Leningrad Time. The Disappearing City and Its Rock Heroes

Legends are made about Leningrad in the 1960s-1980s. It was a great time of flourishing underground culture, a time of communal apartments and the notorious deficit, a literary boom and a cult of sports. The country was undergoing rapid changes, and it was Leningrad that became the center of these transformations. The author of the publication Leningrad Time, rock musician and writer Vladimir Rekshan, recreates the former atmosphere of his city, recalling with tenderness and subtle humor the most interesting details of Soviet youth and maturity. The pages of the book encompass an entire era. In this Leningrad, the world has yet to know Viktor Tsoi walking the streets, while at the Saigon cafe one can meet Joseph Brodsky or Sergei Dovlatov. Here, speculators trade jeans and scarce rock records, while at the Philatelist store, Chinese stamps are given away almost for free. Vladimir Rekshan shares memories of Leningrad, where he was born and raised. It exists, and it no longer exists. This book is about a disappearing city that has transformed into modern Saint Petersburg; about its details, curiosities, and the heroes of its time.