User:Rho9998/Evguénie Sokolov

Evguénie Sokolov is a novel, described as a "parabolic story," written by Serge Gainsbourg and published by Éditions Gallimard en 1980.

It portrays the history of a young French painter of Slavic descent, a talented and renowned pioneer in the 'hyperabstraction' movement, whose success owes to his "wind": he paints using vibrations caused by his farts.

Summary
This work is the story of the life of Evguénie Sokolov. Since his earliest youth, memories of his frequent, plentiful, nauseating farts, characterise the artist-to-be's narration. He recounts his misdeeds, from those of his nanny "with breasts like milk trains," to those of his farting in Latin classes, bored with the writings of Catullus. He enters in to the fine arts because he is expelled from college for misbehaviour. After military service, where, once becoming reserve officer because of his secondary education and because he stunk out his barracks, he ends up a lieutenant, but soon loses his rank for affront to the nation's decency.

Having taken classes and learnt to draw, Sokolov gradually progresses in the field of art. First an author of a successful comic book, Crepitus Ventris, Reaction Man, the artist literally explodes when he discovers a strange ability. Sitting on a kind of spring chair which amplifies vibration, Sokolov paints a sort of seismograms with his farts, calling these "gazograms." With the help of the gallery owner Zumsteeg-Haumptmann, sales and exhibitions ensue, including in the most prestigious art museums of the world.

After a short dry period, Evguénie discovers how his food intake influences his creations. He thus adapts his diet according to his latest projects; however, he soon needs the held of a proctologist because of the suffering caused by his artistic practices' intense solicitation of his rectum. The prestigious commissions he receives from both private clients and the embassy in Moscow are exhausting for the artist, who has to give his all to cover the large surface areas involved; it takes a gradual and detrimental toll on his body.

After the death of his dog (who is as flatulent as he), his only source of comfort is the illicit attraction he holds for Abigail, the young daughter of one of his commissioners. His emotional suffering increasing, and his humiliating interview with the NBC causes him much pain, he resolves thus to end his life. Saved just before dying, his health nonetheless deteriorates rapidly. He dies with a final 'sigh' from his fundament.

Critical response
Critical response to Gainsbourg's novel was mixed, some critiquing him for his extravagance, vulgarity and brevity, others identifying it as a critique of the art world and its potential vacuity, as well as an allegory about the sublimation of things a person may be ashamed of: physical anomaly for Sokolov; ugliness for Serge Gainsbourg.

Gainsbourg reused the book's title for the track "Evguénie Sokolov" from the album Mauvaises Nouvelles des étoiles. Farting noises can be heard on the track.