Torrent River

Vladimir Makanin (1937–2017) was born in the city of Orsk, in the Urals, and lived in Moscow. He wrote many short stories, novellas, and novels over a span of more than forty years, including the novels Asan (2008) and Underground, or Hero of Our Time (1999). He won the 1993 Booker Russian Prize, the 1998 Pushkin Prize, and the 2012 European Prize for Literature.

Mary Ann Szporluk is a translator and editor. Her translations include Vladimir Makanin’s Escape Hatch: Two Novellas and Irma Kudrova’s The Death of a Poet: The Last Days of Marina Tsvetaeva. (updated 7/2012)