Mystical numerology in Victor Pelevin’s novel Numbers
Ewa Pańkowska
Abstract
Victor Pelevin’s novel Numbers published in 2003 as a main part of the book DTP /NN/. The Dialectics of the Transition Period from Nowhere into No Place is the subject of an analysis in this article. Pelevin has created in this novel the satirical and grotesque picture of Russia at the beginning of the twenty-first century, easily recognizable by readers in fine details. The main purpose of the paper is to present the story of Stepan Mikhailov’s life. He is a Russian businessman – a bank manager who runs his business with the help of mystical numerology. The man believes that numbers rule the world (he believes there is some kind of a mystical relationship between numbers and our life). From his point of view, numbers influence people’s behaviour, their decisions. “34” is Stepan’s lucky number and his invisible “adviser-protector”. Mikhailov is supposed to be a sufferer from some form of an obsessive-compulsive disorder called arithmomania. Sufferers from this disorder have a strong need to count their actions or objects in their surroundings.
