A collection of articles and essays by Vladimir Sorokin, written in the 2010s.

A vivid, original, unexpected, precise, and nuanced account of not only the first decade of the new century, but also the entire preceding Soviet and post-Soviet period. Sorokin's texts remain remarkably topical and relevant, even if the events they describe are now history.

Sorokin manages to pack an incredible amount of content into a short essay: the plot constantly shifts, drawing in new artifacts of the time, references, allusions, quotes, and memories. As a result, this vibrant, colorful mosaic, each piece of which can be viewed as a separate gem, forms a vast canvas of Russian, and indeed human, life in the 20th and 21st centuries. The topics of these essays range widely, from the attitude toward corporeality in 19th-century Russian literature, the Soviet period, and the avant-garde to a trip to Norway with a mandatory visit to the Edvard Munch Museum and a gastronomic adventure featuring the national staple, lutefisk; from a fantastical account of the Moscow of the future to a profound analysis of the work of Dmitry Prigov. These short, pithy, and vivid essays are difficult to read one after another; they invite reflection, savoring the magnificent, polished style, and taking a fresh look around.

Abstract

'Normal History' is a collection of articles and essays by Vladimir Sorokin, written in the 2010s. On the one hand, it is a vivid and precise snapshot of the era, and on the other, original and vivid reflections on the world around us. Travel essays and sociological observations, personal memoirs and literary notes, gastronomic details and architectural nuances – Sorokin masterfully blends journalism with fiction and finds completely unexpected interpretations of a wide variety of topics. Giant traffic jams as a sign of a new Moscow style, the relationship between poets and alcohol, the 'literariness' of Russian power and an overnight train journey from East to West Berlin, a dialogue between a foreigner and a Muscovite, taking place in the Russia of the future. Whatever Sorokin writes about, his texts are always original, topical, and stylistically impeccable.

Authors: Vladimir Sorokin