Territory

Oleg Mikhailovich Kuvaev (1934–1975), geologist and writer, left a remarkable mark in domestic literature during his short life. His novel «Territory» (1974) has gone through more than twenty editions and has been translated into many languages of the world.
What is Territory? Chukotka, the easternmost tip of Siberia? Geographically — yes. But artistically — much broader. Territory for Kuvaev is a planet without borders on the map, populated by people devoted to their cause, who know the roughness and beauty of the real world, living as those who have found their life’s purpose should. The Territory is a harsh world, merciless to the weak and cowardly, and generous to the strong-willed and determined. A young man, Sergey Baklakov, finds himself at the very «edge of the world», in the Settlement, from where search parties depart into the endless tundra to look for gold. But gold is merely a pretext for work; Kuvaev's heroes are searching for something else entirely — the meaning of life. «Territory» is a romantic saga about the discovered meaning. Kuvaev wrote it in the traditions of the prose of the sixties: sharply delineating characters, stylishly depicting landscapes, playing with quotes, minting aphorisms, constantly changing intonations — combining sentimentality and pathos with irony.