The Island of Crimea (Ostrov Krym)

The works of Vasily Aksyonov, one of the most iconic Russian writers, are well known not only in Russia but also abroad. For decades, he remained the voice of his generation, addressing the most complex and pressing topics with brilliant prose. His celebrated novel, 'The Island of Crimea,' was written between 1977 and 1979, before the author left the USSR, but was first published in the United States in 1981. Russian readers were only able to discover it in 1990, and even then they were struck by both its bold plot twist (what if Crimea had been a fully fledged island, and what if it had gone to the Whites during the Civil War?) and Aksyonov's extraordinary gift of foresight. It is one of those truly classic works that not only remain timeless over time, but acquire ever new meanings. This edition also includes the experimental travelogue 'In Search of a Genre' (1972) and the novella 'Our Golden Iron' (1973). Rich in precise detail, ironic, combining the mundane and the sublime, confessional and playful, Aksyonov's prose gives readers an enduring sense of freedom and the fullness of being.