New Russian Writing, The Penguin Book of

by Andrew Reynolds

In his remarkable introductory essay 'Russia's Fleurs du Mal' Victor Erofeyev discusses the alternative literature, the new Russian writing that is supplanting both the hothouse flowers of Soviet socialism and the polemics of dissidence. The new Russian literature as evidenced by this collection is characteristically raw, abrasive and sceptical, calling everything into question, including the 'Boring West'.
Writer such as Andrei Sinyavsky have concentrated on reinventing a dead language; one of them, Vladimir Sorokin, refuses to be called a writer at all, acceding only to his vocation as 'a leading monster' of the new Russian literature. Within this collection can be found the particular cynicism of Dovlatov and Limonov, the voluptuous style of Tatyana Tolstaya and the poignant wit of Evgeny Kharitonov, among many others.
A landmark in new Russian fiction, this volume brings together the works of twenty-one leading writers, some already acclaimed, many others reaching a new audience in the West for the first time. It has been edited by Victor Erofeyev, with Andrew Reynolds, who has also translated some of the works.

416 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1996

Reviews

[Katrinka · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like most anthologies, a mixed bag. The stories by Tatyana Tolstaya and Dmitry Prigov were tops for me.

[H.E. Bulstrode · Rating 4 out of 5]

The highlight: Sergei Dovlatov's 'The Fifth Compromise.'