Abram Tertz is the pseudonym of a young Soviet writer. As with his previous short novel (The Trial Begins, published in the “Silerchie”), its publication went through unofficial channels. The manuscript was smuggled out of the USSR still unpublished...

In this novel, the talent of Tertz – the mysterious and exciting Soviet contemporary writer – unfolds fully; the writing levels intertwine with apparent simplicity, and the result is a multifaceted work.Lenya Tikhomirov, the dictator-wizard from the rebel town of Lyubimov...