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Red Pyramid

Russian Literature from the 21st Century

In this literary edition of ROSSICA, we are delighted to present the first English translations of new works by nine leading Russian writers. ROSSICA 19 introduces their work through extracts from six novels, recently published in Russia, and three short stories especially written for this anthology.

Giving a cut-away section of contemporary thinking, the writers included here represent three generations of Russian literature. Vladimir Makanin first made his literary name in 1967, with the novel The Straight Line, with his works now regarded as classics of contemporary Russian writing. The midway generation, the youth of which was marked by the crash of the Soviet Union, and whose books are currently meeting great public demand and being awarded the most prestigious literary prizes, is comprised of Dmitry Bykov, Mikhail Shishkin, Olga Slavnikova and Alexander Terekhov. We are also excited to bring you an extract from the debut novel of Alexander Arkhangelsky, high-profile cultural and political commentator, whose book has been praised as being encyclopaedic of life in today’s Russia.

There has recently been an insurgence of new creative energy on the literary scene, with the advent of a young generation of talent. These writers are represented here by German Sadulaev, Denis Gutsko and Sergey Shargunov, whose work is generating more interest with every stride.

The diversity of standpoints and styles, coming from different generations and different parts of Russia, ensure that these writers each have a distinct and individual voice. Yet their writings bring to light the increasingly prevalent trend of today’s Russian literature colliding head-on with the violent, and vibrant, issues of the contemporary global world. Russian literature is increasingly testing, and instating, its role of questioning national conflicts, issues of tolerance in modern society, and the justification of war.

The publication is illustrated by a series of paintings entitled The City of Russia, by Pavel Pepperstein. ROSSICA would like to express its gratitude to the artist and to the Regina Gallery, Moscow, for permission to reproduce these works. Pavel Pepperstein, a prominent Moscow artist and writer, uniquely captures the inescapable romanticism which resonates throughout today’s Russian literature. His paintings convey its wounded nostalgia for the past, its merciless self-irony and its poignant longing for a better future, a longing permeates contemporary Russian literature.

Svetlana Adjoubei, Editor

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Contents

7 From Poetics to Politics: New Heroes in Russian Literature

Introduction by Liza Novikova

13 The List

Dmitry Bykov

37 The Day When You Phone the Dead

German Sadulaev

49 Asan

Vladimir Makanin

63 2017