Vladimir Sharov is an outstanding contemporary writer, the author of seven novels, astonishingly boldly and credibly interpreting the phenomenon of Russian history over five centuries—from the 16th to the 20th. Each of his books provokes both delight and fierce arguments among critics.
The author’s most gripping work is the novel “Rehearsals.” Its plot is based on the idea of Patriarch Nikon (17th century) of Russia as the Promised Land, and Moscow as the New Jerusalem, where the Second Coming is destined to happen sooner or later. In “Rehearsals,” the gospel myth and Russian history are fused into an extraordinary, fantastically believable, captivating plot—thrilling as a chase.