij elkaar op bezoek, ze drinken wijn, roddelen over elkaars families en bespreken de politiek. Daarnaast is de soiree een bekende negentiende-eeuwse romantruc. Stel dat je een dikke roman schrijft met veel personages, hoe introduceer je deze op een interessante manier? Ga je ze om beurten beschrijven? Of zet je ze in een kamer en laat je ze flink wat alcohol achterover slaan? Tolstoj kiest voor dat laatste.

Deze specifieke soiree speelt zich af aan de vooravond van de Napoleontische oorlogen; iedereen is druk in gesprek over de politieke ontwikkelingen van dat moment. Hieruit wordt ook meteen duidelijk waarom veel lezers vastlopen: op de eerste vier pagina’s vindt een gesprek plaats tussen een vorst en een hofdame, waarin naar tweeëntwintig (!) andere personages wordt verwezen. Sommige van deze personages hebben bovendien meerdere namen: Tsaar Alexander heet ook Zijne Doorluchtigheid, Zijne Hoogheid en Onze Heiland. Mijn advies: negeer die moeilijke namen, als Tolstoj je een personage wil laten onthouden, dan zorgt hij daar wel voor. De roman gaat natuurlijk niet over het feit dat Napoleon de hertog van Enghien ter dood veroordeelde, maar over wat de personages op de soiree daar van vinden en wat deze houding over hun eigen levens zegt.

Iets anders dat meteen opvalt is dat iedereen op de soiree Frans spreekt (uiteraard niet in de Nederlandse vertaling, maar er wordt veelvuldig naar verwezen). De adel in Rusland heeft geruime tijd Frans gesproken. Dat heeft een lange en ingewikkelde geschiedenis, maar het heeft er onder andere mee te maken dat het centrum van de macht in Rusland in het westen lag, nabij Europa, en dat de Russen zich als nauwe verwanten van Europa beschouwden – misschien nog niet als Europeanen, maar wel als hun familie, hun beschermheer.

Een goed voorbeeld is wanneer Andrej Bolkonski wordt gevraagd of hij aan de oorlog zal deelnemen. Andrej antwoordt met een uitgesproken Frans accent: ‘Le général Koutouzoff is zo vriendelijk geweest mij tot zijn adjudant [te maken].’ Het is een ogenschijnlijk simpel zinnetje, maar wat opvalt is dat de Russische vorst een Russische naam uitspreekt alsof hij zelf een Fransman is. Koutouzoff in plaats van Koetoezov. Het laat zien dat Andrej graag als elitair gezien wil worden, als een belangrijke vorst die in staat is buiten zijn eigen landsgrenzen te denken en handelen. Bovendien is deze manier van spreken een teken van zijn jeugdigheid: nog nooit heeft Andrej in een oorlog gevochten, het enige dat hij kan doen is het elitisme van zijn positie als rijke vorst onderstrepen. De oudere vorst Wasili Koeragin – een oorlogsveteraan die ook aanwezig is op de soiree – heeft er bijvoorbeeld geen problemen mee af en toe een schunnig Russisch mopje te vertellen; hij heeft zijn strepen verdiend.

Tolstoj zet deze tweespalt tussen het Frans en het Russisch vaker in om klasse- en identiteitskwesties aan te kaarten. Zo laat hij de figuren die graag pochen met hun rijkdom vaak vreselijk slecht Frans spreken, waardoor ze voor de kenner meteen overkomen als pretentieuze boerenpummels.

Taal is niet alleen belangrijk voor de personages in Oorlog en Vrede, het is ook een van de thema’s binnen de roman zelf. De roman gaat namelijk (onder andere) over het ontstaan van de Russische nationale identiteit. Tegenwoordig lijkt het misschien alsof deze altijd al bestaan heeft, maar het tegendeel is waar: Rusland was in het begin van de negentiende eeuw een groot tsarenrijk, waarvan de bevolking onderling weinig had dat hen verbond. Tolstoj argumenteert (en hij neemt er de ruimte voor...) dat er ergens tijdens de Napoleontische oorlogen – de oorlogen waarin Rusland vele malen ten strijde trekt tegen het Napoleontische Europa – een gewaarwording ontstaat bij een bepaald deel van de Russische bevolking. Een gewaarwording van hun anders-zijn, van hun niet-Europeesheid.

Natuurlijk is Oorlog en Vrede geen geschiedenisboek: het is een roman. Een roman die handelt over fictieve personages die zich bewegen tegen deze achtergrond van historische gebeurtenissen. Zelfs voor de hedendaagse lezer wordt het denken en handelen van deze personages begrijpelijk uiteengezet. (Je moet als lezer wel tegen christelijk-filosofische overpijnzingen kunnen; Tolstoj was een toegewijd christen en zo ook zijn hoofdpersonages.) Twee van die personages zijn aanwezig op de soiree: Pierre Bezoechov en Andrej Bolkonski. En tussen al die moeilijke discussies over de adel, de oorlog en Napoleon door, gaat de roman uiteindelijk over deze personages. (En over Natasja Rostov, maar die is er niet die avond.) Tolstoj brengt de geschiedenis niet alleen tot leven, maar maakt haar boven alles menselijk. De lezer leert de beperkingen van de personages kennen, hun kortzichtigheden, hij ziet hen kansen missen en leert hier de pijnlijke gevolgen van. Na de soiree, tijdens een afterparty (ja, die hadden ze toen al), worden Pierre en zijn vrienden zo dronken dat ze een beer aan een politieagent vastbinden en in de rivier werpen. Later heeft Pierre daar natuurlijk spijt van.

In Oorlog en Vrede laat Tolstoj als geen andere schrijver zien hoe het was om een levend mens te zijn, in een weliswaar vreemde tijd en plaats, maar met al de bijbehorende schoonheden en gebreken. Bovendien doet hij dit met personages die je – ongetwijfeld – altijd bij zullen blijven.

Nog niet overtuigd? Vormelijk gezien is Oorlog en Vrede de grote voorganger van Game of Thrones. Het omvat uitgebreide familiegeschiedenissen, een ontelbaar aantal personages en perspectieven, een tijdverloop van jaren, en (eindeloze) politieke discussies. En aangezien het laatste seizoen van Game of Thrones lang op zich laat wachten, wordt het deze kerst echt eens tijd zijn verre voorganger uit de kast te trekken. Max Hermens is schrijver en literatuurwetenschapper. Zijn verhalen verschenen in Das Magazin en Op Ruwe Planken. Hij droeg onder andere voor op festival De Oversteek en het Wintertuinfestival. Als literatuurwetenschapper publiceerde hij over het werk van Joseph Conrad.

[velveteyes]

Leave of Absence Andrei visits his father in order to announce to him that he plans to marry Natasha Rostova. Prince Bolkonsky, of course, is as annoying as ever and he tries his utmost to changa A...