A Visit to the Minotaur

…A famous musician and People’s Artist of the USSR Polyakov has a unique Stradivari violin stolen. That’s the setup of the novel “A Visit to the Minotaur” (1972), which was inspired by a real story of the apartment robbery of the outstanding Soviet violinist David Oistrakh.

A classic detective story? Not quite. The novel captivates and keeps you on edge, just as a detective should, but at the same time it’s multi-layered and combines two time layers. Parallel to the investigation conducted by the senior inspector of Moscow Criminal Investigation Department Tikhonov, we learn about the great master Stradivari and his teacher Amati—who created in Cremona in the 17th–18th centuries. The unfolding of this high-profile crime becomes a reason to reflect on “Salieri-ness,” the nature of talent, human vices and passions, and the Minotaur living in each of us. A well-built composition, vivid genre sketches, living dialogues, dynamic shifts of episodes, and an overall cinematic feel… No wonder the novel became the basis for a popular TV film (1987).