Alexander Prokhanov’s novel “Golden Time” is similar to his earlier novels: it’s ripped from the furnace of today’s political and ideological life—heated through and through, hard to take with bare hands—it burns. The book tells about recent events that shook the foundations of the Russian state: about Bolotnaya Square, about crowds moving toward the Kremlin, about the tragic confrontation in which millions of people could have died—and along with them, the Russian state.
This is a novel about the “heroes” of Bolotnaya, a novel about a leader who goes through transformation, overcomes spiritual weakness, and becomes the winner in a brutal struggle. At the center is an ideologue—the bearer of Russian meanings, a preacher of the Russian state and Russian victory. Although many characters resemble figures from today’s political drama, you shouldn’t look for direct prototypes among them. In the book, everything is both true and conditional—absolutely plausible and at the same time invented. A direct analogy between characters from Bolotnaya Square, the Kremlin, or ideological centers and real people with names and surnames would be a simplification.