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A long overdue discovery of an extremely ingenious writer
Radio Bremen |
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Good from the outside, even better on the inside
Falter (Germany) |
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With more than a passing similarity to Men Behaving Badly, Maxim and Fyodor charts the misadventures of Maxim, Fyodor and their assorted friends and acquaintances. It describes in a very untraditional manner the everyday life of ordinary Russians - their misery and victories, their spiritual search for truth, and their horrible hangovers. Although the book was originally banned in Russia, typewritten copies of it were covertly circulated and read by thousands. By bringing a message of truth and hope in the oppressed environment of the late Communist State, it helped an entire generation of young Russians to identify their real identity. It immediately became a bestseller when it was officially published after perestroika, and its language has arguably influenced Russian spoken language more than any other book in the last 30 years. Illustrated by the author, and translated by Andrew Bromfield, this brand new edition makes Shinkarev's work available to English-speaking readers for the first time. Two additional short stories, "The Tame Hedgehog" and "The King of Beasts", show the diversity of Shinkarev's skill and style.
The author
Vladimir Shinkarev was born in 1954 in St Petersburg where he still lives with his wife and children. After graduating from Leningrad State University as a geologist, he studied art at the Repin Academy of Art and the Mukhina Artistic College. He is a founder and spiritual leader of Mitki, the St Petersburg artists' group, and has had numerous successful exhibitions in Europe and the US. During the Cummunist era he wrote books while working as a boiler-room assistant and also while on field trips prospecting for minerals across Siberia.
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