Jacek Dukaj

A Trans-Siberian odyssey through political, criminal, scientific, philosophical and amorous intrigues, and into an endless winter to confront something utterly alien. 14th July 1924: In a Warsaw buried under feet of snow and Russian rule, Benedykt Gieroslawski, a dissolute young Polish mathematician, is roused from his bed by two officials from the Ministry of Winter and dispatched to Siberia, on the Trans-Siberian Express, to track down his long-exiled father. The catalyst for this frosty metamorphosis of 20th century history is the impact of the Tunguska asteroid, deep in Siberia, in 1908. From this Ground Zero, emerge the Gleissen, silent harbingers of an eternal winter that follows in their ponderous wake. As they spread across the continent, agriculture collapses and people flock to cities as they seek protection from the deadly cold. As the land freezes, so does history: the Tsar still rules Russia; the Belle Époque endures; and the First World War never happened. But out there, on the ice, a new world is being forged. The extreme, alien cold has transmuted elements into strange new forms, a ‘black physics’ that is the catalyst for a new industrial and scientific revolution. At the heart of it lies Siberia – a ‘Wild East’, a magnet for all the political, religious and scientific fevers shaking the world at the dawn of the 20th century, the crucible where black physics, shamanic lore and the cold logic of winter combine. And Benedykt’s final destination. Will he embrace the ice, or destroy it?

A trans-siberian odyssey through political, criminal, scientific, philosophical and amorous intrigues, and into an endless winter to confront something utterly alien.14th July 1924: In a Warsaw buried under feet of snow and Russian rule, Benedykt Gieroslawski, a dissolute young Polish mathematician, is roused from his bed by two officials from the Ministry of Winter and dispatched to Siberia, on the Trans-Siberian Express, to track down his long-exiled father.The catalyst for this frosty metamorphosis of 20th Century history is the impact of the Tunguska asteroid, deep in Siberia, in 1908. From this Ground Zero, emerge the Gleissen, silent harbingers of an eternal winter that follows in their ponderous wake. As they spread across the continent, agriculture collapses and people flock to cities as they seek protection from the deadly cold. As the land freezes, so does history: the Tsar still rules Russia; the Belle Époque endures; and the First World War never happened.But out there, on the ice, a new world is being forged. The extreme, alien cold has transmuted elements into strange new forms, a ‘black physics’ that is the catalyst for a new industrial and scientific revolution. At the heart of it all lies Siberia – a ‘Wild East’, a magnet for all the political, religious and scientific fevers shaking the world at the dawn of 20th century, the crucible where black physics, shamanic lore and the cold logic of winter combine.And Benedykt’s final destination. Will he embrace the ice, or destroy it?

.Eto pjat neverojatnykh mirov Jatseka Dukaja, neskolko porazitelnykh variantov buduschego i nastojaschego, v kotorom mir preobrazovan nastolko masshtabno, chto radikalno otlichaetsja ot nashego. Eto buduschee, v kotorom biologicheskie issledovanija nastolko deshevy i rasprostraneny, chto oni polnostju perekroili mirovuju politicheskuju kartu i samikh ljudej, a vyshedshie iz-pod kontrolja geneticheskie programmy porozhdajut sovershenno inuju zhizn. Eto mir, gde u ljudej iznachalno ne pjat, a shest chuvstv, gde kultura i iskusstvo razvivajutsja po inym zakonam, a sam tekst opisyvaet to, chto nevozmozhno vyrazit slovami. Eto grjaduschee, v kotorom resheny problemy goloda i vojn, zdes tsarit izobilie, no ljudi lishilis tseli, i est professionaly, pridumyvajuschie dlja drugikh smysl zhizni. I nakonets, eto mir, gde v 1986 godu na Zemlju rukhnul nekij obekt, voskreshajuschij ne tolko mertvykh, no i tu sredu, v kotoroj oni zhili, v rezultate chego nachinajut smeshivatsja istoricheskie epokhi, vojny i prostranstva. Eto paradoksalnye neozhidannye teksty, gde po-nastojaschemu originalnye idei sochetajutsja s blestjaschim ispolneniem i vyverennym stilem.

14th July 1924: In a Warsaw buried under feet of snow and Russian rule, Venyedikt Yeroslavsky, a dissolute young Polish mathematician, is roused from his bed by two officials from the Ministry of Winter and dispatched to Siberia in search of his long-exiled father. Boarding the Trans-Siberian Express, Venyedikt embarks on an extraordinary journey through a frozen realm, through political, criminal, scientific, philosophical and amorous intrigues to finally stand face to face with something utterly alien… The catalyst for this frosty metamorphosis of 20th Century history is the impact of the Tunguska asteroid, deep in Siberia, in 1908. ICE’s meteor is composed from a strange new form of matter that reveals a hitherto hidden relation between the laws of thermodynamics and logic. This connection has a physical manifestation – coallessing as quantum apparitions known as ‘Gleissen’. Otherworldly, unknowable, mute – these apparitions of ice and frost stalk the land bringing endless winter wherever they venture. As they move through Russia, agriculture collapses and people flock to cities seeking protection from the deadly cold. But in their glacial wake the Gleissen also leave incredible wealth, their ‘black physics’ transmuting elements into strange new forms allowing new technologies, industries and economies to prosper. This has drastically altered the global balance of power; the Tsar still rules Russia, the Belle Époque endures, and the First World War never happened. At the heart of it all lies Siberia – the ‘Wild East’ – a magnet for all the political, religious and scientific fevers shaking the world at the dawn of 20th century. It is the crucible where black physics and the cold logic of winter will forge a new history. So why has Venyedikt been dispatched by the Ministry of Winter to deepest Siberia to make contact with his exiled father? Is it because Benedict’s exiled father has managed, somehow, to communicate with the Gleissen? Or are there other agendas at play?

Pered vami inye prostranstva, ozhivajuschie pod perom Jatseka Dukaja. V odnom iz nikh nejtronnaja volna neizvestnogo proiskhozhdenija ubila na Zemle vse zhivoe. Utseleli tolko te ljudi, kotorye uspeli otsifrovat svoj razum. Oni zhivut v ostavshikhsja setjakh, v telakh voennykh, promyshlennykh i bytovykh robotov i nachinajut stroit novuju tsivilizatsiju. No kakoj ona budet teper, kogda chelovek osvobozhden ot okov tela? V drugom pered nami razvorachivaetsja golovokruzhitelnaja i predelno neprivychnaja kartina grjaduschego, v kotoroj chelovechestvo blagodarja ljudjam, vstupivshim v simbioz s inoplanetnym organizmom, osvaivaet kosmicheskie dali. I kogda na drugoj planete issledovatel pogibaet pri zagadochnykh obstojatelstvakh, eta, kazalos by, chastnaja detektivnaja istorija grozit krizisom vsej nashej tsivilizatsii. V tretem my okazyvaemsja v retrofuturisticheskom buduschem, gde komanda obyknovennogo kosmicheskogo tjagacha stalkivaetsja v pojase asteroidov s chem-to nemyslimym, to li inym razumom, to li chudovischnym porozhdeniem chuzhoj evoljutsii. Vse eto i mnogoe drugoe zhdet vas v sbornike nebolshikh romanov i povestej "Starost aksolotlja", kotoryj zavorazhivaet pejzazhami neverojatnoj, strannoj krasoty i unikalnostju po-nastojaschemu slozhnykh, no pritjagatelnykh mirov.

Born in what is now Ukraine to Polish parents, naturalised as a British citizen, and schooled on the high seas of international commerce, Joseph Conrad was a true citizen of the world. His novels bore witness to the dehumanising repercussions of empire, explored a world in which state-sponsored terrorism ruined individuals' lives, and pioneered complex narrative structures and subjective points-of-view in what was to become the first wave of literary modernism. To mark his 160th birthday, 14 authors and critics from Britain, Poland and elsewhere have come together to celebrate his legacy with new pieces of fiction and non-fiction. Conrad felt that the writer's task was to offer 'that glimpse of truth for which you have forgotten to ask.' In an age of increasing isolationism, these celebrations remind you of the value of such glimpses. Commissioned as part of the Joseph Conrad Year 2017.