Dina Rubina “Cold Spring in Provence”

Dina Rubina is known not only as a writer, but also as the author of successful screenplays. That is why her stories are always so bright, rich and dynamic, they are able to capture from the first lines. Before you is a book that combines autobiographical moments and vivid reflections caused by the work and life of Vincent van Gogh.

Summary of the book “Cold Spring in Provence”
Everyone now knows at least a little about the life of Vincent van Gogh, and his paintings have become so popular that you can see them on any notebook or T-shirt. During his lifetime, the artist was not just an outsider, but a beggar, his canvases were not sold, and only brother Theo tried to support his talent, seeing in him a huge potential and a special ability to convey a feeling of nature.

It is this tragedy that Dina Rubina writes about in her prose: about a strange irony of fate that left very few joys in Vincent’s life, and then, dubious ones – absinthe and depressive creativity, caused not only by inspiration, but also by the despair of an unrecognized genius. Combining his biography with her own, the author achieves an interesting effect.

It gives us the opportunity to feel the same as any creative person whose life is filled with doubts and the joy of creation, and also to recognize ourselves in it. It turns out that we have a lot in common not only with Vincent himself, but also with any Creator.

Agree, every person has to feel impotence, and resentment against the world, and the desire to achieve something, and the need for self-realization. The author is very familiar with both the feelings of the artist and his work, because her father and husband also worked in the field of painting. That is why she describes the working life of artists in a very realistic way, with the utmost accuracy and truthfulness, without losing her bright corporate style.

What else does Dina Rubina write about in the book?

First of all, she describes the simple everyday life of the artist, giving every reader the opportunity to see it without embellishment. These are constant thoughts about the canvases, and the workflow – from the choice of colors to the writing itself, and the rest, which Vincent organized in a very specific way:

• An abundance of absinthe. Rubina even describes the recipes with which the cunning bartenders of the time created fakes and deceived artists and other “rabble”;
• Fleeting connections with women that seem to only make Van Gogh more painful;
• Correspondence with brother Theo, who was the closest person to Vincent.

It was Theo who was with the artist in the last minutes of his life, having miraculously managed to get there. Describing the death of Van Gogh, Dina Rubina achieves extraordinary realism, while not sacrificing drama. This whole book is filled with subtle lyrical moments, but its main difference from other works of art about Van Gogh is that it does not decorate reality, painting him the way Vincent was.
And he was not only a genius and a restless soul, but also just a living person with his own vices, one of which, as it is now believed, killed the outstanding creator ahead of time. Addiction to alcohol only developed a constant depression, which was already supported by the inability to sell paintings and be recognized in the world of high art.

The path of Van Gogh is of interest to the modern generation, primarily because it combines complete collapse and dazzling success, which the author could not enjoy during his lifetime. You can listen to Rubin’s audio book “Cold Spring in Provence” by Dina Rubina online in full here. This book will give every reader a lot of food for thought.