Kotik Letaev Author:Andrei Bely Kotik Letaev is an autobiographical epic, a blend of fact and imagination, of personal history and universal mythology. The novel covers the period in Kotik's life from age three to age five. The hero is mainly a passive observer of events, even the victim of events. He is too young to control his fate or, frequently, even to understand what ... more »is going on around him-except in his own idiosyncratic way. Because of this a double narrative viewpoint is required. Bely has not attempted simply to reproduce in words the childish viewpoint. Nowhere does he limit himself to a style which realistically could be considered appropriate to a child (even a brilliant one). Instead, he creaes a sophisticated mixture of childhood impressions, reactions and thoughts with adult reflections and style.« less