Translated from the Russian by Robert Elizabeth Chandler and Olga MeersonWith notes and an afterword by Robert Chandler and Olga Meerson In AndreyPlatonovs <st... » 

Translated from the Russian by Robert Elizabeth Chandler and Olga MeersonWith notes and an afterword by Robert Chandler and Olga Meerson In AndreyPlatonovs The Foundation Pit a team of workers has been given the job ofdigging the foundation of an immense edifice a palatial home for the perfectfuture that they are convinced is at hand. But the harder the team works thedeeper they dig the more things go wrong and it becomes clear that what isbeing dug is not a foundation but an immense grave. The Foundation Pit isPlatonovs most overtly political book written in direct response to thestaggering brutalities of Stalins collectivization of Russian agriculture. Itis also a literary masterpiece. Seeking to evoke unspeakable realitiesPlatonov deforms and transforms language in pages that echo both with thealienating doublespeak of power and the stark simplicity of prayer. ThisEnglish translation is the first and only one to be based on the definitiveedition published by Pushkin House in Moscow. It includes extensive notes andin an appendix several striking passages deleted by Platonov. Robert Chandlerand Olga Meersons afterword discusses the historical context and style ofPlatonovs most haunted and troubling work. «