The Stairway to Heaven: A 20th Century Saga

By Val Khokhlov

The Stairway to Heaven is a multi-generational saga that traces the lives of diverse characters against the turbulent backdrop-from the Russian Empire to the Soviet Union and the post-Soviet world. Through their personal struggles, the novel explores themes of memory, identity, and moral choices shaping the human nature in times of upheaval.
Spanning the entire century-from 1901 to 2000-the story unfolds in 11 interconnected episodes, each linked through the relationships of its protagonists. Some characters linger in quiet reflection on a lazy afternoon, while others are hurled into the chaos of the Russian Revolution and Civil War. Some are carefree students enjoying underground and bohemian life, while others endure the horrors of Stalin's Gulag. Readers will encounter familiar faces-from a world-famous writer, to prominent military leaders, and even two iconic Russian rock musicians in their young years. These figures share the stage with purely fictional characters: a former actress, a secret service agent, and two teenage boys living on the remnants of the collapsed Soviet empire in the 1990s.
The Stairway to Heaven blends lyrical melancholy with dramatic events shaking the entire world, Joycean stream-of-consciousness with Bulgakovian mysticism, references to Baudelaire's and Rimbaud's poetry with uncompromised historical realism. With its fragmented structure-each chapter focusing on a different character and era-the novel weaves a mosaic of voices into a single saga, painting a vivid, multifaceted portrait of the 20th century.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0GQPSQTLM
• ISBN13: 9798249179908
• Release Date: February 2026
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"