Gogoliana

"Gogoliana" was written by Vladislav Otroshenko in a genre that is phenomenal for Russian literature. It is a fusion of high-quality literary prose and narrative essays — works in which fiction appears as reality, and verified facts produce the impression of phantasmagoria. Critics note not only their generic uniqueness and brilliant linguistic execution, but also their depth, calling them "true intellectual detective stories" unfolding on three levels — artistic, philosophical, and philological. It is no coincidence that when these texts appeared in the Russian periodical press, they attracted the attention of "highbrow" literary and cultural journals abroad. The essay-novellas comprising the books were translated and published in Italy, Israel, the USA, Serbia, France, and other countries. At the same time, they were awarded first prize by popular vote of Russian Internet users at the national literary competition "Teneta-Rinet", and twice — in 2010 and 2011 — made it to the finals of the "Chekhov's Gift" award in the category "Extraordinary Storyteller".