Vasily Pavlovich Aksenov (1932–2009) is a Russian writer and playwright, a professor at American universities, the author of twenty-three novels, a cult figure for several generations.
The book “Aksenov” by Alexander Kabakov and Evgeny Popov is more than memoirs. It is a portrait of the Artist against the backdrop of his Time—an open conversation of free people about a close person with whom they had the chance to be friends for many years of turbulent, grotesque, fantastic Soviet and post-Soviet life. First-hand testimonies, unknown stories, and rare documents refute established stereotypes about both the writer himself and his works.