A Romance with Cocaine is a roman-a-clef novel by the Russian author M.Ageyev. The copy that I have used for this blog post is published by Hesperus.
The first person narrative is delivered by a young man named Maslennikov. The novel begins by describing the tempestuous relationship the protagonist has with his ageing mother. Given that the work was first published in 1934, the social attitudes may seem out of place to the modern reader. That said, the adolescent frustrations of the protagonist are relevant to a modern audience.
Some readers may be disappointed by the lack of drug-related subject matter, but this novel is not to be judged on its title alone, it is a Romance in the traditional sense, with life itself as well as cocaine.
The first part of the novel establishes the protagonist's fractured relationship with his classmates as he competes to become top of the class. As well the author describes the numerous visits to brothels and prostitutes that a teenage school boy of this period in Russia would be familiar with, or at least would know of; James Joyce and JD Salinger are examples of the bildungsroman sexual experience.
The next part of the novel continues on from Maslennikov's exploits with prostitutes where he meets Sonya, the mistress of a house. The two fall in love yet their Romance is cut short by Maslennikov's fickle mind, he cheats on her with a young girl.
The next part is titled simply 'Cocaine' and it begins with a dingy description of a cafe the protagonist frequents. There he recognizes the waitress as a girl he previously had sex with, he also meets an old school friend. They all meet in a backroom and Maslennikov gets his first taste of cocaine albeit with the faux pas of spilling the powder at first. There is rich imagery of the gradual effects of the drug, something that will either entice or perturb the reader.
The final section titled 'Thoughts' is the protagonist's reflection on his cocaine addiction. The retrospective narrative changes the tone of the novel to a more a more confessional piece.
The ending, which readers will love or hate, is told by an authoritative figure who has read Maslennikov's notes and describes how his school friend Burklewitz, who by this time had a high position in the revolution, had refused him help and as a result Maslennikov had died of cocaine poisoning.
Readers should not be attracted to this novel expecting a full out description of drug culture, if anything cocaine is used by Ageyev as an allegory of the Russian revolution. This book is essential reading for anyone with an interest in 20th century European politics and the beginnings of counter culture.
