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1954 / Applause and Acclaim; Achilles Agonistes; Arrivederci; & Adulthood

BOOK FIVE

Summary: 1954 / Applause and Acclaim

After the Bishop learned of the Triumvirate’s daily meetings, he started attending and put himself in charge. Today, as 1953 winds down, he makes irritating cost-saving decisions, as usual. Afterward, the Count furtively looks through Andrey’s 1954 calendar until he finds a scheduled event that will serve his (unstated) purpose: a dinner of two powerful committees, on June eleventh.

Later, in the Shalyapin, the Count watches a new American arrival, “Pudgy” Webster, joke with journalists about how hard it is to sell vending machines in Moscow. Viktor approaches, upset that Sofia has, inexplicably, declined to be part of a goodwill tour of the Conservatory orchestra. When the Count speaks with Sofia, she tells him she is not frightened by the prospect of performing before an audience of thousands in Paris, but she does not like the idea of performing without him present. He assures her that he would hear her performance if she played on the moon.

Summary: Achilles Agonistes

The news that Sofia would be in Paris in June started a ticking clock for the Count. Unlike Achilles in Zeno’s paradox, he must make wise use of the time he has. In early March, he goes to the barbershop and requests a shave from Yaroslav’s successor. Moments later, a bellhop hands the barber a note, seemingly a summons from the Bishop but actually a forgery planted by the Count on the bell captain’s desk minutes earlier. Perplexed, the barber excuses himself. While he is away, the Count steals the “Fountain of Youth” bottle from the metal cabinet and also a spare razor from the counter. Back in his room, the Count draws a red line on a map of Paris and uses the razor to cut into the pages of Montaigne’s Essays.

Summary: Arrivederci

One evening in May, the Count watches an Italian couple leave the Metropol, with plans to be away for several hours. Using Nina’s key, he enters their room, steals a men’s shirt and slacks, but neglects to take a newsboy cap. Later, when he sees Webster wave to the famous professor, he has a realization. When Webster returns to his room, the Count is waiting, with a request that Webster pass a letter to Richard in Paris. The Count’s last move of the evening is to retrieve the cap from the Italian couple’s room. When the couple comes back sooner than expected, the Count hides and then, in the dark, makes a noisy but otherwise clean escape.

Summary: Adulthood

On the last night of May, Sofia tries on the splendid blue dress Marina has sewn for her to wear in Paris. Anna approves. The Count grumbles about the backless design but is awed by the transformation of his little girl into the woman before him now.

Last month, the Bishop moved the meetings with the Triumvirate to his office. Today, after making his usual edits to Emile’s menu and reviewing Andrey’s appointment book, he inquires about the upcoming dinner of the two committees and directs that Andrey, not the Count, oversee the event. Afterward, the Count asks Andrey if he can spare a moment.

Analysis: 1954 / Applause and Acclaim; Achilles Agonistes; Arrivederci; & Adulthood

The Bishop exerts every effort to make the walls of the Metropol confine the Count as they did in the beginning, and to drain every bit of history, joy, and purpose from the life inside. Whereas Halecki’s effectiveness was in his hands-off approach, the Bishop is bent on micromanaging. From the Triumvirate meeting down to the flowers in the Boyarsky, the Bishop’s closing grip shrinks the once majestic hotel. He will not stop until all tradition and joy are seeped out of every corner of the Metropol. This situation, growing ever more dire, is made bearable for the Count because Sofia is getting out of Russia. She balks because she doesn’t want to leave him, but by telling her that he could hear her play even if he were on the moon, the Count imparts wisdom that he has learned during his confinement. It is not place that gives them purpose, but their ability to learn and adapt through their settings and experiences, as well as the memories of those they love. The Count will always be with Sofia as long as she remembers him, just as the Bolsheviks and the Bishop cannot erase the past as long as memories endure.

With Sofia's arrival, time has sped up for the Count and time is now of the essence in anticipation of Sofia's departure, so he must move with purpose and act quickly. He finds that he does not dislike urgency in his old age as he thought he would. There is a bounce in his step and a sharpness to his wit as he finds this purpose among many stolen joys, such as meals in the Boyarsky, Triumvirate meetings, and the barbershop. When the Count sees Sofia in her concert dress, he understands how fast time has moved and that she has now entered adulthood prepared for what is to come. Using his age, understanding, wisdom, and connections, the Count has marshalled his talents in preparing her for the future. As someone who has straddled the line between the past and the unknowable future, his machinations have given him purpose outside of his own circumscribed punishments. He has become a launch pad and a safe place for those who will be shaping the future. The Count is the foundation for Sofia and many others, important and solid, if not flashy and recognizable. His purpose is structural now as he supports the future.

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