The Good Life Elsewhere

By Vladimir Lorchenkov

Vladimir Lorchenkov tells the story of a group of villagers and their tragicomic efforts, against all odds and at any cost, to emigrate from Moldova, Europe's most impoverished nation, to Italy for work. In this uproarious tale, an Orthodox priest is deserted by his wife for an art-dealing atheist; a mechanic redesigns his tractor for travel by air and sea; thousands of villagers take to the road on a modern-day religious crusade to make it to the promised land of Italy; meanwhile, politicians remain politicians.

Outstanding ... darkly hilarious." The Wall Street Journal

"A simultaneously hilarious and heartbreaking tale.”
Publishers Weekly

A touching and hilarious chronicle about the age-old European yearning for one more chance. A chance that may never come ”
Gary Shteyngart

Firmly in the great tradition of East European black humour and stands comparison with Hasek, Hrabal and Voinovich and will have you laughing unless, of course, you are a sensitive soul.”
The Modern Novel

The Good Life Elsewhere revels in absurdity, right down to the over-the-top satisfying end Good though occasionally also very dark absurdist fun, by a talented writer.”
The Complete Review

Original, both serious and comic, and, at times, tragic.”
Profile Magazine

Vladimir Lorchenkov is a highly talented imposter painting a colorful, bright, and crazy life in a benighted post-Soviet corner of the world.”
Vedomosti

This is a bleeding, wild work, grotesque in every twist of its plot and in every character, written brightly, bitterly, humorously, and paradoxically, as we’re dealing with the grotesque honestly.”
Krupa.ru

Is it possible for lovely Italy to take the place of both hell and paradise, as well as one’s most cherished dream? Vladimir Lorchenkov explores this possibility in vivid colors, with a pamphleteer’s spite, and a good-humored smile.”
Literaturnaya Gazeta

• Language: English
• Publisher: New Vessel Press
• Release date: Feb 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9781939931009

Reviews for The Good Life Elsewhere

[richardderus · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Rating: 4.5* of fiveThe Publisher Says: The Good Life Elsewhere is a very funny book. It is also a very sad one. Moldovan writer Vladimir Lorchenkov tells the story of a group of villagers and their tragicomic efforts, against all odds and at any cost, to emigrate from Europe’s most impoverished nation to Italy for work. The Good Life Elsewhere aims to present the complexity of a new Europe, where allegiances shift but memories are rooted in place. The book integrates small-scale human follies with strategic partnerships, unification plans, and the Soviet legacies that still hang over the former Eastern Bloc. Lorchenkov addresses the vexing question of what to do when many formerly pro-Soviet/pro-Russia countries want to link arms with their Western European brethren. In this uproarious tale, an Orthodox priest is deserted by his wife for an art-dealing atheist; a mechanic redesigns his tractor for travel by air and sea; thousands of villagers take to the road on a modern-day religious crusade to make it to the promised land of Italy; meanwhile, politicians remain politicians. Like many great satirists from Voltaire to Gogol to Vonnegut, Lorchenkov makes use of the grotesque to both horrify us and help us laugh. It is not often that stories from forgotten countries such as Moldova reach us in the English-speaking world. A country where 25 percent of its population works abroad, where remittances make up nearly 40 percent of the GDP, where alcohol consumption per capita is the highest in the world, and which has the lowest per capita income in all of Europe – this is a country that surely has its problems. But, as Lorchenkov vividly shows, it’s a country whose residents don’t easily give up.Russian critics have praised Lorchenkov’s work, calling this novel “a bleeding, wild work, grotesque in every twist of its plot and in every character, written brightly, bitterly, humorously, and – paradoxically, as we’re dealing with the grotesque – honestly.” In The Good Life Elsewhere, Vladimir Lorchenkov shows himself to be a fearless critic, an enduring optimist, and a master stylist. And he does it all “in vivid colors, with a pamphleteer’s spite, and a good-humored smile.”My Review: When I was a tot, I loved the Warner Brothers-Merrie Melodies cartoons. My mother, vigilant on the subject of what and how much TV I could watch, wrinkled her nose and pursed her lips like last night's prune whip was disagreeing with her, but ultimately gave in.Joy! Unrestricted access to the Meep-Meep Duck!"...the...Meep...Dick, what have you been telling the boy? And what does that mean?"As everyone my age knows already, it was the Roadrunner, and how I loved those gravity-defying falls Wile E. Coyote took, the razzberry the Roadrunner invariably blew at him, and of course MEEP MEEP!!The entire book, I felt like the Moldovan people one and all were the collective reincarnation of Wile E. Coyote. "All the poor bastard ever wanted was some lunch," was my father's summation of the cartoons. Yeah, I thought every time another hare-brained scheme to get to Italy failed, all the poor bastards want is some food!And somehow, through some collective karmic deficiency, not one success story leavens this heavy dough. But the icing of absurdity and dreamy impracticality kept me smiling and turning pages.I wanted to send the poor guys contact information for the Acme Corporation, but couldn't figure out how.

[bluepigeon-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

** spoiler alert ** What a hoot! The Good Life Elsewhere is an excellent example of the well established satire genre of the Balkans. Mostly concerned with the good citizens of the Moldovan village of Larga, the novel chronicles the various attempts of Moldovans to "make it." For most, this means somehow immigrating to Italy. Just how this can be done is the crux of the whole thing. Largans, and Moldovans in general, try many inventive and hilarious methods to reach the paradise known as Italy, including bribing the Italian Consulate in Romania to give them visas, flying a tractor, making a submarine, forming a curling team, not one but two crusades, and faking their own death in a plane crash... Lorchenkov brings these madcap stories together with biting satire and absurd humor, never losing touch of the human suffering and melancholy.Laughter aside, the novel lays bare a desperation and a yearning for the better that is laced with violence, poverty, ignorance, and corruption. Moldovans are seriously criticized for being loafers, while their government and the Soviets are criticized for being corrupt and opportunistic. The EU is portrayed as the paradise of the elite at best, and slavers and crooks feeding on the helpless immigrants at worst. Needless to say, among the hilarity and the political criticism, most of the stories are actually very sad and poignant. Perhaps the one story that is told throughout the book, for which the reader has the most complete picture, is that of Serafim, whose obsession with Italy costs him and others dearly.Interestingly, there are a few voices of reason in the novel, and they seem to all be hardworking, honest men of their trade. There is Eremei the stovemaker, who is an expert at his job and a smart man who uses his oratorical gifts to try to convince the villagers that Italy does not exist (though he is well aware that it does). There is the goldsmith who is the best in his trade in Ungheni, who explains to Father Paisii the true nature of freedom in Europe (that the crusaders will be allowed to do whatever they want, of course, unless they want to do it in EU territories, which the EU won't allow). Perhaps most touching are the words of the hardworking farmer, Old Man Tudor, who gives an impromptu sermon at the church due to a broken heart and tells Largans that "Italy-the real Italy-is in us ourselves!"Lorchenkov pokes fun at almost everyone in the novel, including Americans, Soviets, Russians, Romanians, Albanians, Italians, and of course, Moldovans. But in the end, there is hope. This hope comes at a very high price, and perhaps that's what's sad about it. Highly recommended for those who like world politics, walnuts, and curling.