Collected Works. Volume 4 (1999-2000). I Planned a Escape. The Geometry of Love

The family saga "I Planned a Escape…", completed by the author in 1999, has become a kind of culmination of diverse searches and, according to some literary scholars, one of the peaks of domestic fiction of the 20th century. Yuri Polyakov, telling the story of an ordinary couple, the Bashmakovs, immerses us in the complex, changeable, and subtle world of the relationships between men and women, connected by habitual love and family ties, which they sometimes perceive as shackles. And here, the author believes, the main thing is not to confuse a crisis with a collapse. 

The family drama unfolds against the backdrop of significant historical events – the last years of the existence and collapse of the great country called the USSR. 

Since its writing, this book has gone through about twenty editions and continues to be in demand among discerning readers who appreciate a sharp plot, subtle psychology, intelligent irony, appropriate erotica, and a polished aphoristic style. 

Considering the writer's gender transparency, one critic exclaimed: "Polyakov has exposed us men, with all our insides!" The bestseller "I Planned a Escape…" has been adapted into a film, translated into many languages, and was recognized in China as the best foreign novel of 2004.