Anatoly Sukhanov's talent manifested itself early. His paintings, unusual and bright, fascinated Nina Malinina, the daughter of a high-ranking "art general." But Anatoly made his life choice not in favor of art, but in favor of prestige and comfort, and turned from a creator into a critic, editor of the leading Soviet art journal. In 1985, the life of 56-year-old Sukhanov suddenly changes: in a series of unexpected incidents, dreams and hallucinations, he discovers the truth about the life and death of his father, about young Nina, tossing between painting and love... This is a novel about a whole layer of culture, about the interaction of art and politics, and about the eternal questions of love and truth. Talant Anatolii︠a︡ Sukhanova proi︠a︡vilsi︠a︡ rano. Ego kartiny, neobychnye i i︠a︡rkie, zavorozhili Ninu Malininu, dochʹ vysokopostavlennogo "generala ot iskusstva". No Anatoliĭ sdelal svoĭ zhiznennyĭ vybor ne v polʹzu iskusstva, a v polʹzu prestizha i komforta, i prevratilsi︠a︡ iz tvort︠s︡a v kritika, redaktora vedushchego sovetskogo iskusstvovedcheskogo zhurnala. V 1985 godu zhiznʹ 56-letnego Sukhanova vnezapno meni︠a︡etsi︠a︡: v cherede neozhidannykh proisshestviĭ, snovideniĭ i galli︠u︡t︠s︡inat︠s︡iĭ emu otkryvaetsi︠a︡ pravda o zhizni i smerti ott︠s︡a, o i︠u︡noĭ Nine, mechushcheĭsi︠a︡ mezhdu zhivopisʹi︠u︡ i li︠u︡bovʹi︠u︡... Ėto roman o t︠s︡elom plaste kulʹtury, o vzaimodeĭstvii iskusstva i politiki, i ob izvechnykh voprosakh li︠u︡bvi i pravdy.

"Shedevr ironicheskogo si︠u︡rrealizma, polnyĭ voistinu gogolevskogo i︠u︡mora"--Cover. "Literaturno-khudozhestvennoe izdanie"--Colophon.