August 22, 2025

The Vanishing Books of Dmitry Bykov


The Vanishing Books of Dmitry Bykov
Russian bookstore | Bilbio-Globus Wikimedia Commons

This past week, the Russian independent media outlet Mozhem Obyasnit ("We Can Explain") reported on the quiet disappearance of novels by author Dmitry Bykov from the shelves of Russia’s bookstores. The article detailed the results of efforts made by MO’s readers and correspondents to find Bykov’s works in some of the largest, most popular bookstores in Russia. Results were varied: In some stores, Bykov's works are entirely out of stock. Occasionally a book was available, but labeled with a warning about the author's political status. In one instance, a customer who inquired about Bykov was brought to a cabinet specifically holding works by authors labeled “foreign agents.” Along with Bykov’s works were those of Lyudmila Ulitskaya and Boris Akunin.

Dmitry Bykov
Dmitry Bykov in 2021 /
Credit: Rodrigo Fernández (CC)

Bykov has battled Russian censors for years. In 2023, a leading publishing house, AST, suspended the printing and sale of Bykov’s books. Still, Bykov’s books are not officially banned from sale. In May, MO reported on a previous investigation into the availability of his books; they were still easily obtainable. This recent push for the elimination of Bykov’s books follows his being placed on Russia's international wanted list. Bykov has been investigated for “spreading deliberately false information about the use of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation.”  

In reality, Bykov has been speaking out against Putin for two decades. In 2019, he was poisoned while touring Russia to give readings of his works. The investigative outlet Bellingcat connected his poisoning to that of the Russian opposition leader Alexey Navalny through a Federal Security Service chemical weapons unit.

Bykov, now in the US and teaching at the University of Rochester, has embraced Russia’s disavowal. He said he believes Putin to be a mere symptom of a larger epidemic in Russian society. In 2024, Bykov told The Moscow Times that, “Putin is the hero of a performance, an actor playing a role, one written not by him but by Russia’s cyclical history. Putin expresses feelings of traditional Russian resentment that was described by Dostoyevsky in Notes from the Underground more than a century and a half ago.”

Bykov has expressed a confident hope in Russia’s future, and in the return of his works to the country's public. He is currently working on a new novel titled Intimacy, some of which is already published on the Freedom Letters website, a publishing house dedicated to the distribution of literature banned in Russia. He told MO that in some cases his books can still be ordered and delivered to Russia – in a message to Russian consumers, Bykov said, “Go to the site, order, and I’ll send you an autograph by mail.”

 

You Might Also Like

Poetry Smackdown
  • May 01, 2016

Poetry Smackdown

Maria Zakharova, Russia’s foreign ministry spokesperson, staged a poetry slam of sorts with writer Dmitry Bykov after he published a lyrical comment about the initiative announced by Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu: to launch a national soccer league. This poetic exchange, however, is more about Zakharova’s verbal style than the substance of the matter.
The George Orwell Library
  • November 09, 2023

The George Orwell Library

A library in Ivanovo promotes intellectual growth and independent thought, offering literature from "foreign agents."
Unwritten Resolution
  • July 14, 2023

Unwritten Resolution

Nizhny Novgorod court shuts "LGBT Propaganda" case on local bookstore.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of our Books

How Russia Got That Way
September 20, 2025

How Russia Got That Way

A fast-paced crash course in Russian history, from Norsemen to Navalny, that explores the ways the Kremlin uses history to achieve its ends.

Survival Russian
February 01, 2009

Survival Russian

Survival Russian is an intensely practical guide to conversational, colloquial and culture-rich Russian. It uses humor, current events and thematically-driven essays to deepen readers’ understanding of Russian language and culture. This enlarged Second Edition of Survival Russian includes over 90 essays and illuminates over 2000 invaluable Russian phrases and words.

Life Stories
September 01, 2009

Life Stories

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.

The Moscow Eccentric
December 01, 2016

The Moscow Eccentric

Advance reviewers are calling this new translation "a coup" and "a remarkable achievement." This rediscovered gem of a novel by one of Russia's finest writers explores some of the thorniest issues of the early twentieth century.

The Little Humpbacked Horse
November 03, 2014

The Little Humpbacked Horse

A beloved Russian classic about a resourceful Russian peasant, Vanya, and his miracle-working horse, who together undergo various trials, exploits and adventures at the whim of a laughable tsar, told in rich, narrative poetry.

Bears in the Caviar
May 01, 2015

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is the 31-year-old publication of an award-winning publishing house that also creates books, 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