Readers Group Diary February

A Readers Group from West London discussed Charlotte Hobson's Black Earth City, published by Granta. The book is currently available in hardback only.

It was a full house. Our group of ten women gathered in the Hammersmith home of Moira. The summer holiday months had intervened since we last met in July. Colette was to choose the book for our next meeting. Amidst much chattering of friends who have not met for too long, she brought the group to order with the dictum that she was of the opinion we should broaden our minds and have a male author for a change - not all those high-minded, sensitive women. The three books presented for choice were:

1. Beware of Pity by Stefan Zweig (Pushkin Press). Written in 1939, his only novel, described as a devastatingly unindulgent realisation of the torment of the betrayal of both honour and love, set against the background of the disintegration of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

2. The Guide by R.K. Narayan.

3. Basil Street Blues by Michael Holroyd. An autobiography of his early life, strongly undersold by Colette who had heard it on tape with dismay.

We chose Beware of Pity.

Now it was down to business and Moira introduced the discussion of the book we had all just read. Black Earth City by Charlotte Hobson. It is her first book and is the story of a young woman's first encounter with Russia in 1991. It is, in fact, her own story. Her tale describes the year that she and her close friend, Emily, (incidentally the daughter of one of our group, Diana) spent under the Russian Language Universities Scheme during their second year at Edinburgh University. The two girls, Charlotte and Emily, chose to go to Voronezh on the River Don, 400 miles south of Moscow. They chose this off the map, a provincial city of approximately 1 million people, so as to immerse themselves in Russian culture and its people rather than the bright lights of Moscow. The land is famously fertile owing to the black earth and hence the title of the book. There was an unanimous view that it was beautifully and sensitively written with a marvellous command of language. Jane (Chiswick) found the work a fascinating picture of Russia with wonderful vignettes. She (Charlotte) was so young and the two girls were such lively spirits; there was such an exciting sense of youth and grappling with hardships and the harsh cruelties of everyday life. They were immediately integrated into the country making passionate friendships and travelling impulsively into the neighbouring countryside. The description of the hostel and their student friends was powerful, as was the account of the visits made to the homes of some of their friends. Many incidents in the book intrigued the readers:

1. The visit to the Memorial Wood and the young people not wanting to accept historically what had happened there.

2. The deaf and dumb who were using their disability to protect themselves.

3. The account of the brutality in the army.

4. The contrast between the Salvation Army forgiving the theft and then the casino bullies taking their pound of flesh from the parents.

5. Charlotte retrieving her bag with the seductive help of the plums in the railway siding.

6. The wedding and the indefatigable aunts.

There were, of course, contrasting views. It was felt that there was not enough about the social/economic/political conditions in Russia at the time (1991). The stories appeared fragmented to some. Photographs would have brought the different characters more into the imagination and helped sort out their identities and relationships. Great emphasis on drinking and sex - but then, it was acknowledged, the conditions of the harshness of everyday existence in such poverty and uncertainty made this understandable.

Moira who led the discussion had lived in the USSR for three years in the 1980s and several members of the group had visited Russia in the past few years - there were many fascinating anecdotes. It was generally agreed as we trouped out onto Upper Mall in autumn sunshine, that the discussion had been thoroughly stimulating and very interesting. Many, many people of all ages should read and enjoy Black Earth City. Look out for more books by Charlotte Hobson - she is currently hard at work.