The Defector

The first published novella by Nevozvrashchenets (1988) brought Kabakov fame. The story takes place in Moscow in 1993—during the era called the Great Reconstruction, marked by chaos and anarchy of the Civil War. The main hero, who has the ability to travel through time, faces a difficult choice: live in a nightmarish future or in a relatively safer, but nasty, present.

And as it turns out, the novella had no fleetingness, which is why it’s still read with interest today. By the way, much of what happened to us over these years was amazingly accurately guessed by the writer.