Series: Russian Literature Series

In many respects, Their Four Hearts is a book of endings and final things. Vladimir Sorokin wrote it in the year the Soviet Union collapsed and then didn't write fiction for ten years after completing it—his next book being the infamous Blue Lard, which he wrote in 1998. Without exaggerating too much, one might call it the last book of...

Grotesque, deconstructive, and absolutely genius, Vladimir Sorokin's short story collection Dispatches from the District Committee is a revelatory, offbeat portrait of Soviet life beyond the propaganda and state-sponsored realism. Celebrated and censored for its political satire, literary irreverence, and provocative themes, his work has been recognised across the world for its scathing, darkly humorous commentary on political and cultural oppression...