The Death of the Secretary: An Erotic Detective Story of the Stagnation Era

Boris Nosik is known primarily for his works about Akhmatova, Modigliani, Nabokov, and Séwitzer, as well as for excellent translations of English-language writers.

In this book, he appears as a prose writer—subtle, ironic, and sad, with his easily recognizable and unmistakably unique style.

“To be strictly speaking, there was no special need for the editorial staff to take part in washing down (celebrating with drinks) the new apartment of photographer Gena Buryalin. Editorial get-togethers with drinks often, I’d even say quite regularly, happened right there in the office itself (there was even a system of partial and full disguising, as well as a siege position in case a big boss came in)—get-togethers connected with delivering the issue, with payday, with the arrival of an author who wanted to treat the editor, and also small editorial celebrations for birthdays, name days, and national and revolutionary holidays. The drinking sessions happened naturally and without fuss—all on the spot—so you could linger for an hour or two after work instead of dragging yourself to some faraway Yasenevo–Biryulyovo–Borisovo at the edge of the world—either still Moscow, or already Tula…”