Trying to Wake Up

"Trying to Wake Up" is the first result in the history of Russian literature from the collaboration between a human and a machine. The human is Pavel Pepperstein, a writer, artist, and visionary. The machine is NeuroPepperstein, a linguistic model ruGPT-3 trained on Pavel's texts and capable of imitating his style to such a degree of plausibility that we left the opportunity for readers to guess who stands behind each of the 24 stories in this book. The kaleidoscope of plots in this collection is interesting not only as an experiment at the intersection of literature and technology but also as magical tales that melt reality — you can expect a new reading of "The Turnip", chess games that change the course of history, the meeting of saboteur Rebrov with powerful Ancients, the mysterious squirrel of forgetfulness, as well as ghosts, dreamers, and sorcerers.

Can Pepperstein's psychedelic realism reach new, intoxicating, and tickling heights with the help of a digital echo of his talent? What makes an author a writer, and can neural networks claim that title? What does the future of literature look like, and where do human criteria for its evaluation end? "Trying to Wake Up" provides answers to these questions and raises new ones."