Letters from Strangers

For fans of mysticism and horror in Russia, the name of Maria Artemyeva is well known. Her collections of the series "The Dark Side" are dedicated to urban legends of Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russian provinces, and others; and her stories published in collections of the series "Vargo. Apostles of Darkness" ("Puzzle," "Alpha Female," "Butterfly"), "The Scariest Book," "13 Maniacs," "Halloween"; as well as fantastical works from the collection "Time of the Last" and publications in magazines like "Poludn'. XX century," "Darker," "Redrum," and others.

The essence of our world is hidden under a thin skin of visible reality—it has been dusted, combed, and prettied up. But some people, events, or entities rudely break its integrity. And then through torn wounds in our world seep out the miasmas of a bleeding Other—the thing that scares and kills. The truth is awful because it can show us what we really are—MONSTERS. Only by remaining strangers to ourselves do we exist calmly.