Проза Алексея Слаповского - это удивительная смесь фантастики, детектива, психологизма, юмора, явных выдумок и чисто бытовых зарисовок. `Сценическая площадка` большинства произведений - провинциальный волжский город, усвоивший черты `нового времени` (иномарки, разборки, доллары) и домашний, с патриархальными нравами и уютными улочками. И люди, живущие в нем, сочетают в себе простодушие и недоверчивость, домовитость и умение загулять так, что мало не покажется. С чего начинается день у друзей, сильно подгулявших вчера? Правильно, с поиска денег. И они найдены - 33 тысячи долларов в свертке прямо на земле. Лихорадочные попытки приобщиться к `сладкой жизни`, реализовать самые безумные желания и мечты заканчиваются... таинственной пропажей вожделенных средств. Друзьям остается решить два вопроса. Первый - простой: а были деньги - то? И второй - а в них ли счастье?
Содержание: День денег (роман) Гибель гитариста (повесть) Висельник (повесть)
Aleksey Slapovsky is a vital member of the new and brilliant group of Russian post-modern writers with approximately over 100 publications in periodic literary magazines, 15 book titles published and reprinted in Russia and 10 books translated into other languages. Aleksey Slapovsky made his name with the novel “It’s Not Me” (Russian: Я - не я) which was short-listed for the prestigious national Booker Prize.
Slapovsky is a nominee and winner of many prestigious awards and prizes. His novels are all comedy and drama in one, easily apperceived by a reader of any origin and age. Raising philosophical questions and serious issues the author always uses breathtaking narrative structure that keeps a reader constantly interested and curious; clearness and simplicity of the story telling language understandable by any target group and always - a tricking twist. His humour does not have language borders and his deepness – a bottom.
Made me laugh hysterically twice (maybe because I was in a plane and was nervous) - a) the biography of a guy who used to settle the beef between various mafia groups; more precisely, the ailments of his father (the hernia) and b) what the TV that the lottery guy won said before it exploded ("тывая доминирующие тенде"). The mere fact that I could read it almost in one sitting (2-3 hours) undermines its significance (for me), but I did find some passages intriguing and worth a second reading. It also made the author interesting, and I will definitely return to his books.
2.3 stars. Money's Day/A Day for Money combines elements of folktale and picaresque to tell the story of three guys from Saratov who find a lot of money then can't quite figure out what to do with it after buying some vodka, cigarettes, and snacks. Unfortunately, Slapovskii tries too hard to be funny and the novel ends up feeling like a period piece from nineties Russia, when it was written.