A summary of "Useless Fossil" by Venedikt Erofeev

This collection of disparate diary entries, aphorisms, and quotes was created between the 1950s and 1990s (the texts were published in 2001). The notebooks record the author’s absurdist observations. They describe Erofeev’s experiences with alcohol. The text contains religious reflections and a sharp critique of Soviet reality. Erofeev documents his inner life through the prism of world culture. He constantly documents his own alienation from accepted social norms.

Reflections on Literature and Art

Erofeev carefully analyzes Russian and foreign classics. He recalls Alexei Suvorin’s words about Leo Tolstoy’s novella "Hadji Murad." He quotes Stendhal about decency as the greatest misfortune of the nineteenth century. The writer mocks the French poet Guillaume Apollinaire, calling him vulgar for his letters to Madeleine and Lou. In these texts, the Frenchman discusses the taste of bay leaves. Erofeev criticizes Soviet literature and mentions Alexander Fadeyev. The author connects the writer’s suicide with news about Oleg Koshevoy.

The author ridicules the poetry of Anton Pup. He dislikes Igor Severyanin’s lines about Cherepovets and the work of Vladimir Mayakovsky. The writer recalls the Encyclopedia Britannica, where Nikolai Ostrovsky’s novel "How the Steel Was Tempered" is described as the success story of a young cripple. Erofeev argues that one must write so poorly that it becomes repulsive to read. He discusses the poeticization of nature as the most unworthy of pursuits. Nature, in his opinion, is completely blind, deaf, and devoid of a sense of pain. The writer also compares Anna Akhmatova and Marina Tsvetaeva, calling the former sedate and the latter foaming.

The diaries reflect the author’s acute need for classical music. The absence of works by Gustav Mahler and Franz Schubert causes Yerofeyev torment. During the two weeks of silence, he experiences physical weakness, dizziness, and a state of "inarticulateness." The writer claims that the loss of music is harder to cope with than the death of his mother.

He analyzes Béla Bartók’s Third Quartet in detail. According to Erofeev, the composer is overwhelmed by the abundance of his thoughts. The music becomes confused and ultimately gives up hopelessly. Alexander Scriabin, who began giving his works criminal titles in 1909, is mentioned. Dmitri Shostakovich also gets his due. This composer supposedly hoists chimeras of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris onto the Kremlin Palace of Congresses.

Historical surrealism and the grimaces of the era

Erofeev’s writings construct a distorted historical reality. It is filled to the brim with the grotesque. In his world, Alexei Stakhanov is shot in the back of the head with a surface-to-air missile while attempting to escape. Ivan Michurin is exposed as a Nazi agent. Trofim Lysenko is declared an enemy of the people. Nadezhda Krupskaya is caught in indecent acts. In this universe, Christopher Columbus sails to New India. However, the great navigator stumbles upon the Solovetsky Islands. The author suggests giving women new names that reflect the spirit of the times: Entente, Agentura, Galimatya, and Prokur’s Office (affectionately known as Proshka). The cows on the state farm are called Dogma and Doctrine.

Yerofeyev collects anatomical and everyday absurdities. He describes a shattered lower jaw on his right leg. He mentions the strange deaths of children. One child drowned in a bucket, and a daughter fell to her death from a broom. The writer recalls a tame starling named Fedya, sold for 75 rubles. This bird sings arias from "The Gypsy Baron" and readily gives kisses.

The writer records his many nicknames, which changed over the years. From 1955 to 1957, he was called Venichka. Then he began to answer to the name Venedikt. In 1959, he became Ben, Count, and "himself." Since 1963, the universal address Venichka has returned.

The author recalls Russian Emperor Peter III, who bounced joyfully behind the coffin of Empress Elizabeth. Catherine II, according to her notes, was angry only at Princess Dashkova. Leaders and tyrants of various eras are mentioned. The text includes Napoleon Bonaparte, Adolf Hitler, and his beloved dog, Blondie. The names of Maximilian Robespierre, Lavrentiy Beria, Joseph Stalin, and Lazar Kaganovich are mentioned as well. Yerofeyev quotes Mao Zedong. The Chinese leader declared in Moscow in 1957: "Even if half the states are destroyed, half will still remain." He was prepared to do so for the sake of the triumph of socialism. The diaries mention a story about Beijing residents eating grass.

Philosophy of alcohol and being

The theme of alcohol intoxication and abstinence permeates the entire text. Yerofeyev abstains from alcohol for twelve days. He calls this abstinence a terribly destructive process. Sobriety harms him as much as physical labor and fresh air. A hangover teaches a person the highest humanity. It completely deprives people of the physical ability to strike or retaliate harshly. The writer describes his friend Vadya Tikhonov. The author hears this friend’s moral collapse on Pyatnitskaya Street thanks to his "perfect pitch."

All-around athlete Boris Sorokin appears in the book as an ancient hero struggling with temptations. Yerofeyev comes up with a tricky school problem. He asks them to express the cost of "Zveroboy," "Moskovskaya Osobaya," and "Stolichnaya" liqueurs in kopecks. Then, the students must find a European war with similar intervals of significant historical events.

Erofeev articulates clear parameters for his misanthropy. He confesses to a profound hatred for the so-called "common man." The writer is deeply irritated by rationed pleasures. He is disgusted by the leisure, manners, and affections of the philistines. He viciously ridicules the hallmarks of 1920s domestic well-being, such as geraniums, curtains, and a gramophone. Erofeev calls himself a useless fossil. Sometimes he compares his nature to a fragile glass. The writer openly admits to being a man with a dark soul and gray eyes.

Describing women, the author claims to value vitality and unpretentiousness above all else. He humorously names his two stray cats Algebra and Harmony. He notes his inability to fly or whistle. However, he frankly admits to his ability to grieve sincerely. Bliss, in his established opinion, is within the reach of any village idiot.

Religion and existential loneliness

The writer often compares Christ and Muhammad. He quotes the Gospel of Matthew about the narrow gate. The author seriously ponders the historicity of Adam and Eve. The text mentions John the Theologian. The names of Pontius Pilate and Saint Anthony appear. The latter, according to Yerofeyev, never washed his hands for the sake of cleanliness. The author calls himself a true Orthodox Christian. At the same time, he sincerely admits that God has deprived him of any eccentricities. Yerofeyev views Orthodox believers with extreme phlegmaticness. He compares his views to Baron Anton Delvig’s attitude toward the exiled Decembrists.

He vividly recalls his childhood. On September 3, 1949, the boy was peacefully walking to fifth grade. On that day, the Russians tested their first atomic bomb. The text contains references to famous philosophers and theologians. The author mentions Epicurus, Immanuel Kant, Thomas Aquinas, Blaise Pascal, and Bertrand Russell. Russell visited Russia in 1920. The philosopher predicted centuries of impenetrable darkness to come due to Bolshevik dogmatism. Erofeev discusses the relativity of knowledge, mocking scientific progress. He says that two times two first equals forty-one, and then thirteen.

The writer asserts that religion should be felt with every breath. He harshly ridicules those parishioners who are afraid to venerate the same cross. The inhabitants of the island of Heligoland arouse the writer’s genuine interest. On New Year’s, these people wish each other nothing but a "peace of heart." Yerofeyev mentions various Middle Eastern conflicts. Israeli leader Golda Meir, American President Richard Nixon, and Egyptian ruler Anwar Sadat appear on his pages. The writer methodically lists the names of world dictators, including Augusto Pinochet and Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot.

Political Observations and the Twilight of an Era

By the end of the 1980s, the tone of the recordings shifted slightly. The text reacts sensitively to the realities of Mikhail Gorbachev’s perestroika. Yerofeyev openly mocks the new party term "spiritual acceleration," a phrase frequently used by the writer Georgy Markov. The author takes the anti-alcohol campaign very seriously, seeing it as a bizarre form of camp life. It’s yet another test of the Russian people’s submissiveness, taciturnity, and baseness. He records the slogans of 1985, directly aimed against the "green serpent."

Yerofeyev ridicules Soviet statistics and official reporting. He cites absurd newspaper statements about harvests and adverse weather conditions. The author mocks Maxim Gorky’s letter to a French writer. The text is filled with saccharine praise, which stands in stark contrast to the harshness of the proletarian writer.

The diary ends with a bitter confession from Yerofeyev. He declares his complete inability to function normally among honest people. He poses a difficult rhetorical question and writes: "In this world of honest, honest people, what should I do, a person who loves to lie?"