The Soviet Union disappeared on Dec. 26, 1991, but Soviet man has been more tenacious. His influence on Ukraine, which voted to secede from the Soviet Union a month before its eventual collapse, has been more ambiguous. In the early ’90s, Kurkov was optimistic about the country’s future and believed that democracy would soon take root. Borrowing money from friends, he published the novel at his own expense and sold it on the streets of Kyiv. Newspaper kiosks started distributing the novel, and within a year the print run of 25,000 had sold out.

Source: New York Times May 30, 2022 01:39 UTC