Vladimir Kazakov, the author of the cult "Alcohol Chronicles," for the first time in Russian journalism, details the beer halls of late Soviet Moscow - the most important, yet almost uncharted social space of the era.
Here, the beer halls are not a background, but the main characters:
- the cult "Yama," where philosophers, hippies, and bohemia met;
- "Zhiguli," which experienced decline, revival, and visits from the highest officials of the state;
- "Saigon," surrounded by currency legends and underground fame;
- the beer halls of Gorky Park and VDNH, where foam, queues, and conversation were more important than the menu.
The author inherits the tradition of Vladimir Gilyarovsky, observing the city from within, through speech, daily life, habits, and human types. This is an honest, ironic, and at times lyrical book about male friendship, urban folklore, vanished routes, and that Moscow where the brewery was a way of life.