Self-portrait Against the Background of a Russian Piano

In a Viennese café, an anonymous narrator meets the Russian pianist Suvorin. Once he was young and famous, lived in Leningrad, befriended great composers, but his life was poisoned by communism and alcohol. The narrator listens in admiration to Suvorin's story because he is well acquainted with what he is talking about. The more often these two meet, the harder it becomes to distinguish their voices. Furthermore, their acquaintance turns out to be no coincidence. A novel about creativity, loneliness, and genius, as well as the recklessness with which one should face old age. "Self-portrait Against the Background of a Russian Piano" is a literary sonata dedicated to the eternal question of whether beauty, music, and passion are worth the sacrifices that some people are forced to make for them.