One of the first Russian writers to make a name for herself on the
Internet, Linor Goralik writes conversational short works that conjure
the absurd in all its forms, reflecting post-Soviet life and daily
universals. Her mastery of the minimal, including a wide range of
experiments in different forms of micro-prose, is on full display in
this collection of poems, stories, comics, a play, and an interview,
here translated for the first time.
In Found Life, speech, condensed to the extreme, captures a vivid
picture of fleeting interactions in a quickly moving world. Goralik's
works evoke an unconventional palette of moods and atmospheres--slight
doubt, subtle sadness, vague unease--through accumulation of unexpected
details and command over colloquial language. While calling up a range
of voices, her works are marked by a distinct voice, simultaneously
slightly naïve and deeply ironic. She is a keen observer of the female
condition, recounting gendered tribulations with awareness and
amusement. From spiritual rabbits and biblical zoos to poems about loss
and comics about poetry, Goralik's colorful language and pervasive dark
comedy capture the heights of ridiculousness and the depths of grief.