Day of the Oprichnik

Vladimir Sorokin · b. 1955 · Russia

Originally Den Oprichnika (Russian)

Why it matters

A single day in the life of a secret policeman serving a restored, fascist-czarist future Russia unfolds with grotesque, gleeful precision. Sorokin's banned dystopia has only grown more prophetic with time.

At a glance

Invented archaic-futurist vocabulary and grotesque set pieces require adjustment despite a clear day-structure.