"The heroes of Lena Eltang are always somewhat homeless. Their sense of home is replaced by world culture. One could say they embody Mandelstam's formula that Hellenism is a 'stove pot' with paradoxical literalness," remarked critic Igor Gulin about one of the author's texts.

Eltang's new book continues this tradition. It is not only a classic novel about a Russian writer caught in a dangerous situation on foreign soil, nor merely a detective drama with crime and punishment. Above all, it is the travel notes of an escapist, a lost European, a person who is rational yet full of recklessness. It is the diary of a romantic, immersing us in the mental space of a hero living simultaneously in two dimensions: in a subjectively perceived social reality and in the realm of personal myth.

Awards and Honors

The book was longlisted for the National Literary Award "Big Book" for the 2021—2022 season.