Oleg Zayonchkovsky is often called one of the most original contemporary Russian prose writers. His novels—“Petrovich,” “Sergeev and the Town,” “Happiness is Possible,” “Zagul”—have made it into shortlists for prestigious literary awards: the Russian Booker, Big Book, and National Bestseller.
The hero of the novel “Timoshina Prose” is an office worker with no remaining chances for career growth. His passion is literature: he wants to become a writer. That occupies all his thoughts, and he also hopes to meet “the woman of his dreams.” And he does meet her—yet the novel with her doesn’t quite work out, just like the novel with literature. Is it a return to the sacred Russian theme of the “little man”? Or is it parody instead?