"Swing" by Polina Dashkova, summary

Polina Dashkova’s book "Swings" was published in 2003. It is a collection of texts across various genres, written by the author over the course of twenty years. Under one cover, the writer brings together a biographical essay, poem cycles from the Soviet period, journalism from the Perestroika era, satirical prose, and documentary detective stories based on law enforcement materials.

History of creation and essay about Batyushkov

In the preface, the author recalls finding a bag of old drafts and youthful manuscripts at her dacha. Among them was her first attempt at prose — a typewritten text about the poet Konstantin Batyushkov. To work on it, the writer once traveled to Vologda, read editions published during his lifetime, and deeply mourned the classic writer’s tragic fate. The desire to save these forgotten pages from oblivion prompted her to compile this book.

The biographical essay "City Dweller and Friend of the City Dwellers" reveals the drama of Konstantin Batyushkov, who spent the second half of his life in mental turmoil. The author traces his journey in detail: his participation in the Prussian campaign of 1807, his injury, his service as General Raevsky’s adjutant, and the capture of Paris in 1813. It also describes his unhappy love for Anna Fourment, his service in Italy, his bouts of mental derangement, and the long decades of isolation in Vologda under the care of his nephew Grevenets. The author notes that Batyushkov’s sketches, long before their literary appearance, contained elements of Eugene Onegin, Ilya Oblomov, and Grigory Pechorin.

Poetic cycles

The poetry section opens with poems dedicated to Batyushkov. In the title poem, "Swing," from 1983, the author conveys personal feelings of the Soviet era: childhood memories, the everyday life of Moscow’s alleys, shortages, the static-filled sounds of Western radio, and reflections on the passing of generations.

The "Room" cycle and the "Without Dedications" collection contain reflections on the philosophy of Blaise Pascal, historical sketches about the Inquisition, Vanka Cain, the Tsar’s jesters, and the figure of a young Joseph Stalin. In the poem "Replica," the author debates women’s poetry with David Samoilov, linking it to the hardships of Soviet women’s life. This section also includes fragments of the unfinished poem "Elena" and the poem "Rails," which tells of a trip to Kazakhstan and her first youthful love.

Journalism and social satire

The essay "Simply Depression," written in 1991, is dedicated to the rebirth of Moscow during the perestroika years. The writer describes the transformation of Old Arbat into a popular print fair, the emergence of the Riga Market, the rise of criminal organizations, the prevalence of criminal jargon, and the impoverishment of the population. She reflects on why freedom resulted in rampant crime and the loss of a former culture.

The 2001 essay "The ’Auntie’ Syndrome" begins with a family legend about Leonida, a great-aunt who, in 1910, forged documents to marry a wealthy Belgian, taking ten years off her age. The author discusses internal aging and creates a composite image of an envious, perpetually embittered "auntie," whose state of mind is unrelated to her actual age.

The grotesque science fiction story "2010," written in 2001, paints a dystopian picture of the future United States. In this satire, the American government criminalizes smoking, uses psychics to test citizens’ loyalty, and shuts off heating in winter to "harden the nation." As a result, freezing Americans flee illegally across the border to warm up in Russia.

In her essay "Something About the Past and the Future," the writer recalls a trip to a student camp in Sochi in the summer of 1978. She contrasts the clean Intourist lounge with the dirty, overcrowded lounge reserved for Soviet citizens. She also describes the hardships of the late 1980s, searching for scarce goods for her newborn daughter Anya, and buying her first fried chicken at a cooperative kiosk in 1990.

"Sign of Destiny"

The protagonist of the story "Sign of Fate" is a modest and inconspicuous supplier named Pyotr Ivanovich. In his youth, at the Pskov train station, a gypsy woman predicted his future fame by pointing to a star-shaped mark on his palm. Years pass, the factory closes, and the family falls into poverty. Pyotr Ivanovich tries selling nutritional supplements.

During a visit to a commercial firm, he meets a former classmate, Dmitry Petrovich. He married Pyotr Ivanovich’s college sweetheart, the beautiful Regina, and founded the financial pyramid scheme "AO IPChI." Advertisers are looking for the most unassuming face possible, a simple man. Pyotr Ivanovich is hired to appear in a series of television commercials under the name Ivan Petrovich, supposedly having gotten rich in stocks.

After the commercial airs, the hero gains fame and is invited to appear on television talk shows. Soon, the Ponzi scheme collapses, and its creators flee with the money of the defrauded investors. However, Pyotr Ivanovich remains popular: a prominent political organization makes him deputy secretary for whistleblowers. The elderly hero regularly appears on stage and on television, dyes his hair, and feels perfectly happy.

Probability Theory

The documentary describes the activities of a criminal trio: Vadik Sultanov, a culinary enthusiast with a criminal record; Valera Osipov, a veteran of the Afghan War; and Misha Lastochkin, aka Mikhlya, a theater school graduate. They set up a network of kebab shops and glass pavilions with computer games — so-called "scammers" — in Luzhniki. Using fake players and a special software algorithm, the scammers swindle passersby out of large sums of money. Vadik uses the proceeds to fulfill a long-held dream: opening a luxury restaurant on Staropechatny Lane.

Among the victims of the scam is Natalya Sergeyevna, a geography teacher from Kamchatka who came to Moscow to receive the "Teacher of the Year" award. She needs to buy an automatic wheelchair for her seriously ill but gifted ten-year-old daughter, Katya. Succumbing to the persuasion of touts and fake participants, she gambles away all the prize money and other people’s entrusted funds at the pavilion.

In a state of shock, Natalya Sergeyevna wanders down Staropechatny Lane and is hit by a jeep carrying Vadik, Valera, and Mikhlya. The car crashes into a pole. Upon impact, Valera’s pistol accidentally fires into his groin, leaving Mikhlya with a severe concussion, and Vadik bites through his tongue, losing his sense of taste.

Colonel Anatoly Popov, a longtime investigator of this gang, arrives at the scene of the accident. The officer forces the scammers’ terrified lawyer to pay the injured teacher eight hundred dollars in compensation. Natalya Sergeyevna buys her daughter a better stroller and returns home. The criminals receive lengthy prison sentences.

"Executor"

The essay focuses on a criminal war for control of the Vladivostok seaport. A Chechen gang systematically eliminates Slavic criminal leaders. First, the crime boss Koval dies. The new overseer, Mikho, suffers from a serious eye condition and secretly flies to Moscow for an operation. Artur Shpon, a contract killer, volunteers to eliminate Mikho in the capital.

Shpon searches for an unsuspecting shooter and contacts a former special forces soldier named Kirill. In reality, Kirill Semyonov is a major in the RUOP, working undercover. Over the course of three months, the officer convinces a suspicious middleman of his willingness to carry out the contract. During a meeting in a vacant lot near the Moscow Ring Road, Shpon hands Kirill a photograph of Mikho and an advance payment of fifteen thousand dollars. Immediately after the money is handed over, the agents apprehend the middleman red-handed. Mikho is warned of the threat, but he refuses to remain under police protection in Moscow, returns to Primorye, and soon dies.