Ludmila's Broken English
Encyclopedia
Ludmila's Broken English is the second novel by Booker Prize winner DBC Pierre. It was published in March 2006.
and Eastern Europe
. Recently separated - at the age of 33 - conjoined twins
Blair Albert and Gordon-Marie "Bunny" Heath struggle to cope with life in a post-globalisation and fully privatised London
. Meanwhile, Ludmila Derev, an impoverished young woman living in the war-torn Southern Caucasus
, leaves her mountain home to meet up with her boyfriend in the region's major town and send money back to her family. However, things start to go wrong and she ends up with her picture on a Russian Brides website. Slowly her life and those of the twins are drawn together.
After being sent to Eastern Europe by Blair's American boss - Truman, Blair gives the twins sachets of "solipsidrine" whenever they need some confidence. Bunny however thinks the drug has a major problem:
Later Bunny again talks of the drug:
and Gordon Brown
. Their father is Ted Heath - a possible reference to Edward Heath
.
Blair is employed by a company called "Global Liberty Solutions" run by an American, Truman (the surname of an American president, Harry Truman), to go to a foreign country and sort out a problem. He is given a drug, which suspends the "conscience", to get him through difficult situations. His arrival in the country leads to the shooting of the majority of Blair's hosts, and the rape of the family's daughter.
Plot introduction
The novel follows two initially separate narratives set in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
. Recently separated - at the age of 33 - conjoined twins
Conjoined twins
Conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero. A rare phenomenon, the occurrence is estimated to range from 1 in 50,000 births to 1 in 100,000 births, with a somewhat higher incidence in Southwest Asia and Africa. Approximately half are stillborn, and a smaller fraction of...
Blair Albert and Gordon-Marie "Bunny" Heath struggle to cope with life in a post-globalisation and fully privatised London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Meanwhile, Ludmila Derev, an impoverished young woman living in the war-torn Southern Caucasus
Caucasus
The Caucasus, also Caucas or Caucasia , is a geopolitical region at the border of Europe and Asia, and situated between the Black and the Caspian sea...
, leaves her mountain home to meet up with her boyfriend in the region's major town and send money back to her family. However, things start to go wrong and she ends up with her picture on a Russian Brides website. Slowly her life and those of the twins are drawn together.
Quotes
"Blair Albert and Gordon-Marie Heath were omphalopagus: conjoined anteriorly at the trunk. They shared certain organs, but not the heartHeartThe heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
."
"While Blair possessed the twins' physical power - forza - their cunning resided in Gordon, making him dominant in most situations, despite being the weaker twin."
After being sent to Eastern Europe by Blair's American boss - Truman, Blair gives the twins sachets of "solipsidrine" whenever they need some confidence. Bunny however thinks the drug has a major problem:
"Listen: the qualities removed by your so-called cocktail are there for a purpose, Blair. They're the little voices that stop us raping and pillaging. It might suit your YankYankYank may refer to:* Yank, the Army Weekly, a newspaper for American soldiers during World War II* Yank , the rate of change in force* Yanks, a 1979 film* Short form of Yankee, a slang term for someone of American origin or heritage...
mate to do away with them, but we're civilised people, from an ancient, civilised country."
Later Bunny again talks of the drug:
"Do you know what this drug does? Do you know its single active quality? The suspension of conscienceConscienceConscience is an aptitude, faculty, intuition or judgment of the intellect that distinguishes right from wrong. Moral judgement may derive from values or norms...
, Blair. Do you hear?"
Political parallels
The twins are named Blair Albert Heath and Gordon-Marie "Bunny" Heath - something many commentators have taken as a reference to Tony BlairTony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
and Gordon Brown
Gordon Brown
James Gordon Brown is a British Labour Party politician who was the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Labour Party from 2007 until 2010. He previously served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Labour Government from 1997 to 2007...
. Their father is Ted Heath - a possible reference to Edward Heath
Edward Heath
Sir Edward Richard George "Ted" Heath, KG, MBE, PC was a British Conservative politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and as Leader of the Conservative Party ....
.
Blair is employed by a company called "Global Liberty Solutions" run by an American, Truman (the surname of an American president, Harry Truman), to go to a foreign country and sort out a problem. He is given a drug, which suspends the "conscience", to get him through difficult situations. His arrival in the country leads to the shooting of the majority of Blair's hosts, and the rape of the family's daughter.
External links
- Review of Ludmila's Broken English at The Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning HeraldThe Sydney Morning Herald is a daily broadsheet newspaper published by Fairfax Media in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1831 as the Sydney Herald, the SMH is the oldest continuously published newspaper in Australia. The newspaper is published six days a week. The newspaper's Sunday counterpart, The...
- Short interview with DBC Pierre - discussing Ludmila's Broken English
- Faber and Faber