September 29, 2021

Pelevin Perplexes


Pelevin Perplexes
Is it really Pelevin or just the funky dark glasses? The world may never know.  Photo via Merciless PR Man on Telegram

The mysterious and reclusive Russian author Victor Pelevin has not been seen in public for the past twenty years; that is, until this past week when photos surfaced online of him wearing a pair of dark sunglasses signing autographs in Moscow. However, as a writer who gained his fame from works that focused on the mystic and strange, this out-of-the-blue public appearance isn't without some mystery as well. 

Many online suspect that this was all a gimmick developed by someone who figured out that they could make a decent amount of cash if they hired an actor to pretend to be the famous author and sign books for a fee. Neither the writer's publishing house nor his close friends could confirm that Pelevin had any intention of holding a book signing in Moscow.

But it is nearly impossible to contact the author himself and ask either, given his notorious level of secrecy; nobody knows his home address, he uses no social media accounts, and he keeps his mobile phone number a top-secret. Some conspiracy theorists even suspect that the author died several years ago or that his books are not written by him alone but by a group of several authors collectively.

 

You Might Also Like

The Tambourine of the Upper World

The Tambourine of the Upper World

With his early stories and novels, Pelevin established himself as one of Russia’s leading contemporary writers. “The Tambourine of the Upper World” showcases many of his usual themes and interests: social satire, mysticism, metaphysical border crossings, and upturned expectations.
Genius Temporis
  • November 01, 2004

Genius Temporis

Victor Pelevin may well be the greatest Russian writer of his generation. Not as he seems to care, though.
Reflecting on Shishkin
  • May 01, 2013

Reflecting on Shishkin

A reflection on the place of writers in Putin's Russia, through the lens of writer Mikhail Shishkin's refusal to take part in further government literary junkets.
Socialist Realism and Potatoes: The Dmitry Furmanov Story
  • March 15, 2016

Socialist Realism and Potatoes: The Dmitry Furmanov Story

Writer and commissar Dmitry Furmanov died 90 years ago. If you don’t recognize his name, it may be because he’s better known for his character Vasily Ivanovich Chapayev, a Red Army commander who achieved victory via potatoes. 
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals
[INVALID]
[INVALID]

Some of our Books

A Taste of Russia
November 01, 2012

A Taste of Russia

The definitive modern cookbook on Russian cuisine has been totally updated and redesigned in a 30th Anniversary Edition. Layering superbly researched recipes with informative essays on the dishes' rich historical and cultural context, A Taste of Russia includes over 200 recipes on everything from borshch to blini, from Salmon Coulibiac to Beef Stew with Rum, from Marinated Mushrooms to Walnut-honey Filled Pies. A Taste of Russia shows off the best that Russian cooking has to offer. Full of great quotes from Russian literature about Russian food and designed in a convenient wide format that stays open during use.

A Taste of Chekhov
December 24, 2022

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.

Woe From Wit (bilingual)
June 20, 2017

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.

White Magic
June 01, 2021

White Magic

The thirteen tales in this volume – all written by Russian émigrés, writers who fled their native country in the early twentieth century – contain a fair dose of magic and mysticism, of terror and the supernatural. There are Petersburg revenants, grief-stricken avengers, Lithuanian vampires, flying skeletons, murders and duels, and even a ghostly Edgar Allen Poe.

Faith & Humor
December 01, 2011

Faith & Humor

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

At the Circus
January 01, 2013

At the Circus

This wonderful novella by Alexander Kuprin tells the story of the wrestler Arbuzov and his battle against a renowned American wrestler. Rich in detail and characterization, At the Circus brims with excitement and life. You can smell the sawdust in the big top, see the vivid and colorful characters, sense the tension build as Arbuzov readies to face off against the American.

Moscow and Muscovites
November 26, 2013

Moscow and Muscovites

Vladimir Gilyarovsky's classic portrait of the Russian capital is one of Russians’ most beloved books. Yet it has never before been translated into English. Until now! It is a spectactular verbal pastiche: conversation, from gutter gibberish to the drawing room; oratory, from illiterates to aristocrats; prose, from boilerplate to Tolstoy; poetry, from earthy humor to Pushkin. 

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955