Yudol

Mikhail Elizarov — prose writer, musician, author of the novels "Earth" (National Bestseller Prize), "Librarian" (Russian Booker Prize), "Pasternak" and "Cartoons", collections "Nails" (shortlist of the Andrei Bely Prize), "We Went Out to Smoke for 17 Years" (reader's voting prize of the "NOS" prize), "Burattini", "Shells. Cubes". "Yudol" — a new novel.

"It seems like our old yard, where the coffin with Granny Vera stood. Only she is alive, as well as her sister Lyudmila, uncle Mikhail, grandfather Alexei. Everyone is nervous, waiting for transport with sugar. Granny Vera shows that three fingers on her hand are swollen. The same goes for the uncle: thumb, index, middle. And for Lyudmila and grandfather Alexei. An ancient truck arrives, rattling, an everlasting Soviet hearse — there are bags.

Suddenly a crowd of neighbors rushes in — all with swollen fingers! I ask: "Why?" Relatives cross themselves in response. I look at my right wrist — swollen to darkness three-fingered. I cross myself out of decency with everyone, but the uncle has already heaved a bag of sugar onto his back and is dragging it. "Yudol" is not a novel, but a requiem..." (Mikhail Elizarov)