Constellation of Goatfish. Stories, Parables

Fazil Iskander became known immediately after the publication of the story "Constellation of Goatfish" in "Novy Mir". The satire on Soviet society, striving to improve life through sometimes absurd means, was so relevant that it was immediately embraced by all. The story-parable, practically a dystopia, "Rabbits and Boas" brought the writer worldwide fame. The writer is interested in the correlation of hope, fear, and freedom. A clear understanding of the psychological mechanism of suppressing personality: one can only hypnotize a person who is experiencing fear, and the nature of personality suppression is exclusively hidden in the fear experienced by the person themselves — the most important thought of the story. In the parable "Wide-headed", which later became part of the novel in stories "Sandro from Chegem", Fazil Iskander once again emphasized that it is impossible to enslave someone who unconditionally strives for freedom, desperately resisting.