Cynics

by Anatoly Marienhof, Bryan Karetnyk (Translator)

The blistering 1928 Bolshevik satire, unpublishable in the Russia until 1988 - in a brand new translation

'A love that cannot be throttled by the rubber tube of an enema bulb is immortal.'

Bookish and idealistic Vladimir is tormented with love for Olga; he brings her flowers when other men bring her flour and millet. Olga eventually agrees to marry him, as her building’s central heating will be out of service all winter and at least with two in the bed they’ll be warmer. When she decides she’d like to serve the revolution, he introduces her to his brother Sergei, a Bolshevik who manages the waterways. Thus begins an excruciating love triangle, measured in ration coupons and black market goods.

Described by the poet Joseph Brodsky as 'one of the most innovative novels in Russian literature', Marienhof’s Cynics is a pitch-black comedy set during the wild and savage years of War Communism and the New Economic Policy. Cinematic in its style and collagist in its aesthetic, it establishes Marienhof as a true formal radical. It is a bawdy, savage, lavishly emotional portrayal of working for the revolution (and trying to ignore it).

Genres: Fiction, Classics

176 pages, Paperback

Published April 9, 2026

Reviews

[MJ Nicholls]

Fragmented satire of the Russian Revolution—scattershot, screwball, brutal.

[João Reis]

Olga (Marienhof couldn't have picked a better name — yes, it's a very private joke) cuckolds her husband, taking her brother-in-law and, later, a NECman as lovers. All the while, Vladimir, her husband, sets out to write a kind of diary, recording news from the Bolshevik Revolution and its aftermath, mixing awful entries (some even about cannibalism during the famine) with silly, pedantic comments exchanged between him, Olga and Sergei, his brother. But high-class prostitution can also lead to ennui...

A very good book. Darkly funny, cynical, but mostly melancholic and sad, it offers an insight into the first years of Soviet Russia as seen through the eyes of a highbrow circle (and into the Slavic «soul» and ways; I found it very realistic in terms of social interactions).

I spotted it by chance at Daunt Books in London, and it was a sweet surprise.

[Olga Ruchina]

Cynics is an unconventional work in every sense. It features unusual characters, a distinctive author’s style, original composition, and a wide range of emotions, both positive and negative. It is full of irony, mocking, sarcasm…not smth people usually expect from Russian literature!

Olga and Vladimir are young intellectuals living in the realities of the 1920s. Civil war, terror, famine, and the NEP form the backdrop of their personal story. As expected, the “cynic” turn out to be romantic, but love does not choose a convenient historical moment.

In this case, comedy serves as a mask for tragedy.

This is a true literary performance, but at the same time, it will not appeal to everyone (I warned you!).

Thank you Penguin Classics UK for the copy of the book!

[nell]

two and a halfish? truly have no idea what to say about this. have no clue if i enjoyed that reading experience. really couldn’t tell you. certainly grating in its absurdity sometimes but also very witty and cleverer than it initially let on. i neeeed to read up on the russian revolution. some lovely turns of phrase here too but i just cannot give it a three for how closely it often skirted to being a nothingburger.

[Katrina]

‘What bliss,’ I hiss, ‘to live in historical times!’

Described as a black comedy, though perhaps a tragical farce or farcical tragedy is more appropriate, Cynics follows Vladimir and Olga as they navigate their way through the early years of the Russian Revolution.

Set between 1918 and 1924, the couple stagger through a country that has more dead than gravediggers; a land where lice are the enemies of the revolution, and a dead body does not linger on the cobblestones for very long.

I understand the book was banned in Russia upon its release, and it is easy to see why given the contents. Through his characters, coated in humour as black and thick as tar, Marienhof highlights a government more interested in symbolic empty gestures than in tackling disease, famine, or creating any functional society for its citizens — and he does not pull his punches.

The phrase if you don’t laugh, you’ll weep sprang to mind when reading this.

Highly recommended.

With thanks to Penguin for the ARC.

[Mirror4558]

3.5/5

Blind read with zero context and knowledge of the Russian Revolution; I reckon I should re-read it if/when I ever read up on the Russian Revolution.

Probably my first encounter with Russian literature, the humor seems unique almost. Deadpan and absurd, with sayings I find strange (simply because they are not what I'm used to) but yet absolutely makes sense. The structure and pace of the book is interesting too - there is little time to dwell or ponder, statements are made and we move on accordingly. Even with a lot of missing historical context, this book was enjoyable and easy to read.

[emily]

‘All the greats make me laugh out loud: Dickens, Austen—Nabokov—Salinger, Odessa and Miranda, to mention a handful. The fine art of making people laugh in print is elusive and mysterious. Anatoly Marienhof, here in a sure-footed translation by Bryan Karetnyk, possesses it. A problem with Tolstoy and Dickens is they did not anticipate the smartphone, and exactly how little time would be left for reading fine fiction after doom-scrolling for three hours out of every five.’ (Guy Kennaway)

[Owen Bridson]

'I imagine this knife carving me into wafer-thin slices and feel something bordering on pleasure'.

Cynics is a passionately-intimate and comedic jaunt through two lives amidst the Russian Revolution and the following famine. It has a unique and digestible structure that is packed with wit at every turn.

Marienhof had the rare ability to turn woe to mirth, and that is worthy of praise alone.

[jovana 🐸]

as someone who seems to enjoy reading with no knowledge of the context, I really threw myself in the deep end with this one but I thoroughly enjoyed the quick snapshots and then longer bursts of prose, it helped pace the plot for me and I got to really delve into the setting in a refreshing way

also shout out to the bar staff and the free watermelon redbull they gave me so I could read this at 1am every night on my holiday so far

[K]

Cynics is an uneven satire of life in Moscow just after the Russian Revolution of 1917. There are some brilliant passages that illustrate how difficult and how chaotic those times were, but there are also some philosophical discussions that drag the story. The horrors of the time, of the Bolsheviks struggling to establish their authority, and of life for the average person, are all illustrated, but in an uneven way.

[Zofia]

Simultaneous story of tragic "love" - devotion, the figure of Russian femme fatale, betrayal, emotional coldness and staying with each other without clear purposes, or the purposes being mundane, painfully grounded.
At the same time, the story of ongoing Bolshevik revolution and the Great Famine. Everything kept in a very scarce, cold, cynical - ;) - style. Finished it in very quickly and gained more historical background, specifically about the famine. Good read.

[Hannah Breedon]

I would definitely read this post a little internet deep dive on the Russian Revolution. I went in not knowing anything and struggled with some references. I’m going to reread in a year or so when I’ve done a little more research and listened to a podcast or two!

[Alison Yong]

BOOKCLUB: Read. I give this a 2 as I finished reading it. I did not like the characters but I think that’s part of the point. Having read the introduction (after reading the book) I like it a tiny bit more. But overall, certainly not for me.

[Elena]

"Contemptible, feeble, senile time! For millions of years it has trotted along, dragging its heels, oozing like a rope of thick saliva from a dog's jowl, and now all of a sudden, without so much as a by your leave, it has reared up, bolted, and galloped off at a furious pace."
(163)

[Cooper Renner]

4.5 stars. Near classic. Oddball. Incisive. Smart. Early USSR by a Russian who was, yes, cynical

[Ryan Diederich]

It’s a wonder you don’t just turn around and show the world your bare backsides.

[Ashely]

Started reading on July 28th, 2026. Tuesday.
Finished reading on July 31,2026. Friday.