Bykov
The author
Dmitry Bykov was born in Moscow in 1967. He studied at the Moscow State University's Faculty of Journalism, and journalism is something he remains engaged with: he writes for the magazine 'Ogonek' and regularly produces articles, essays and reviews for the mass media.
Bykov's literary output is voluminous. He has published five novels, a biography of Pasternak (for which he won the 2007 ‘Big Booker' Prize), two collections of short stories, two volumes of essays and eight collections of poetry. He also has senior editorial positions in various publications, hosts a weekly radio show and appears regularly on Russian TV. His biography of Pasternak has been a critical and commercial success, enjoying three print runs. Commenting on this success, Bykov remarked that ‘Boris Leonidovich [Pasternak] has completely renovated my dacha'.
Provocative, flamboyant and with his fingers in dozens of pies, Dmitri Bykov revels in controversy. Though his literary versatility and verbal violence mark him out among contemporary Russian writers, he remains relatively unknown, and un-translated, in the West.
The text
Списанные
Bykov's latest novel, ‘Списанные' (‘Spissanie') is the first of a grotesque fantasy trilogy. The protagonist, a young TV script writer, suddenly finds himself on a secret list which includes, in addition to him, 180 other Muscovites aged 16 to 60. Nobody knows who, or what, has put them on this list. Fear, humiliation, hopes, rumours and the ghosts of the noughties - all find their way into this novel, part-thriller, part-fable and part-political satire.Click here or on the book cover for the pdf: