Moscow to the End of the Line (Moskva-Petushki)

Venedikt Erofeev is a striking and controversial figure in Russian literature. His celebrated poem 'Moscow-Petushki,' written back in 1970, is a kind of philosophical parable, a timeless work, for Erofeev created his own world, his own universe, at the center of which is man, 'man as the meeting place of all planes of existence.' First published in the magazine 'Sobriety and Culture,' 'Moscow-Petushki' was a true revelation for readers and was later translated into many languages. 'In Erofeev's universe, there is no common sense, no logic, no law, no order. Viewed from the outside, he remains incomprehensible. Only by engaging with Erofeev's poetics, only by adopting his surreal language, only by becoming one of the characters, and ultimately a co-author, can the reader sense the ideological tension of the philosophical and religious dialogue conducted by the 'leap-year people.'' But even then, the reader might recognize Yerofeyev's worldview, but not understand it. Truth, after all, cannot be obtained secondhand' (A. Genis).