The 7 Best Contemporary Russian-Language Novellas

Short enough to finish in an evening and sharp enough to argue about for years. Post-Soviet satire, Siberian tragedy and a dystopian snowstorm share the shelf.

1. 1
   The Time: Night

   Lyudmila Petrushevskaya's 1992 novella, the diary of a poet holding her destitute family together.
2. 2
   Omon Ra

   Viktor Pelevin's 1992 satire about a boy trained for a Soviet moon mission that is not what it seems.
3. 3
   The Yellow Arrow

   Pelevin's 1993 allegory set on an endless train heading towards a ruined bridge.
4. 4
   The Recluse and Six-Toes

   Pelevin's 1990 parable about two broiler chickens plotting escape from a poultry factory.
5. 5
   The Blizzard

   Vladimir Sorokin's 2010 novella about a doctor fighting through a snowstorm in a strange future Russia.
6. 6
   Ivan's Daughter, Ivan's Mother

   Valentin Rasputin's 2003 novella about a Siberian mother who takes justice into her own hands.
7. 7
   The Prince of Gosplan

   Pelevin's 1991 novella about a Soviet office worker who lives inside the computer games he plays at work.

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