The Editors and Board of Trustees of the Russian Review

The Kharmsian Absurd and the Bergsonian Comic: Against Kant and Causality
Author(s): Hilary L. Fink
Source: Russian Review, Vol. 57, No. 4 (Oct., 1998), pp. 526-538
Published by: Wiley on behalf of The Editors and Board of Trustees of the Russian Review
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T h e Kh armsianAbsurd
and t h e Be rgsonianComic:
Against Kant and Causalit y
HILARY L. FiNK
Of course , absurdit yinand of it se lf is not anindicat iont h at some t h ingbe longs
t ot h e re almof noume na. But be longingt ot h e re almof noume nawill ce rt ainly
be e xpre sse d forust h rough absurdit y.
P. D. Uspe nsky, T e rt iumOrganum
T
h e de e p-root e d t radit ioninRussiant h ough t of Ort h odox ont ologism'-wh e re by know-
ingis not se parat e d fromt h e knownand fait h informscognit ion-is oppose d t ot h e t radi-
t ionally rat ional e mph asisinWe st e rnph ilosoph y onane pist e mology informe d by t h e
dich ot omybe t we e nknowe rand obje ct of knowle dge . Russiant h inke rsh ist oricallyh ave
re be lle d against t h isdich ot omy(e pit omize d by Kant 'sasse rt iont h at it is impossible t o
know t h e "t h ing-in-it se lf') be cause it cont radict st h e not ionof t h e world as anorganic
wh ole and st ifle sman'sint uit ive abilit yt oappre h e nd and t ake part int h e t rue nat ure of
re alit y. Russianmode rnist ssuch asDaniil Kh armssough t t ograsp t h e noume nal world
t h rough point e dlynonanalyt ical me ans, and t h uswe re at t ract e d t oBe rgsonianph iloso-
ph y, wh ich e mph asize d art ist ic int uit ionand anant ime ch anist ic approach t olife .
As part of t h e nine t e e nt h -ce nt uryRomant ic, ant i-Enligh t e nme nt t re nd inRussian
t h ough t and cult ure , Slavoph ile sand We st e rnize rsalike sh are d t h isdist rust of pure re ason
and re act e d against wh at t h e ype rce ive d t obe aKant ianove rre liance onint e lle ct as t h e
sole me ansof at t ainingknowle dge of t h e e xt e rnal world. Bakunine mph asize d t h e e t e r-
nallycre at ive spirit at t h e h e art of life , wh ile linkingit wit h t h e de st ruct ive e le me nt int h e
unive rse : "Le t us t h e re fore t rust t h e e t e rnal Spirit wh ich de st roysand annih ilat e sonly
be cause it ist h e unfat h omable and e t e rnallycre at ive source of all life ."2 ForBe linskii, art
isch aract e rize d byit s"imme diacy" (ne posmrds/ve nnost ), wh ich mayonlybe appre h e nde d
int uit ive ly, and h e writ e sabout t h e ae st h e t ic infe riorit yof pure re asoncompare d t oint e -
A pre viousve rsionof t h isart icle waspre se nt e d at t h e AAT SEEL Confe re nce inDe ce mbe r1995 inWash ingt on,
DC. %
.
I
- -
'Ze nkovskii, A Hist oryofRussianPh ilosoph y, 2 vols, t rans. Ge orge L. Kline (Ne w York, 1953), 1:196-97.
2Bakunin, "Die Re act ioninDe ut sch land," inRussianPh ilosoph y, e d. Edie , Scanlan, and Ze ldin, 3 vols, (Ch i-
cago, 1965), 1:406 (e mph asisadde d).
T h e RussianRe vie w 57 (Oct obe r1998): 526-38
Copyrigh t 1998 T h e RussianRe vie w
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T h e Kh armsianAbsurd and t h e Be rgsonianComic 527
gral re asonwh e nit come st ot h e cre at ionof awork of art .3 T h e Slavoph ile sIvanKire e vskii
and Ale kse iKh omiakov similarlyjuxt apose pure and int e gral re ason, de nigrat ingt h e forme r
asadange rousconst ruct of We st e rnrat ionalist ic t h inke rsbe ginningwit h Arist ot le , wh ose
ph ilosoph ical syst e m"broke apart t h e wh ole ne ss of se lf-consciousne ss and t ransfe rre d
t h e root of man'sinne rbe lie fs ... t ot h e int e lle ct ual consciousne ssof abst ract re ason. T h e
t ools by wh ich t rut h is known[int h e Arist ot e liansyst e m] we re limit e d by t h e logical
act ivit yof t h e mind."4
By t h e t ime Kh armst ook h isplace asone of t h e le adingvoice s of RussianMode rn-
ism, Russianart ist swe re re act ingagainst t h e mat e rialismand posit ivismof t h e se cond
h alf of t h e nine t e e nt h ce nt uryand we re inse arch of fre sh e r, le ss scie nt ific, and t h usmore
int uit ive waysof appre h e ndingre alit y. Such waspre cise lywh at Be rgsonianph ilosoph y
offe re d: ame t aph ysicsof int uit ionwh ich did not re je ct int e lle ct but incorporat e d it int oa
more organic e pist e mology, t h usope ningt h e wayforacre at ive , "t rue r" approach t ore al-
it y. "T h e doct rine t h at I de fe nd," Be rgsonwrot e in 1901, "propose st ore e st ablish t h e
bridge (broke nby Kant ) be t we e nme t aph ysicsand scie nce ."5 Like Be rgsonand many
Russiant h inke rswh opre ce de d h im, Kh armsre je ct e d Kant forre fusingt ore cognize me t a-
ph ysical t rut h , t oplace it onane qual foot ingwit h scie nt ific t rut h ;6 inot h e rwords, for
Kh armsand Be rgson, Kant did not sat isfyt h e mode rnist de sire t ouncove rt h e e sse nce of
ane lusive re alit y, inacce ssible byme ansof scie nce ormat h e mat icsalone . Int h e spirit of
ant i-Kant ianism, Kh armsproclaime d t h at t h e "t rue " nat ure of t h e wor(l)d may only be
graspe d t h rough t h e bre akdownof st rict lyrat ional mode sof appre h e nsion, t h e abandon-
me nt of causalit y, t h e birt h of t h e absurd.
T h e h ist oric Russiandist rust of analyt ical re asonis cle arlyillust rat e d inKh arms's
conce pt ionof bot h t h e poe t ic and prosaic absurd, e ach of wh ich re lie sont h e subve rsion
of logic and causalit yand aimsfort h e cre at ionof "ane w se nsat ionof life and of it s
obje ct s."7 T h e basic goals of t h e se t wocat e gorie sof t h e absurd, h owe ve r, ult imat e ly
dive rge . Inh e re xaminat ionof Kh arms'spoe t ic syst e m, NinaPe rlinalist st woof t h e most
promine nt fe at ure sof Kh arms'spoe t ics as "t h e consciousand consist e nt subst it ut ionof
synch ronyfordiach ronyonall le ve lsof t h e t e xt ," and a"ne w corre lat ionbe t we e nt e xt and
cont e xt ," accordingt owh ich "ke ywordsare apriori made e qual t oall ot h e rse mant ic
compone nt sof t h e t e xt ," le adingt ot h e "int roduct ionof re -acce nt uat e d, se mant icallye n-
rich e d and re st ruct ure d discre t e e le me nt sof t h e cult ural ch aosint ot h e poe t icallyorganise d
st ruct ure , i.e . int ot h e t e xt sof h ispoe ms."8 T h us, inh ispoe t ic absurd Kh armsplayswit h
t radit ional se mant ic and e t ymological const ruct ionswh ile e xplodinganyse nse of acausal
3Be linskii, "Ide iaiskusst va," inh isPolnoe sobranie soch ine nii(PSS), 13 vols. (Moscow, 1953-59), 4:585. Se e
alsoT e rras,
Be linskal
and RussianLit e raryCrit icism(Madison, 1974), e sp. 164-65, formore onBe linskii and
int uit ion.
4Kire e vskii, "O ne obkh odimost ii vozmozh nost inovykh nach aldliafilosoflii inPoInoe sobranie soch ine nii
IvanaVasii'e vich aKire e vskcgo, 2 vols. (Moscow, 1861), 2:296.
'Be rgson, "Le Parall6lisme Psych o-Ph ysique ," inMAlange s, e d. Andr6 Robine t (Paris, 1972), 494.
6Alt h ough ane o-Kant ianmove me nt t ook h old inRussiaint h e last quart e rof t h e nine t e e nt h ce nt ury(and
promine nt mode rnist slike Andre iBe lyi we nt t h rough ne o-Kant ian
ph ase s),
t h e pre dominant t re nd inRussian
t h ough t h asbe e nt h at of ant i-Kant ianism.
7Zabolot skii, "Poe ziiaobe riut ov," in Poe t ygruppy* be rium> (St . Pe t e rsburg, 1994), 538.
8Pe rlina, "DaniilKh arms'sPoe t ic Syst e m: T e xt , Cont e xt , Int e rt e xt ' inDanlil Kh armsand t h e Poe t icsof t h e
Absurd, e d. Ne il Cornwe ll(London, 1991), 175, 176-77.
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528 Hi/awyL Fink
cont e xt ; lit e raryassociat ionsare made simult ane ouslyonvariousle ve ls, noncausal juxt a-
posit ionswh ich Pe rlinasugge st slie at t h e h e art of Be rgson'sph ilosoph yand ae st h e t icsas
we ll.9
Kh arms'sprosaic absurd, wh ile alsoviolat inglogical and causal cont e xt ual norms, is
fundame nt allyconce rne d wit h t h e t h e mat ic e xpre ssionof t h e absurd split be t we e nman
and h is surroundingworld.10 Je an-Ph illipe Jaccard point sout t h at t ransrat ional poe t ry
such asKh arms's"isabove all anat t e mpt t odiscove rme aningbyne w me ans, and not t h e
account of afract uringof t h e world" wh ich is found inabsurdist prose ." T h e sh ift in
Kh arms'sart ist ic care e rfromt h e more ae st h e t ic (h is absurdist poe t ry of t h e OBERIU
pe riod) t ot h e more e xist e nt ial (h isabsurdist mini-prose worksof t h e 1930s) ope ne d t h e
wayforgre at e rparalle lst ot h e ph ilosoph yof Be rgson, wh ose Le rire de alswit h t h e role of
laugh t e rinsocie t y and it simplicat ionsforh umanact ivit yand consciousne ss. Kh arms's
prosaic absurd is me ant t ore fle ct t h e alie nat ionof maninsocie t y, t h e de composit ionof
language and subse que nt failure of communicat ion, and t h e ge ne ral incoh e re nce of a
world plunge d int ot h e madne ssof St alinism-a not ionof t h e absurd t h at diffe rssignifi-
cant lyfromt h e much more opt imist ic, We st e rn, Be rgsonianconce pt ionof t h e comic, but
t h at , aswe sh all se e , sh are sse ve ral ke ych aract e rist icswit h t h e lat t e r.
In 1927, t h e ye ar t h at Kh armsfounde d t h e OBERIU (Ob"e dine nie Re al'nogo
Iskusst va),12 Kh armsre ce ive d fromh isfrie nd Male vich acopy of t h e lat t e r'sGod IsNot
Cast Down (Bogne skinut , 1921) wit h t h e inscript ion, "Goand put ast op t oprogre ss."'3
Int h e spirit of Male vich 'sinscript ion, one of Kh arms'smainart ist ic conce rnsfromh is
daysasame mbe rof t h e OBERIU t h rough t h e 1930swast h e e scape fromcausal syst e ms
of me aningt h at de fine d t h e t radit ional t h re e -dime nsional world, t h e re je ct ionof t h e so-
calle d "logical" ch ainof e ve nt st h at informe d t h e de t e rminist ic conce pt ionof socialist
"progre ss." Ne art h e e nd of h is life , Kh armswrot e t h at t h e primaryimpulse be h ind h is
cre at ivit ylay int h e re nunciat ionof t h e logical, pract ical world infavorof "only t h at
wh ich posse sse s nopract ical me aning. I amint e re st e d inlife only int e rmsof it s absurd
manife st at ion."'4 Int h e irManife st opublish e d in1928, t h e Obe iiut yde fe nd t h e ir"re al"
art pre cise lybe cause of it s lack of logic (t h at is, it s absurdit y), aqualit ywh ich t h e yfe lt
e sse nt ial inorde rt ore ve al t h e e sse nce of t h ings: "Pe rh apsyou will asse rt t h at oursubje ct s
91bid., 188.
10Je an-Ph ilippe Jaccard, "De lar6alit 6 au t e xt e : L'Absurde ch e z Harms," Cah ie rsduMonde russe
e t sovidt dque ,
26 (July-De ce mbe r1985): 285.
I
Jaccard, "DaniilKh armsint h e Cont e xt of Russianand
Europe an
Lit e rat ure of t h e Absurd," inKh armsandt h e
Poe t icsoft h e Absurd, 55.
12T h e last le t t e rof OBERIU wasadde d just forfun, pe rh apst oaccord wit h t h e ch ildre n'srh yme "pot omu, ch t o
konch ae t siana'u"' (be cause it e ndsin'u'), ore lse simplyt ocont radict t h e conve nt ionallogic of acronyms. Se e
A. A. Ale ksandrov, Int roduct iont oKh arms, Proza(Le ningrad, 1990), 9.
"3Mikh ail Me ilakh 'sint roduct iont oVve de nskii'st wo-volume Comple t e Works, quot e d inGibian, T h e Manin
t h e Black Coat . Russia'sLit e rat ure of t h e Absurd (Evanst on, 1987), 13. Be side s Kh arms, t h e ot h e rprincipal
me mbe rsof t h e OBERIU we re Ale ksandrVve de nskii, NikolaiZabolot skii, and Konst ant inVaginov, wh ile t h ose
associat e d wit h t h e group, t h ough not official me mbe rs, include d Iakov Druskin, IgorBakh t e re v, and Nikolai
Ole inikov. Inre gard t oMale vich 'sinscript ion, "Goand put ast op t oprogre ss," one isre minde d of h ow Mande l'sh t am
t urnst oBe rgsoniant h ough t inh is 1922 e ssay, "Ont h e Nat ure of t h e Word," asanant idot e t o"t h e bad infinit yof
e volut ionaryt h e ory, not t ome nt ionit svulgarize d corollary-t h e t h e oryof progre ss."
14Kh arms, Gorlobre dit brit voiu. Sluch ai, rasskazy, dne vnikovye zapisi (Riga, 1991), 134.
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T h e Kh armsianAbsurd and t h e Be rgsonianComic 529
are 'unre al' or'illogical'? ... Art h asit s ownlogic wh ich doe snot de st royt h e obje ct but
rat h e rh e lpst ore cognize it ."'" Inout liningt h e majorch aract e rist icsof Kh arms'sabsurdist
art , Jaccard e mph asize st h e rupt ure of cause and e ffe ct inKh arms'sprose ast radit ional
e xpe ct at ionsof plot de ve lopme nt are re place d by "acomple t e ly dist ort e d causal ch ain
wh e re not h inge xplainsanyt h ing"; inst e ad, Kh armse ndowsast orywit h it s "ownlogic"
base d inpart ont h e abse nce of logical cause , t h e mat ic and ve rbal incoh e re nce , and arbi-
t raryassociat ions.'6 Int h is se nse , Kh arms'sart may be se e nt ore fle ct life inasocie t y
ch aract e rize d by arbit rarybrut alit yand t h e "illogical" disappe arance of pe ople int h e
middle of t h e nigh t , afat e t h at would ult imat e lybe fall Kh armsh imse lf.'7
Inaddit iont ot h e e nvironme nt of St alinist Russiaint h e 1930s, t h e "ke ys" t oKh arms's
prose by wh ich one may de ciph e rt h e appare nt incoh e re nce of h is ske t ch e sand st orie s
include Kh arms'spole mic wit h t h e Russianlit e raryt radit ion(inpart icularwit h Dost oe vskii
and Ch e kh ov),'8 as we ll as t h e ge ne ral cont e xt of t h e Surre al and Europe anAbsurdist
move me nt s, be ginningint h e 1920swit h Bre t onand Kafkaand cont inuinglongaft e rt h e
de mise of t h e OBERIU, primarily wit h Camus, Be cke t t , and Ione sco.19 As A. A.
Ale ksandrov not e s, Kh arms's"illogical, inside -out art ist ic world" make sse nse t ot h e re ade r
wh ois at t e nt ive and "se nsit ive t ot h e paradoxe sof social life and t ot h e myst e rie sof
h umanpsych ology."20 T h e absurd inKh arms'swork is orie nt e d t oward t h e simple ye t
t ragic compre h e nsionof t h e re al world inwh ich Kh armslive d, inall it s fe arful unce r-
t aint yand disorde r: "Absurd laugh t e r," Jaccard not e s, is "above all e lse , t h e re sult of a
t ragic lucidit y."2'
15Afish iDomape ch at i,
1928, no. 2:11-12.
16Jaccard, "De lar6alit 6 au t e xt e ' 297, 299. T h e se ch aract e rist icsof Kh arms'sabsurdist prose could alsobe
applie d t oh iszaumnaiapoe t ry.
17Like Be lyi, wh obe lie ve d t h at "Symbolismbe come salivingme t h od," orMande l'sh t am, forwh omAcme ism
se rve d not only asanae st h e t ic syst e mbut alsoasame t aph ysicalforce , aguide t ot h e organic part icipat ionin
e xist e nce , Kh armssimilarlysough t t olive accordingt oh isart , fre e fromt h e "logical" e xpe ct at ionsof conformit y
t oide ological"progre ss." Druskin, at one t ime ame mbe rof t h e OBERIU, re callst h at "Kh armssaid at t h e e nd of
t h e t h irt ie st h at t h e most import ant t h ingt oh imh ad alwaysbe e nlife , not art : t omake h islife like art ." Druskinalso
re lat e sAle ksandrVve de nskii'snow we ll-knownch aract e rizat ionof h isclose frie nd Kh arms: "Kh armsdoe snot
cre at e art ; h e is art " (Quot e d inCornwe ll, "DaniilKh arms, Black Miniat urist ," Kh armsand t h e Poe t icsof t h e
Absurd, 6).
18Se e e spe ciallyElle nCh ance s'st woart icle s, "Ce xov and Xarms: St ory/Ant ist ory," RussianLanguage Journal
36, nos. 123-124 (1982): 181-92, and "DaniilCh arms' 'Old Woman' Climbsh e rFamilyT re e : 'St aruch a' and t h e
RussianLit e raryPast ," RussianLit e rat ure 17, no. 4 (1985): 353-66; Vish e vsky, "T radit ionint h e T opsy-T urvy
World of Parody: Analysisof t woOBERIU plays," Slavic and East Europe anJournal30 (1986): 355-66; and
Casse dy, "DaniilKh arms'sParodyof Dost oe vskii: Ant i-T rage dyasPolit icalComme nt ," Canadian-Ame rican Slavic
St udie s18 (Fall 1984): 268-84. Me nt ionsh ould alsobe made of t h e pronounce d Gogoliannat ure of Kh arms's
prose asre pe t it ion, de h umanizat ionand t h e unre liabilit yof language are e mph asize d int h e worksof bot h aut h ors.
19Se e Cornwe ll, Jaccard, and Ane mone inKh armsandt h e Poe t icsoft h e Absurd. Inat t e mpt ingt ode fine Fre nch
Surre alism, Isae v obse rve st h at t h e Obe riut ymaybe conside re d asimilarae st h e t ic ph e nome non: "T h e cre at ive
work of t h e Obe riut y(D. Kh arms, A. Vve de nskii, Ia. Druskin, L. Lipavskii) re pre se nt saconcre t e lit e rarye ffort
wh ich mayh e lp ust ounde rst and surre alism, alt h ough surre alism, of course , ismuch broade r, bot h asamove me nt
and asacult uralph e nome non. Pract icallycoincidingint ime pe riod, t h e yalsocoincide int h e most e sse nt ialway:
int h e product ionof ont ologicalse nse le ssimage s" (Isae v and Gal't sova, e ds. Ant ologiiafrant suzskogosiurre alizma
[Moscow, 1994], 8-9). T h e vie w of Fre nch Surre alismasa"cult uralph e nome non" mayalsobe applie d t ot h e art
of t h e Obe riut y, sugge st ingt h e sociological mot ivat ionof t h e absurd int h e irworks.
20Ale ksandrov, Int roduct iont oKh arms, Proza, 5.
2'Jaccard, "De lar6alit 6 au t e xt e ," 298.
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530 HilaryL Fink
Like ot h e rRussianmode rnist swh o, int h e spirit of Be rgsonianph ilosoph y, re ach e d
be yond t h e confine sof t h e pract icallyorie nt e d int e lle ct t oint uit ioninorde rt oappre h e nd
conne ct ions amongph e nome na-for e xample , be t we e nt h e h umanand divine re alms
(Be lyi's symph onic music), be t we e npast and pre se nt (Mande l'sh t am'sHe lle nist ic "Na-
t ure of t h e Word"), orbe t we e nvarie d Slavic root s(Kh le bnikov'st ransrat ional language )-
Kh armsalsosough t me aningout side of e ve ryday(zh it e iskaia) logic. Howe ve r, h is goal
was not so much t h e discove ry of conne ct ionsbut rat h e rt h e de fiant , post st ruct uralist
de nial of t h e same .22 ForKh arms, t h e proposit ionof aworld t h at is "wh ole " de nie st h e
e sse nt ial role playe d by it s "part s": "T h e world, consist ingof some t h ingwh ole , uniform
and unbroke n, cannot be se e nt oe xist , be cause insuch aworld t h e re are nopart s, and once
t h e re are nopart s, t h e nt h e re isalsonowh ole ."23 It wast h e "part " t h at int e re st e d Kh arms,
wh ofe lt t h at obje ct swould be re born"inall t h e purit yof t h e irconcre t e , masculine forms"
if t h e h abit ual conne ct ionslinkingt h e mt ot h e world we re dissolve d.24 One isre minde d of
Male vich 'sst at e me nt e ndorsingt h e Supre mat ist "const ruct ionof forms" wh ile crit icizing
t h e Cubist sforbre akingup obje ct sont h e canvas: "Inoure raof Cubism, t h e art ist h as
de st roye d obje ct st oge t h e rwit h t h e irme aning, e sse nce and purpose ."25 Int h e same way
t h at Male vich inh is Supre mat ismt urnsawayfromt h e Cubist sbe cause t h e y"de st roye d"
t h e obje ct , sot h e Obe riut yre je ct t h e zaumniki(t ransrat ional poe t s) forde st royingt h e
word, st at ingint h e irManife st ot h at "t h e re is nosch ool more h ost ile t ous t h anzaum'.
We -re al pe ople wh oare concre t e t ot h e core -are t h e worst e ne mie sof t h ose wh ocas-
t rat e t h e word and t urnit int oawe ak, use le ssmongre l. Inourcre at ive work, we broade n
and de e pe nt h e me aningof t h e obje ct and t h e word; innowaydowe de st royit ."26 None -
t h e le ss, like t h e zaumniki, t h e Obe riut ry st ill subscribe d t ot h e formalist "pe e lingaway" of
t h e word's"lit e raryand e ve rydayskin" inorde rt omake it "se lf-sufficie nt ." "T h iswas
inde e d 're al' poe t ry," A. A. Kobrinskiire marke d: "T h e re ade rand list e ne rwe re invit e d t o
forge t t h ingsfamiliart ot h e mand, inre nouncingh abit ual associat ionsinlife and lit e ra-
t ure , t oappre ciat e 't h e word assuch ' and t h e aut onomouse sse nce of obje ct s."27 It wasin
t h islat t e rspirit of affinit ywit h t h e principle sof t ransrat ional poe t ryt h at Kh armsbe gan
h islit e rarycare e rin1925 byjoiningagroup of youngLe ningrad poe t sh e ade d byAle ksandr
T ufanov, t h e so-calle d "radical" t ransrat ional poe t wh osough t t ocre at e at ype of ph one t ic
music in h is ve rse and name d h imse lf "Ve limirII" aft e r h is inspirat ional mode l,
22Jaccard re markst h at "t h e absurd out look ont h e world ... isolat e se ach part of t h e world and ne gat e st h e link
be t we e nt h e m" ("Kh armsint h e Cont e xt of Russianand Europe anLit e rat ure of t h e Absurd," 53). Like Kh arms,
Vve de nskiidist rust e d t h e world of conve nt ionallogic and causallinkage s, be lie vinginst e ad t h at onlyt h rough t h e
bre akdownof such a"logical" syst e mof conne ct ionsmayt h e e sse nt ialme aningof life be appre h e nde d. Vve de nskii
writ e sin1933: "I amconvince d of t h e falsit yof all pre viousconne ct ionsbut cannot saywh ich sh ould t ake t h e ir
place . ... I h ave afundame nt alse nse of t h e world'sincoh e re nce ... and since t h iscont radict sre ason, t h e nit me ans
t h at re asondoe snot compre h e nd t h e world." Se e Vve de nskii, Polnoe sobranie proizve de niiv dvukh t omakh (PSP)
(Moscow, 1993), 2:157.
23Kh arms, "O vre me ni, oprost ranst ve , osush ch e st vovanii," inJaccard, "De lar6alit 6 au t e xt e ," 304.
24Afish iDomape ch at i, 1928, no. 2:11.
2'Male vich , "FromFut urismand Cubismt oSupre mat ism," inMale vich , EssaysonArt , t rans. Xe niaGlowacki-
Prus(Cope nh age n, 1968), 36.
26Afish iDomape ch at i, 1928, no. 2:11.
27Kobrinskii, Int roduct iont oKh arms, Gorlobre dit brit voiu, 10.
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T h e Kh armsianAbsurd and t h e Be rgsonianComic 531
Kh le bnikov.28 T ufanov alsoh appe ne d t obe ane spe cially int e re st e d st ude nt of Be rgson,
writ inginh is 1925 aut obiograph y: "Close st of all t ome now isBe rgson."29
In1924, T ufanov wrot e t h at "pe ople h ave divide d t h e wh ole e art h int ospat ial St at e s
(gosudarst va). But my St at e lie s out side of spat ial appre h e nsion; it is int ime ."30 Like
Kh le bnikov, t h e n, T ufanov be lie ve d t h at t ime must be conside re d out side of space , acon-
ce pt wh ich lie sat t h e base of Be rgsoniandurat ion. But unlike Kh le bnikov, wh omake sno
me nt ionof Be rgsoninre gard t oh is"inde pe nde nt St at e of T ime " (ne zavisimoe Gosudarst vo
Vre me ni), T ufanov e quat e s consciousne ss-t h e "flowing St at e of T ime " (t e kuch e e
Gosudarst voVre me ni)-wit h t h e Be rgsoniannot ionof durat ion(alink Be rgsonh imse lf
make s), bot h consciousne ssand durat ionre pre se nt ingt h e qualit at ive , imme asurable , fluid
int e rpe ne t rat ionof mome nt sand st at e sas oppose d t ot h e quant it at ive , immobile aggre -
gat e of juxt apose d e le me nt s:3" "T h e condit ionof consciousne ss," T ufanov e xplaine d, "is
marke d not by quant it ybut byqualit y; it isimme asurable and canonlybe appre h e nde d; it
consist sof amult it ude of alt e rnat inge le me nt s, int e rpe ne t rat ingone anot h e r, inse parable ,
indist inguish able , incalculable .... t ime , inourconce pt ion, isasucce ssive and
qualit at ive
mult it ude
(Be rgson)."32
T ufanov goe s ont odist inguish be t we e nt h e individual's"e xt e r-
nal" e xist e nce int h e spat ial re almand life in"t h e land of T ime ," wh e re inone 's t rue ,
dynamic se lf is fre e :
Int h e land of T ime , ourdynamic "I" is fre e d fromall t h e proje ct ionsof t h e
e xt e rnal world wh e n, by me ansof de e p int rospe ct ion, we are allowe d t ograsp
ourinne rst at e sasliving, const ant lyde ve lopingbe ings, asst at e st h at cannot be
me asure d, wh ich pe rme at e one anot h e rand of wh ich t h e succe ssionindurat ion
h asnot h ingincommonwit h juxt aposit ioninh omoge ne ousspace .33
28T ufanov, Kzaumi. St ikh ii issle dovanliasoglasnykh fone m(Pe t rograd, 1924), 11. Jaccard sugge st st h at t h e
primaryre asonKh armsand T ufanov be came acquaint e d could h ave be e nt h e irsh are d admirat ionforKh le bnikov.
Se e Jaccard and Ust inov, "Zaumnik Daniil Kh arms: Nach aloput i," Wie ne rSlawist isch e rAlmanach 27 [1991]:
159-228, 160.
29T ufanov, "Avt obiografiiaPre dse dat e liaZe mnogoSh araZaumiAle ksandraT ufanova," quot e d inUsh kuiniki,
comp. Je an-Ph illipe Jaccard and T at 'ianaNikol'skaia(Be rke le y, 1991), 173. Earlie rint h e aut obiograph yT ufanov
re markst h at by 1917, "I h ad alre adyfre e d myse lf ... fromKant and Sch ope nh aue r, and was movingt oward
Be rgson". FollowingBe rgsonas "close st " t oT ufanov in1925 is t h e original"pre side nt of t h e e art h ," Ve limir
Kh le bnikov, alongwit h t h e Fut urist art ist , Mikh ailMat iush in.
30T ufanov, Kzaumi, 25.
3IJaccard st at e st h at Mat iush in, T ufanov and t h e Obe riut ywe re all influe nce d by Be rgsonianph ilosoph y:
"[T ufanov'sworks] are anint e gralpart of one part icularcurre nt of cre at ive t h ough t int h e -1920s, acurre nt linke d
wit h t h e name Mat iush inand, lat e r, wit h t h e obe riut ypoe t s, and influe nce d by t h e ph ilosoph ical, scie nt ific and
lit e raryt h e orie sof Uspe nskii, Einst e in, Be rgson" (Ush kuiniki, 22-23). Me ilakh similarlynot e st h at T ufanov's
(Be rgsonian) e mph asisont h e qualit at ive , non-spat ialappre h e nsionof t ime owe d much t oMat iush in'sanalogous
conce pt of "pe ne t rat ingvision" (zorkoe vide nie ), wh ich re sult e d int h e "wide ne d appre h e nsionof t h e world"
(Vve de nskii, PSP 1:18). Inaddit ion, T ufanov's"De clarat ion" t h at "inzaummt h e re is noroomfort h e int e lle ct
wit h it sspat ialpe rce pt ionof t ime " (Ush kuiniki, 44)-e ch oing Be rgson'sbe lie f int h e inabilit yof t h e int e lle ct t o
grasp t h e e sse nce of "re alt ime "-h e ld, accordingt oMe ilakh , "part icularme aningint e rmsof t h e source sfor
Vve de nskii'sint e rpre t at ionof t h e proble mof t ime , t h e ce nt ralproble mof h ispoe t ry" (PSP 1:18); t h usVve de nskii's
st at e me nt , wit h wh ich Kh armsce rt ainlywould h ave agre e d: "Ourh umanlogic and ourlanguage donot conform
t ot ime inanyt ype of unde rst anding. Ourlogic and ourlanguage glide ove rt h e surface of t ime " (ibid., 2:79).
32T ufanov, Kzaumi, 25.
33Ibid., 26.
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532 HilawyL Fink
T h is lat t e rquot at ionfromT ufanov appe arst obe anunacknowle dge d t ranslat ionof a
passage fromBe rgson'slime and Fre e Will inwh ich Be rgsondiscusse st h e "durat ionof
consciousne ss": "We re ach [t h e fundame nt al se lf] by de e p int rospe ct ion, wh ich le adsus
t ograsp ourinne rst at e saslivingt h ings, const ant lybe coming, asst at e snot ame nable t o
me asure , wh ich pe rme at e one anot h e rand of wh ich t h e succe ssionindurat ionh asnot h ing
incommonwit h juxt aposit ioninh omoge ne ousspace .34
T ufanov ult imat e lyapplie sBe rgsonianph ilosoph yt oh isnot ionof aph one t ic-base d
t ransrat ional poe t ry. Aft e rcrit icizing"applie d" (prikladnoi) lyricismforbe ingpre occu-
pie d wit h lit e raryme aningand image ry(int h isse nse appe alingt ospat ial appre h e nsion),
T ufanov praise s "imme diat e " (ne posre dst ve nnyi) lyricism, consist ing of pure sound
(fone ma) and "alwaysproce e dingfromt h e e lanvit al."35 Me aningis t h usconve ye d flu-
idly and "imme diat e ly" fromsound, uncat e gorize d and t h usunsullie d by analyt ical re a-
son. By usingt h e Russiane quivale nt forBe rgson'se lanvit al (zh izne nnyiporyv), T ufanov
st re sse st h at t ransrat ional poe t ryis aLamarckianrat h e rt h anDarwinianmanife st at ion(t o
use aMande l'sh t amianme t aph or), poe t ic e xpre ssionch aract e rize d by aninne rdynamism,
fue le d by sound and move me nt , wh ich is abse nt int h e pure lyspat ial appre h e nsionof t h e
"applie d" word: "Fromph one me s, colors, line s, t one s, soundsand move me nt s, we cre at e
music wh ich is incompre h e nsible int e rmsof spat ial pe rce pt ionbut rich int h e re almof
fe e ling."36 T ufanov'sconce pt ionof aph one t icsof "t ransse nse " t h uscould be se e nas a
ble nd of Be lyi's and Kh le bnikov'sae st h e t ics-t h e music of t h e t ransrat ional word-pro-
ce e dingfromt h e Be rgsonian6lanvit al and ine sse nce mirroringt h e qualit at ive nat ure of
Be rgsoniandurat ion.
In1925-26, Kh armsappe are d t oge t h e rwit h T ufanov at lit e rarygat h e rings, and as
Ale ksandrov not e s, Kh arms"wit h out adoubt le arne d much fromh is olde r, e rudit e col-
le ague ."37 Wh e t h e rKh armsbe came int e re st e d inBe rgsonbe fore h is associat ionwit h
T ufanov oraft e rwardsis unknown; wh at is knownis t h at inadiarye nt ryforJune -July
1925, Kh armslist sall of Be rgson'smajorworksamongt h ose booksh e h asre ce nt lyt ake n
34Be rgson, T ime and Fre e Will- AnEssay ont h e Imme diat e Dat aof Consciousne ss, t rans. F. L. Pogson(Ne w
York, 1910), 231.
35T ufanov, Kzaumi, 7. Inane arlie rart icle , T ufanov e xplicit lyide nt ifie st h e art ist ic impulse wit h t h e dynamic
Be rgsoniane /an: "We worsh ip life 'sdynamism... t h e Be rgsoniane /anvit al, t h e ne e d forcre at ion" ("O zh iznii
poe zii" [1918], re print e d inUsh kuiniki, 125). Writ ingin1924, Ale kse iT olst oisimilarlyst at e s: "T h e proce ssof
art ist ic cre at ioniscarrie d out not byme ansof logicalt h inkingbut t h rough ane cst at ic 6/an" ("Lit e rat urnye zame t ki:
Zadach ilit e rat ury," inPisat e li ob iskusst ve i ose be [Moscow, 1924], 3-16, 9).
36T ufanov, Kzaumi4 26. Writ ingt h re e ye arsbe fore T ufanov publish e d Kzaumi, Lose v similarlyconne ct st h e
not ionof "musicalbe ing" t ot h e Be rgsonianconce pt of non-spat ial, "re alt ime ": "Obse rvingt h e me ch anicalmove -
me nt inspace of awat ch 'sh ands, t h e nat uralscie nt ist doe snot suspe ct t h at h e , infact , isme asuringspace inst e ad
of t ime . Be rgsonh asbrilliant lye xpose d t h isge ne ralde lusionont h e part of scie nce . ... Musicalbe ing... doe snot
e xist inspat iallyme asurable t ime but de mandsre alt ime , wh ich isinde pe nde nt of space and wh ich isnot me asure d
by anyt ype of rule r." Se e "Muzykakak pre dme t logiki," inZ rannikh proizve de ndi(Moscow, 1990), 237.
37Ale ksandrov, "Mat e rialyD. I. Kh armsav rukopisnomot de le Push kinskogoDoma," inEzh e godnikrukopisnogo
ode /a Push kinskogoDomana1978god (Le ningrad, 1980), 69. T ufanov'se mph asisont h e "fluidit y" (t e kuch e st )
of t ime and poe t ry(wh ich h e se e mst oh ave appropriat e d fromt h e Be rgsoniannot ionof consciousne ss/durat ion/
life asace ase le ss, cre at ive flow) mayh ave be e none of t h e conce pt st h at Kh arms"adopt e d" fromh ise lde rt e ach e r.
Writ ingin1930, Kh armsst at e s: "One pe rsont h inkslogically; manype ople t h ink fluidly. Eve nt h ough I amonly
one pe rson, I t h ink fluidly." Se e "Odinnadt sat ' ut ve rzh de niiDaniilaIvanovich aKh armsa," inMe nianazyvaiut
kaput sinom.- Ne kot orye proizve de niiaDanii/aKh armsa(T ve r', 1993), 56.
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T h e Kh armsianAbsurd and t h e Be rgsonianComic 533
out of t h e library.38 Pe rh apsmost significant ist h e fact t h at Kh armslist sBe rgson'sLe rire
(Sme kh ) t wice , includingt h e first e dit iont obe t ranslat e d and publish e d inRussiain1900
aswe ll ast h e se cond e dit ioninclude d int h e fift h and last volume of Be rgson'sColle ct e d
Works, publish e d in1913-14. It t h e re fore appe arst h at Be rgson'ssh ort work onlaugh t e r
h e ld part icularint e re st forKh arms, and infact much of Be rgson'sdiscussionont h e na-
t ure of t h e comic is re fle ct e d inKh arms'sae st h e t ic of t h e absurd. Aside fromPe rlina's
1991 art icle inwh ich aloose paralle l is drawnbe t we e nBe rgsonand Kh arms, sch olars
se e mt oh ave ove rlooke d t h e possible influe nce of Be rgsononKh arms'sprose . Give n
Kh arms'sdocume nt e d e arlyint e re st inBe rgson, I would sugge st t h at Be rgsoniant h ough t
ase xpre sse d inLe rire could be conside re d ye t anot h e r"ke y" t ot h e ge ne sisof t h e Kh armsian
absurd. Due t ot h e fact t h at Kh arms'st h e oryof t h e absurd is base d, inlarge part , onh is
ave rsiont ot h e not ionof causalit yand so-calle d logical conne ct ion, it will be h e lpful first
t oe xamine t h e way inwh ich Kh arms'sge ne ral st ance against causalit yis support e d by
Be rgsonianph ilosoph y be fore addre ssingt h e spe cific paralle ls be t we e nLe rire and
Kh arms'sprose .
As not e d e arlie r, wh at is knownas Be rgson'sre volut ioninph ilosoph ywas large ly
mot ivat e d byh isre je ct ionof nine t e e nt h -ce nt uryscie nt ific de t e rminisminfavorof a"cre -
at ive e volut ion" of life inwh ich anorganism'svit al impulse forgrowt h t ake spre ce de nce
ove ranyme ch anist ic formulaforprogre ss. Kh arms, wh owas inst ruct e d by Male vich t o
"goand st op progre ss," alsore be lle d against t h e conce pt of logical de t e rminismas e m-
bodie d inSovie t socie t y, wh e re inall h umanact ivit yost e nsibly was ge are d t oward t h e
at t ainme nt of a single goal. As wit h Be rgson, Kh arms'sre be llionmay be se e nas an
at t e mpt t opre se rve t h e individual'svit al impulse for cre at ivit yand ult imat e lyforlife
it se lf. Example sof h ow Kh armssubve rt st h e not ionof de t e rminist ic progre ssinh is
worksare nume rous. In"Sonne t " (Sone t ), fore xample , t h e Kh armsiannarrat orcannot
re me mbe rwh ich come sfirst -se ve n ore igh t . "AnUnsucce ssful Pe rformance " (Ne udach nyi
spe kt akl') fe at ure saplanne d st age pe rformance wh e re nobodycanappe arbe cause e ach
int urnbe come ssick (ive t ) and h ast orunfromt h e st age . A st orye nt it le d "Conne ct ion"
(Sviaz') subve rt st h e ve ryide aof conne ct ionast h e narrat orbe ginswit h t h e comple t e ly
illogical se que nce : "1. I amwrit inginanswe rt oyourle t t e r, wh ich you are planningt o
writ e me inanswe rt omy le t t e r, wh ich I wrot e you." Inone of h is be st -knownprose
works, "Blue Not e book N210" (Golubaiat e t rad' N- 10), Kh armsparodie st h e conce pt of
38Booksfromt h e Library of Ne w Books (se e Gorlobre dit brit voiu, 68-69):
... H. Be rgson, vol. 5:
1) Int roduct iont oMe t aph ysics
2) Psych ologicalParalle lismand Posit ive Me t aph ysics
3) Laugh t e r
vol. 4:
-Que st ions of Ph ilosoph yand Psych ology
-T ime and Fre e Will
-Durat ion and Simult ane it y
H. Be rgson:
Mat t e rand Me mory: Essayont h e Re lat ionof Bodyt oSpirit
T ime and Fre e Will, vol. 2, Cre at ive Evolut ion.
Be rgson, Laugh t e rinLife and ont h e St age .
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534 HilaryL Fink
narrat ionby at t e mpt ingt ode scribe ape rsonwh odoe s not , at le ast innarrat orial t e rms,
e xist . Aft e rlist inge ve ryt h ingt h at t h e "re d-h aire d man" doe s not posse ss-e ye s, e ars,
mout h , nose , arms, le gs, st omach , spine , and, inde e d, h air-finally Kh armse xclaims:
"T h e re wasnot h ing! Soit is not cle arabout wh omwe are spe aking." Unde rne at h "Blue
Not e book NQ10" Kh armsoriginallywrot e "against Kant ," apost script wh ich provide sa
broade rph ilosoph ical prismt h rough wh ich t ovie w t h e st ory(orant ist ory) about t h e re d-
h aire d man.39 T h e significance of Kh arms'spost script migh t be e lucidat e d by re calling
Be rgson'smaincrit icismof Kant , name lyt h at Kant cat e goricallyre st rict sman'se pist e -
mological capabilit yt ot h e funct ionof t h e int e lle ct : "T h e h umanint e lle ct ise nough : such
ispre cise lyt h e Kant iansolut ion."40 By writ ing"against Kant " unde r"Blue Not e book N2
10," Kh armsre je ct sbot h t h e limit at ionof lit e rat ure t oast rict lyint e lle ct ual, logical pro-
gre ssionof e ve nt s, aswe ll ast h e re st rict ionof h umanknowle dge t oph e nome nal pe rce p-
t ion, e xcludingt h e spirit ual ornoume nal e le me nt of re alit y.41 Kh arms'se xclamat ion,
"T h e re was not h ing!" t h uspoint st ot h e ne e d t oe scape causalit yinlit e rat ure , and by
implicat ion, life -h e re is ast ory, de clare sKh arms, as we ll as ah umanbe ing, wit h no
logical mot ivat ionbe h ind it .42 Just asBe rgsont ake snot e of "t h at unfore se e able not h ing
wh ich ise ve ryt h inginawork of art ," and Male vich comme nt sont h e ne ce ssit yof cre at ing
forms"fromnot h ing," soKh arms'sasse rt ionof "not h ing" at t h e h e art of h is st orypro-
claimst h e fre e domand ne ce ssit yof bot h art and t h e individual t oe xist inde pe nde nt of t h e
oppre ssive lylogical de mand t h at t h e re be "some t h ing." Kh arms'spoint e d alogicalit y
maybe re ad asadire ct polit ical ch alle nge t ot h e e nforce d St alinist ph ilosoph yof opt imis-
t ic de t e rminismint h e 1930s.
Like h issubve rsionof t radit ional narrat ion, Kh arms'st re at me nt of language -rare ly
asource of any t rue communicat ioninh is prose works-is orie nt e d t oward t h e bre ak-
downof causal re lat ionsh ips, t h e sabot age of t h e conve nt ional, logical conne ct ionbe -
t we e nword and me aning. As Jaccard h asobse rve d, "amist rust vis-a-vis wordsand t h e
affirmat ionof t h e irincapacit yt oe xpre ssanyt h ingof t h e world but it s incoh e re nce is a
fundame nt al e le me nt of t h e t h e at e rof t h e absurd,"43 and h e point st oone of Kh arms's
unpublish e d ske t ch e s as aprime e xample of t h e de composit ion of language int h e
39Not e d byAle ksandrov inh iscomme nt aryt oKh arms, Pole t v ne be sa(Le ningrad, 1988), 528. Like Be lyi and
Kh arms, T sve t ae vaalsomake sKant asymbolof at t ack, st at ingina1923 poe mabout t h e nat ure of t h e poe t : "On
t ot ... kt oKant anagolovu b'e t ," inSt ikh ot vore niiaipoe my (Le ningrad, 1990), 335.
40Be rgson, Cre at ive Evolut ion, t rans. A. Mit ch e ll (Lanh am, MD, 1983), 357.
4"Inopposit iont ot h e re liance onst rict lyph e nome nalknowle dge , Kh armsst at e sina1930 e ssay: "I onlyre al-
ize d t h at I wasse e ingt h e world wh e nI st oppe d se e ingit " ("Myr'" inPole t v ne be sa, 314).
42Dost oe vskii'sunde rground man, wh oobst inat e lyinsist sont h e h umanrigh t t obe illogical and t h usargue s
t h at t wice t wone e d not e qualfour, figh t sasimilarbat t le against t h e ide aof Ch e rnysh e vskii'sCryst alPalace , wh e re
e ve ryt h ingisorganize d int h e ut most "logical" fash ionint h e suppose d be st int e re st of h umankind.
43Ge rasimovapoint st ot h issame inade quacyof language t oe ndow e xpe rie nce wit h me aningast h e primary
source of t h e comic inOBERIU art : "Fort h e Obe riut y, t h e comic, t oace rt aine xt e nt , re sult sfromt h e re alizat ionof
t h e ve rbalform'sinade quacyint h e e xpre ssionof non-ve rbale xpe rie nce " ("OBERIU [Proble masme sh nogo],"
Voprosylit e rat ury, 1988, no. 4:48-79, 55). Foradiscussionof t h e Kh armsianabsurd int e rmsof RomanJakobson's
six-point communicat ionssch e maand t h e language t h e oryof t h e Bakh t iniancircle int h e 1920sse e Sh ukman,
"T owardsaPoe t icsof t h e Absurd: T h e Prose Writ ingsof DaniilKh arms," inSe miot icsof Cult ure . Proce e dingsof
t h e 25t h Symposiumof t h e T at u-Moscow Sch ool of Se miot ics, Imat ra, Finland, 27t h -29t h July, 1987, e d. He nri
Bromsand Re be ccaKaufman(He lsinki, 1988), 81-95.
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T h e Kh armsianAbsurd and t h e Be rgsonianComic 535
Kh armsianworld:
KoKA BRIANSKY: I'mge t t ingmarrie d t oday.
MOT HER: Wh at ?
KoKA BRIANSKY: I'mge t t ingmarrie d t oday.
MOT HER: Wh at ?
KOKA BRIANSKY: I said I'mge t t ingmarrie d t oday.
MOT HER: Wh at did you say?
KoKA BRIANSKY: T o-day-ma-rrie d!
MOT HER: Ma? Wh at 'sma?
KoKA BRIANSKY: Ma-rni-age !
MOT HER: Idge ? Wh at 'st h isidge ?
KoKA BRIANSKY: Not idge , but ma-rri-age !
MOT HER: Wh at doyou me an, not idge ?
KoKA BRIANSKY: Ye s, not idge , t h at 'sall!
MOT HER: Wh at ?
KoKA BRIANSKY: Ye s, not idge . Doyou unde rst and! Not idge !
MOT HER: You're onabout t h at idge again. I don't know wh at idge 'sgot t odo
wit h it .4
Aswit h "Blue Not e book N2 10," Kh armsagaine ch oe st h e Be rgsoniandissat isfact ionwit h
Kant ianre liance onint e lle ct ast h e sole me ansof at t ainingknowle dge ; by e mph asizing
t h e inabilit yof e ve rydaylanguage t oconve yme aning, Kh armsh igh ligh t st h e individual's
willful re nunciat ionof socially impose d code s of logical conduct inlife and art i4 Al-
t h ough Anat oliiLunach arskii, t h e first commissarof e ducat ion, did not e xplicit ly me n-
t ionh imbyname , it isve rypossible t h at Kh armswasone of t h e writ e rsLunach arskiih ad
inmind wh e nh e crit icize d t h e "Be rgsonian" t re nd of ce rt ainwrit e rsin1929 t ost rip t h e
word of it slogical me aning:
Se ve ral art ist sof t h e re ce nt past h ave said t h at ... innowaycanone fullye xpre ss
inwordst h e inne re xpe rie nce of man. Eve nont h e part of writ e rst h e mse lve s,
we se e ace rt ainave rsiont ot h e word. ... T h isconce pt ionof t h e inade quacyof
t h e int e lle ct ... (wh ich , fore xample , lie s at t h e foundat ionof Be rgson'sph iloso-
ph y) le adst ot h e opiniont h at art ... h as not h ingincommonwit h t h ough t or
ide ology.46
Int h e same way t h at Be rgsonre je ct st h e rigid, me ch anical nat ure of t h e int e lle ct as
be ingincapable of appre h e ndingt h e fluidit yof life , soKh armsre act sne gat ive lyt ot h e
conce pt of aut omat ioninlife , be it t h e nat ure of causalit yinh umane ve nt swh e re "7"
44T ranslat e d and quot e d by Jaccard, "Kh armsint h e Cont e xt of Russianand Europe anLit e rat ure of t h e Ab-
surd," 56. T h e ske t ch cont inue sint h e same ve inforse ve ralmore line s.
45Writ ingin1930 of anunde fine d "cat e goryE," Kh armscomme nt sont h e diame t ricallyoppose d t e nde ncie sof
formallogic and art : "3). Logical scie nce ('formallogic,' 't h e laws of t h ough t ') de pe ndsont h e post ulat e sof
cat e goryE; t h usit is not cre at ive . 4) Art cannot de pe nd ont h e post ulat e sof cat e goryE; t h usit is acre at ive
discipline " ("Cisfinit um<sic.>," inMe nianazyvaiut kaput sinom, 60).
46Lunach arskii, "Klassovaiabor'bav iskusst ve " (1929), inh isSobranie soch ine nli v vos'mit omakh (Moscow,
1965), 8:30.
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536
Hilaly
L Fink
aut omat icallyle adst o"8," ort h e nat ure of language , wh e re signifie raut omat icallylinks
t osignifie d. It is pre cise lyt h isnot ionof me ch anism, ort h e aut omat ic, t h at se rve sast h e
e sse nce of t h e comic forBe rgson.47 Me ch anism, ort h e aut omat ic, alsose rve s as t h e
e sse nce of t h e absurd forKh arms,48 e licit ingare be lliouslaugh t e r(or"ant ilaugh t e r," as
Ale ksandrov t e rmsit ) at asocie t ywh ich isolat e s, de h umanize s, and me ch anize st h e indi-
vidual.49 Int h isse nse , Kh armsmost like ly sh are d Be rgson'sfe e lingt h at "laugh t e rmust
be ... a
t ype
of social
ge st ure "
int h at
laugh t e r
force st h e life le sse sse nce of t h e me ch anical
"t ot h e surface of t h e social body" wh e re it canbe e xpose d and h ope fullycombat e d.50
Not ingt h at Kh armst urne d h is life int oan"ast onish ingspe ct acle ," Ale ksandrov goe s on
t ore mark t h at "int h e most basic se nse , t h is spe ct acle was aprot e st against aut omat ic
e xist e nce ."51
Accordingt oBe rgson'sconce pt ionof life asdurat ion, t h e ce ase le sscre at ionof ne w
forms, re pe t it ionbe come smanife st only wh e nt h e life force is abse nt , t h e aut omat ic act -
inginplace of wh at sh ould be life 's fluid ch ange .52 Laugh t e re nsue s wh e nre pe t it ive
me ch anical move me nt imit at e slife :
T h e ide ais at h ingwh ich grows, buds, flowe rs, mat ure s. ... It ne ve rst ops, it
ne ve rre pe at sit se lf. It must cont inuouslych ange , be cause if it ce ase d t och ange ,
it would ce ase t olive . If onlyge st ure could be animat e d inasimilarfash ion! If
onlyit would acce pt t h e fundame nt al law of life wh ich is ne ve rt ore pe at it se lf!
But h e re is ace rt ainmove me nt of anarmorh e ad, always t h e same , wh ich
se e mst ome t ore curpe riodically. If I re mark onit , if it succe e dsindist ract ing
me ... I will laugh involunt arily. Wh y? Be cause now I h ave infront of me a
me ch anismwh ich funct ionsaut omat ically. It is nolonge rlife , it is t h e aut o-
mat ic inst alle d inlife and imit at inglife . It is comic.53
Kh arms'suse of re pe t it ioninh isprose , ce nt ral t oh isae st h e t ic of t h e absurd, maybe se e n
t ofunct ionint h e Be rgsonianse nse of t h e comic as "aut omat ioninst alle d inlife and
47Be rgson, Le rire (Paris, 1925), 17 ("It isce rt ainlyat ype of me ch anismt h at make suslaugh ").
48Jaccard obse rve st h at me ch anismis "t h e principalt rait of Kh armsianpoe t icsasse e ninh isprose works, as
we ll ast h e principalsource of t h e comic int h e m" ("De lare alit e au t e xt e ," 295). Alt h ough , asJaccard point sout
byquot ingT ynianov, "t h e e sse nce of parodylie sint h e me ch anizat ionof apart icularde vice " (ibid., 296), Kh arms's
art ist ic use of me ch anizat ionmayst ill h ave be e nre inforce d by Be rgson'se mph asisont h e aut omat ic ast h e e s-
se nce of t h e comic.
491nanart icle e xaminingt h e nat ure of laugh t e rand includingadiscussionof Be rgson'st h e oryof t h e comic,
Bogdanov comme nt sont h e fine line se parat ingt h e comic fromit score of ange r: "T h e most fe rt ile soil forlaugh -
t e rish ost ilit y, st ruggle . T h e kinsh ip of laugh t e rand rage iscle art oe ve ryone " ("T ainasme kh a'" Mo/oodaiagvardiia,
1923, no. 2:175-80, 177). Wh ile such ane le me nt of rage isabse nt fromt h e Be rgsonianconce pt ionof laugh t e r, it
would se e mt obe ve rymuch apart of Kh armsian"ant i-laugh t e r."
50Be rgson, Le rie , 20.
5'Ale ksandrov, Int roduct iont oKh arms, Proza, 8.
52A paralle lmaybe drawnh e re t oFre ud'st h e oryof de fe nse me ch anisms, includingt h at of re pe t it ionof pat t e rns
of be h aviorwh ich anindividualmigh t clingt oinfe arof/de fe nse against cre at ive life and act ion. Wh ile Fre ud was
knownt oIl'iaZdane vich and ot h e rRussiant ransrat ional art ist s, t h e re isnoe vide nce t osugge st t h at Kh armswas
influe nce d byFre ud. Se e Jaccard, DandllHarmse t lafin de /'avant -garde russe (Be rn, 1991), 462. One crit ic,
h owe ve r, h asfound paralle lsinKh arms'sSt arukh at oFre udianide asonde at h , t h e "uncanny'" and t h e "ae st h e t ic/
ant i-ae st h e t ic dime nsionof painand anguish ." Se e RosannaGiaquint a, "T h e Fant ast ic inKh arms'sSt arukh a," in
Kh armsand t h e Poe t icsoft h e Absurd, 133-48.
53Be rgson, Le rire , 32.
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7h e Kh armsianAbsurd and t h e Be rgsonianComic 537
imit at inglife ." T h us, Kh arms'sske t ch e sinclude awomanwh ot rie s(unsucce ssfully) t o
ch op wood wh ile re pe at e dlyproppingup h e rfallingpince -ne z, all t h e t ime imploringh e r
h usband t ost op re pe at ingt h e same word, "t iuk," aft e re ve rych op ("T iuk"); aconve rsa-
t ionbe t we e nt woch aract e rs, e ach of wh omre pe at sh isse nt e nce st h re e orfourt ime s("T h e
Mat h e mat icianand Andre iSe me novich "); ach aract e rwh ofallsasle e p and wake sup five
t ime sinarow, e ach t ime dre amingavariant of t h e same dre am("Dre am" [Son]); and six
old wome n wh o fall, in t urn, fromt h e same window ("Plumme t ingOld Wome n"
[Vyvalivaiush ch ie siast arukh i]). Ine ach case , t h e me ch anical oraut omat ic h asre place d
life , cre at inga sit uat ionof art ificial st asis inplace of t h e fluidit y and nove lt y of t rue
e xist e nce . Be rgsonst at e s: "T h at wh ich islaugh able isace rt ainme ch anist ic
rigidit y
int h e
place wh e re one would like t ofind t h e livingfle xibilit yof ape rson."54
Kh armsianch aract e rse ngage d inlife le ssly re pe t it ive language and act ivit yine vit a-
bly be come isolat e d, me ch anical, list le ss figure s, dysfunct ional wit h insocie t y. Be rgson
similarlye mph asize st h e unsociabilit yof t h e comic figure , wh o"above all e lse e xpre sse s
apart icularinadapt at ionof t h e individual t o socie t y."55 A t ypical e xample of such a
me ch anize d, unsociable ch aract e rinKh arms'sprose ist h e carpe nt e rKush akov, wh ofalls
downfourt ime sinarow ont h e st re e t , and wh e nh e re t urnsall bandage d up t oh isapart -
me nt building, h is ne igh borsdon't re cognize h imand won't le t h imin("T h e Carpe nt e r
Kush akov" [St oliarKush akov]); int h isway, me ch anismle adst ode pe rsonalizat ion, an-
ot h e rmajoraspe ct of t h e comic accordingt oBe rgson:
" We laugh wh e ne ve rape rsongive s
ust h e impre ssionof be ingat h ing. One laugh sat Sanch oPanzawh e nh e ist h rowndown
onarugand t osse d up int ot h e airlike aplainold ball. One laugh sat BaronMUnch h ause n
once h e h asbe come acannonball h urt lingt h rough space ."56 Kh armsalsooft e nde pict s
t h e t ransfigurat ionof ape rsonint oat h ing; t h usinh isprose works, "Wh at T h e y're Se lling
T h e se DaysinSt ore s" (Ch t ot e pe r' prodaiut v magazinakh ), wh e re inamanis kille d wit h
alarge cucumbe r, and "Losse s" (Pot e ri), inwh ich amandre amsof brush ingh ist e e t h wit h
acandle st ick-h olde r, "aman'slife is e quat e d wit h acucumbe rorabronze candle st ick."57
Inanot h e rske t ch , t h e ch aract e rKalugin, wh ore pe at e dlyawake sand falls asle e p again,
sudde nlybe come s unre cognizable t ot h ose wh omh e h as always gre e t e d at t h e bre ad
st ore , ispronounce d "unsanit ary" byt h e Sanit aryCommission, and ult imat e lyisfolde d in
t woby h is ne igh borst obe t h rownout as t rash ("Dre am"). Wh ile t h e image of Baron
Mt inch h ause nasacannonball migh t act uallye licit laugh t e r, one re adsof Kalugin'st rans-
format ionint ot rash more wit h ase nse of h orrort h anle vit y, give nt h e . obviouscont e mpo-
raryparalle l t ot h e fat e of somany inSt alinist Russia. Alt h ough t h e dual t h e me s of
aut omat ionand de pe rsonalizat ionare ce nt ral t obot h Be rgson'sconce pt ionof t h e comic
54Ibid., 10.
55Ibid., 135.
56Ibid., 58. Inh isdiscussionof t h e me aningof mode mart , Ort e gay Gasse t similarlyfocuse sonde h umaniza-
t ionas ade finingch aract e rist ic, writ ingin 1925 t h at t h e mode mart ist is "braze nlyse t onde formingre alit y,
sh at t e ringit sh umanaspe ct , de h umanizingit " (T h e De h umanizat ionofArt and Not e sont h e Nove l, t rans. He le ne
We yl [Prince t on, 1948], 21). It sh ould be not e d, h owe ve r, t h at wh ile Kh arms'sart ist ic use of de h umanizat ionis
me ant mainlyasanindict me nt of t h e t re at me nt of t h e individualinSovie t socie t y, Ort e gay Gasse t point st ot h e
mode mart ist 's"t riumph ove rh umanmat t e r" ast h e e sse nce of "ae st h e t ic ple asure ," t h e e njoyme nt of art cont in-
ge nt onanaudie nce 'snon-h abit ualpe rce pt ionof t h e world.
57Ale ksandrov, Int roduct iont oKh arms, Proza, 14.
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538 HilaryL Fink
aswe ll ast oKh arms'sae st h e t ic of t h e absurd, only t h e laugh t e rinspire d by t h e lat t e ris
marke d by"t ragic lucidit y" pre cise lybe cause of t h e re ade r'sdiffe ringre sponse t oKalugin
asoppose d t oBaronMunch h ause n. Laugh t e rint h e Be rgsonianse nse drawsat t e nt iont o
t h e de pe rsonalize d me ch anismof h umanact ivit yinorde rt obe come fre e of it ("corre ct "
it ) and re t urn"life " t omove me nt . Be rgsoncomme nt sont h e nat ure and funct ionof
laugh t e rint h isre spe ct :
Rigid me ch anism... is like adist ract ion fromlife . If e ve nt scould be ce ase -
le ssly at t e nt ive t ot h e irowncourse , t h e nt h e re would be nocoincide nce s or
ch ance e ncount e rs... e ve ryt h ingwould t ake place asplanne d and alwaysprogre ss.
... T h e comic is ... t h at aspe ct of h umane ve nt swh ich imit at e s... pure me ch a-
nismorsimple aut omat ion: insh ort , move me nt wit h out life . [T h e comic] t h us
e xpre sse s anindividual orcolle ct ive impe rfe ct ionwh ich calls forimme diat e
corre ct ion. Laugh t e ris t h at ve rycorre ct ion.58
Inorde rt o"put ast op t oprogre ss," asMale vich h ad inst ruct e d, Kh armsmake sa"social
ge st ure " int h e Be rgsonianspirit of t h e comic by e mph asizingt h e aut omat ic, life le ss
nat ure of e xist e nce t h rough wh ich t h e individual come s t ore se mble at h ing. Howe ve r,
de spit e t h e iroft e nsimilart re at me nt of t h e aut omat ic (and commonre je ct ionof Kant and
causalit y), t h e diffe re nce sbe t we e nt h e Kh armsianabsurd and t h e Be rgsoniancomic re -
mainpe rh apsof gre at e rsignificance , re fle ct ingt h e wide ly dive rge nt social and polit ical
re alit ie sface d by e ach aut h or. T h e Be rgsoniancomic of pre -World WarI France was a
naive lye nt h usiast ic pre de ce ssort ot h e t e rrorize d, we aryKh armsianabsurd of t h e Sovie t
1930s. Inplace of Be rgson's opt imist ic be lie f inlaugh t e ras aposit ive corre ct iont o
aut omat e d de h umanizat ion,59 Kh armsian"ant ilaugh t e r" is aGogolian"laugh t e rt h rough
t e ars," or, asAlice Nakh imovskyt e rmsit , "laugh t e rint h e void"60-at ragic compre h e n-
siont h at int h e unst oppable , uncorre ct able course of "progre ss," t h e h umanbe ing, like
Kalugin, will be folde d int woand t h rownawayast rash .
58Be rgson, Le rie , 87 (e mph asisfor"progre ss" adde d).
59Bakh t inwould disagre e wit h t h e not ionof Be rgsonianopt imismh e re int h at h e conside re d Be rgson'st h e ory
of t h e comic t obe de void of anyposit ive connot at ion: "Be rgson'swh ole t h e oryde alsonlywit h t h e ne gat ive role
of laugh t e r. Laugh t e risame ansof corre ct ion. ... T h e basic ide aist rue : life laugh sat de at h (de ad me ch anism). But
t h e organic mat t e rof life wit h inlaugh t e risposit ive " ("Iz zame t ok okomich e skom," inDe n'poe ziil1986[Moscow,
1986], 223). It is, h owe ve r, pre cise lyt h e posit ive , organic fluidit yof life wh ich Be rgsonianlaugh t e rse e kst o
re capt ure by drawingat t e nt iont o"life le ssme ch anism." As oppose d t oBe rgson, Kh armsis t h e pe ssimist for
wh omlaugh t e rre pre se nt snot avict oryove rde at h but at ragic acknowle dgme nt t h at de at h will infact h ave t h e last
laugh . Formore onBakh t inand Be rgsonse e Morsonand Eme rson, Mikh ailBakh t in.z Cre at ionof aProsaics
(St anford, 1990), e sp. 177-79.
6OAlice St one Nakh imovsky, Laugh t e rint h e Void.-Anint roduct iont ot h e Writ inzgsofDanii/Kh almsandA/e xande r
Vve de nsky(Vie nna, 1982).
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