History Literature / MondayBeginsOnSaturday

* CatchPhrase: "You will desist" by Modest Matveevich. Privalov [[BorrowedCatchphrase borrows]] it a few times.

''Monday Begins on Saturday'' (Russian: "Понедельник начинается в субботу") is a 1964 novel, one of the most beloved works by the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers. [[ScienceFantasy A mix of fantasy and science-fiction]], it tells the stories of [[ExtranormalInstitute a Soviet research institute dedicated to studying magic and the supernatural]], the dedicated scientists who work there, and the wide variety of [[FantasyKitchenSink monsters, ghosts, and other critters]] that they study and work with. Adapted into a two-part Christmas special back in the early 80s. It's a fun movie in its own right, but it has very little to do with the novel it's supposedly based on (which annoyed the Brothers quite a bit at the time).

* PhysicalGod: The institute has a legit one on staff, albeit a deconstructed variation: Sabaoth Bhaal[[{{UsefulNotes/Patronymic}} ovich]] Odin (not a MeaningfulName at all) is the only human in history to have ever solved the Omnipotence Formula and achieved just that. However, one of the constraints applied by the formula is that by using it, the wizard may not harm any living being, and after Odin couldn't think of any such application, he has forsworn magic altogether and filed for transfer into the tech and hardware department. He is still carrier an enormous magical power, however, and Privalov observes that clocks actually go ''faster'' in his presence.

* CoolOldGuy: Both Cristobal Junta and Fyodor Simeonovich Kivrin are department heads at [=NIIChaVo=], who are well-respected by everyone at the institute and, in addition to being powerful wizards and capable administrators, often act as encouraging mentors to younger scientists . Both of them are also at least several centuries old: Junta was a member of UsefulNotes/TheSpanishInquisition, while Kivrin was active at least as far back as [[UsefulNotes/TsaristRussia the first Romanovs' reign]].

* PhysicalGod: The institute has a legit one on staff, albeit a deconstructed variation: Sabaoth Bhaal[[{{Patronymic}} ovich]] Odin (not a MeaningfulName at all) is the only human in history to have ever solved the Omnipotence Formula and achieved just that. However, one of the constraints applied by the formula is that by using it, the wizard may not harm any living being, and after Odin couldn't think of any such application, he has forsworn magic altogether and filed for transfer into the tech and hardware department. He is still carrier an enormous magical power, however, and Privalov observes that clocks actually go ''faster'' in his presence.

* DashingHispanic: Cristobal Junta is an older variation of this trope. He was born in Spain centuries ago, and is nowadays mostly a level-headed DeadpanSnarker... unless someone (usually Fyodor Simeonovich) really ticks him off with disrespectful comments, in which case he challenges the offender to a duel. His duels are rumored to involved a lot of acrobatics and {{Flynning}}, but usually end with both parties enjoying a rare beverage from Junta's personal collection.

%%* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: director Nevstruev.
%%* RedOniBlueOni: Cristobal Junta and Fyodor Simeonovich Kivrin

* UnfazedEveryman: Sasha Privalov is a regular programmer who had no idea that magic even existed until coming to Solovets, but adjusts relatively quickly, and is able to cope with the weirdness well enough to be entrusted with night shifts at the institute in part two of the book.

* MemeticBadass: Cristobal Junta has a ''lot'' of improbably cool rumors surrounding his persona InUniverse, such as that he had actually been the ''head'' of the Spanish Inquisition at one time, or that he has a stuffed dummy at his office made from the corpse of his fellow taxidermist rival (who was [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets a Nazi, so it's okay]]). He is also FamedInUniverse for his sharp wit, style, and efficiency.

%%* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Alfred
%%* OurDemonsAreDifferent: "Maxwell's macrodemons" Enter and Exit
%%* OurHomunculiAreDifferent: Vybegallo's "cadavers"

%%* UnfazedEveryman: Sasha Privalov.

* LawyerFriendlyCameo[=/=]TakeThat: Vybegallo is modeled after Trofim Lysenko, the infamous Soviet politico and quack agriculturist/geneticist.

* ClingyMacGuffin: A "non-changeable dime" that returns to its owner every time it's spent. Until it's confiscated by policemen as an instrument of petty fraud. Or not so petty: one policeman mentions that there were crooks who collected sums to buy a car (a big deal in the USSR) by repeatedly spending the magical coin and collecting spare change.
** This item is based on Myth/RussianMythologyAndTales, except in the fairy tales it was usually a silver ruble, not a small copper piece.

* MemeticBadass: Cristobal Junta has a ''lot'' of improbably cool rumors surrounding his persona InUniverse, such as that he had actually been the ''head'' of the Spanish Inquisition at one time, or that he has a stuffed dummy at his office made from the corpse of his fellow taxidermist rival (who was [[AcceptablePoliticalTargets a Nazi, so it's okay]]). He is also FameInUniverse for his sharp wit, style, and efficiency.

* PublicDomainCharacter: Merlin. Strangely, he's not the one with the MerlinSickness.
** It's worth mentioning that Merlin's personality is based on Merlin from ''Literature/AConnecticutYankeeInKingArthursCourt'', not on [[KingArthur Arthurian Legends]] Merlin.

%%* ThoseTwoGuys: A.Pronitsatelniy and B.Pitomnik.
%%* TokenGirl: Stella

* IWantMyJetpack: parodied with Privalov's travel into future narratively imagined possibilities.

%%* MerlinSickness: Janos Nevstruev

%%* NaiveNewcomer: Sasha Privalov
%%* NiceGuy: Edik Amperyan
%%* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Modest Kamnoedov

%%
%%
%% ZeroContextExample entries are not allowed on wiki pages. All such entries have been commented out. Add context to the entries before uncommenting them.
%%
%%

%%* CoolOldGuy: Cristobal Junta and Fyodor Simeonovich.
%%* DesignatedLoveInterest: Stella.

%%* JerkAss: Vybegallo.
%%* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Viktor Korneev

%%* MemeticBadass: Cristobal Junta, ''in-universe''.

'''''Monday Begins on Saturday''''' (Russian: "Понедельник начинается в субботу") is a 1964 novel, one of the most beloved works by the Creator/StrugatskyBrothers. [[ScienceFantasy A mix of fantasy and science-fiction]], it tells the stories of [[ExtranormalInstitute a Soviet research institute dedicated to studying magic and the supernatural]], the dedicated scientists who work there, and the wide variety of [[FantasyKitchenSink monsters, ghosts, and other critters]] that they study and work with. Adapted into a two-part Christmas special back in the early 80s. It's a fun movie in its own right, but it has very little to do with the novel it's supposedly based on (which annoyed the Brothers quite a bit at the time).

* HumanoidAbomination: The Completely Satisfied Cadaver turns out to be the human-made Cosmic Horror. He is destroyed by Roman Oyra-Oyra just before he could ''collapse the space and stop the time''.

* GratuitousFrench: Vybegallo tries to use French to seem intelligent, but constantly fails -- in no small part because all his French phrases are taken out of ''WarAndPeace'' and he doesn't seem to understand what some of them actually mean. This contrasts with his usual overly-colloquial manner of speech, hinting at uneducated upbringing in Russian province.

* MugglesDoItBetter: Battle magic is in severe decline ever since UsefulNotes/WorldWarI

* CoolOldGuy: Cristobal Junta and Fyodor Simeonovich.
* DesignatedLoveInterest: Stella.

* JerkAss: Vybegallo.
* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: Viktor Korneev

* MemeticBadass: Cristobal Junta, ''in-universe''.
* MerlinSickness: Janos Nevstruev
* NaiveNewcomer: Sasha Privalov
* NiceGuy: Edik Amperyan
* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Modest Kamnoedov
* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Alfred
* OurDemonsAreDifferent: "Maxwell's macrodemons" Enter and Exit
* OurHomunculiAreDifferent: Vybegallo's "cadavers"

* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: director Nevstruev.
* RedOniBlueOni: Cristobal Junta and Fyodor Simeonovich Kivrin

* ThoseTwoGuys: A.Pronitsatelniy and B.Pitomnik.
* TokenGirl: Stella

* UnfazedEveryman: Sasha Privalov.