Starship with a Broken Wing

Eduard Verkin is one of the bright contemporary Russian authors, a laureate of prestigious literary prizes, a true heir to the traditions of Chekhov, Platonov, Lem, the Strugatskys, Dick, and Bradbury. In 2012, Verkin’s novel “The Friend of April” was included in the list of outstanding books in the world “White Ravens,” compiled by the Munich International Youth Library. In his books, E. Verkin with extraordinary attention to details shows the formation of a person, the characters’ experience of first love, stubbornly fighting against circumstances and “unavoidable laws,” the absurdity and fragility of life. He speaks to the reader in his own unique, recognizable language. The book consists of two parts—“Starship with a Broken Wing” and “Holidays That You Need”—and is published in this form for the first time. This is very important: in the first part we see one world, in the second another, but only by reading the entire story can the reader see the third world, deliberately hidden by the author.