A farcical detective story and a profoundly refractive tale about a Russian migr living in prewar Berlin who commits suicide after being humiliated by a jealous husband, only to suffer even greater indiginities in the afterlife. - A wonderfully layered exploration of the...
Smurov, a fussily self-conscious Russian tutor, shoots himself after a humiliating beating by his mistress' husband. Unsure whether his suicide has been successful or not, Smurov drifts around Berlin, observing his acquaintances, but finds he can discover very little about his...
Set in Russian emigration in pre-Hitler Germany, the story follows Smurov, a failed suicide, Bolshevik spy, and war hero. In love and homosexual at different times, he lives among an expatriate bourgeoisie. With elements of a mystery novel, the narrative explores shifting identity...