Platonov, Andrey. The foundation pit, New York: Harvill, 1996.A satire on the ultimate futility of Soviet 'progress', The Foundation Pit follows the attempted construction of a model apartment block for the accomodation of workers, bureacrats and party chieftains in Soviet Russia. Supposed to represent the apogee of Soviet progress, the project becomes mired in hopeless bureaucracy, political intrigue and dogmatic sloganeering and conformity. In the end, little is left of the planners efforts - save the hole of the book's title. Having fought for the Red Army during the Russian Civil War, Platanov sought an outlet for his disgust at at Stalinism's destruction of the Russian Revolution. The result (though unpublished during his lifetime), was The Foundation Pit - a compelling read that earns its place among the classics of modern Russian literature.
