Rights sold: Russia - Olga Morozova publishing house, AST; Slovenia - LUD, World English - Dalkey Archive Press

These essays came about in response to a question asked of contemporary writers by the magazine Znamia: "Is Gogol's creative experience relevant today (and to you personally) and, if so, how?" The answer, writes Vladislav Otroshenko, that struck him immediately consisted of two sentences: "Gogol died of literature. That is what must be known if we are to know whether Gogol's creative experience is relevant—today, tomorrow—to anyone personally."