Two novellas showcasing the best of new Russian writing. Two short novels from Russia, both painting a vivid portrait of life for the new generation: of young people in their late teens and early 20s stung by their first contact with harsh reality. Mendeleev Rock by Andrei Kuzechkin takes place in a typical provincial town in Central Russia and presents a gallery of recognisable modern-day types: radically-minded youths, ruthless skinheads, drunken intellectuals, the local elite and its fallen fortune-seekers. Its hero is the frontman of a failed rock band, torn between two loves, yearning for faraway glamorous cities as he grasps for his identity. In search of new inspiration he slips into the darker reaches of society: a religious sect, a gang of local thugs... Rooftop Anesthesia by Pavel Kostin is another story of misadventure. Out of boredom one young man invents his own entertainment: climbing down abandoned high-rises. Soon he and his dubious assistants become city celebrities, their hobby followed by many others. But with fame comes the cold calculation of PR managers, as the 'merry rage' with which the movement started gives way to the unhinged craze of life in the media spotlight.

Two novellas showcasing the best of new Russian writing. Two short novels from Russia, both painting a vivid portrait of life for the new generation: of young people in their late teens and early 20s stung by their first contact with harsh reality. Mendeleev Rock by Andrei Kuzechkin takes place in a typical provincial town in Central Russia and presents a gallery of recognisable modern-day types: radically-minded youths, ruthless skinheads, drunken intellectuals, the local elite and its fallen fortune-seekers. Its hero is the frontman of a failed rock band, torn between two loves, yearning for faraway glamorous cities as he grasps for his identity. In search of new inspiration he slips into the darker reaches of society: a religious sect, a gang of local thugs... Rooftop Anesthesia by Pavel Kostin is another story of misadventure. Out of boredom one young man invents his own entertainment: climbing down abandoned high-rises. Soon he and his dubious assistants become city celebrities, their hobby followed by many others. But with fame comes the cold calculation of PR managers, as the ‘merry rage’ with which the movement started gives way to the unhinged craze of life in the media spotlight.