What will be the fate of the printed book in a world of intelligent fleas and holograms, viviparous fur and goldfish, after the New Middle Ages and the Second Islamic Revolution? In his novel 'Manaraga,' Vladimir Sorokin takes an unexpected turn in his reflections on humanity's relationship with the printed word. The protagonist's unusual profession—an underground activist, a romantic, and a master of his craft—forces us to rethink the book. Sorokin's novel can be read as an epitaph to printed literature—and a hymn to its eternal life.