A Land the Size of Binoculars

One of the brightest lights on the postperestroika literary scene, Igor Klekh is influenced by the great Russian literary tradition as well as the languages of Eastern and Central Europe and his native western Ukraine. His breathtakingly original work has been welcomed as a fresh synthesis of multiple literary traditions, drawing comparisons with Jorge Luis Borges's for the blurring of boundaries between forms and styles; Nikolai Gogol's focus on the ontology of the word; Umberto Eco's use of esoteric knowledge; and the stylistic innovations reminiscent of Latin American magic realists. An excellent introduction to one of the best stylists in contemporary Russian prose, A Land the Size of Binoculars collects most of Klekh's major fictional work to date, including three novellas and five short pieces. Book jacket.