The Lady With the X-Ray Eyes
Encyclopedia
The Lady With the X-Ray Eyes is an absurdist fiction
novel
by Bulgarian
writer Svetoslav Minkov
, first published in Germany in 1934. It contains many sarcastic
, parodic
, diabolic and absurdist
elements concerning the superficial nature of modern society. With this work Minkov laid the foundations of Bulgarian science fiction.
and a woman in line with the fashion
trends of her time. X-ray photography was rapidly advancing in the 1930s, and the use of the term can provoke a scientific interest and demonstrates how science can also become a tool of imposing superficiality.
. She decides to treat her condition by visiting a "beautification institute" headed by Chezario Galfone, a brilliant surgeon
capable of turning "even the most disgusting freak into an angel". He manages to cure her crossed eyes, but also gives her the ability to see through materials, including inside people's bodies.
However, Mimi does not use her new gift for good - instead, she begins to seek the physically perfect male, without regard for intellect or talent. The story follows Mimi's evolution into a slave of her own looks and social environment - a hollow person whose feelings of love are a mere infatuation with the trends of the modern era.
in 1960.
Its first English edition appeared in 1965, translated by the Moscow
Foreign Languages Press
.
Absurdist fiction
Absurdist fiction is a genre of literature, most often employed in novels, plays or poems, that focuses on the experiences of characters in a situation where they cannot find any inherent purpose in life, most often represented by ultimately meaningless actions and events...
novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Bulgarian
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
writer Svetoslav Minkov
Svetoslav Minkov
Svetoslav Konstantinov Minkov was a Bulgarian absurdist fiction writer.- Biography :Minkov was born in Radomir in 1902 in a military family. His older brother Asen died in the Second Balkan War, while his other brother Ivan, a member of the Bulgarian Communist Party, committed suicide in 1925 to...
, first published in Germany in 1934. It contains many sarcastic
Sarcasm
Sarcasm is “a sharp, bitter, or cutting expression or remark; a bitter jibe or taunt.” Though irony and understatement is usually the immediate context, most authorities distinguish sarcasm from irony; however, others argue that sarcasm may or often does involve irony or employs...
, parodic
Parody
A parody , in current usage, is an imitative work created to mock, comment on, or trivialise an original work, its subject, author, style, or some other target, by means of humorous, satiric or ironic imitation...
, diabolic and absurdist
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
elements concerning the superficial nature of modern society. With this work Minkov laid the foundations of Bulgarian science fiction.
Title
The title is composed of two principal elements: the word "lady" (дама, "dama"), which in Bulgarian can signify both a dameDame (title)
The title of Dame is the female equivalent of the honour of knighthood in the British honours system . It is also the equivalent form address to 'Sir' for a knight...
and a woman in line with the fashion
Fashion
Fashion, a general term for a currently popular style or practice, especially in clothing, foot wear, or accessories. Fashion references to anything that is the current trend in look and dress up of a person...
trends of her time. X-ray photography was rapidly advancing in the 1930s, and the use of the term can provoke a scientific interest and demonstrates how science can also become a tool of imposing superficiality.
Plot
Mimi Trompeeva is a young woman who suffers from severe strabismusStrabismus
Strabismus is a condition in which the eyes are not properly aligned with each other. It typically involves a lack of coordination between the extraocular muscles, which prevents bringing the gaze of each eye to the same point in space and preventing proper binocular vision, which may adversely...
. She decides to treat her condition by visiting a "beautification institute" headed by Chezario Galfone, a brilliant surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
capable of turning "even the most disgusting freak into an angel". He manages to cure her crossed eyes, but also gives her the ability to see through materials, including inside people's bodies.
However, Mimi does not use her new gift for good - instead, she begins to seek the physically perfect male, without regard for intellect or talent. The story follows Mimi's evolution into a slave of her own looks and social environment - a hollow person whose feelings of love are a mere infatuation with the trends of the modern era.
Publishing
The Lady With the X-Ray Eyes was first published in series in the German magazine Projektor in 1934. It was translated in PolishPolish language
Polish is a language of the Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages, used throughout Poland and by Polish minorities in other countries...
in 1960.
Its first English edition appeared in 1965, translated by the Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
Foreign Languages Press
Foreign Languages Press
The name Foreign Languages Press was given to two publishing houses, respectively in the Soviet Union and in the People's Republic of China.-Moscow Foreign Languages Press:...
.
External links
- Analysis of the work (in Bulgarian)
- Excerpt (in Bulgarian)