One of The Telegraph's Best Fiction Books of 2011
"Vladimir Sorokin is one of Russia's greatest writers, and this novel
is one of his best . . . A joy to read--more entertaining, dynamic,
engaging, and deeply hilarious than a dystopian novel has any right to
be." --Gary Shteyngart, author of Absurdistan and Super Sad True Love
Story
A startling, relentless portrait of a troubled and troubling Russian
empire, Vladimir Sorokin's Day of the Oprichnik is at once a richly
imagined vision of the future and a razor-sharp diagnosis of a country
in crisis.
Moscow, 2028. A scream, a moan, and a death rattle slowly pull Andrei
Danilovich Komiaga out of his drunken stupor. But wait--that's just his
ring tone. So begins another day in the life of an oprichnik, one of the
czar's most trusted courtiers--and one of the country's most feared men.
In this new New Russia, where futuristic technology and the draconian
codes of Ivan the Terrible are in perfect synergy, Komiaga will attend
extravagant parties, partake in brutal executions, and consume an
arsenal of drugs. He will rape and pillage, and he will be moved to
tears by the sweetly sung songs of his homeland.
Vladimir Sorokin has imagined a near future both too disturbing to
contemplate and too realistic to dismiss. But like all of his best work,
Sorokin's new novel explodes with invention and dark humor.
