Najít Taťánu – Matvejevová Anna (2018)

The novella by popular contemporary Russian writer Anna Matveeva, author of the bestseller The Dyatlov Pass, takes readers behind the scenes of a provincial opera scene. Fragments of the inner world of painter Sogrin intertwine with life episodes of his lifelong love, Tatiana. In detailed descriptions of everyday life, the reader learns almost incidentally why acting is a hereditary profession or why mother-daughter relationships can be so complicated. Above all, it is a book about love, desire, and hope. Initially fragmented, seemingly unrelated episodes and individual characters gradually merge into one life story. The author builds her narrative on feelings, on the atmosphere of the artistic world, which she masterfully conveys thanks to her perfect knowledge of the theatrical environment. The author’s specific expressive style, full of fresh images and metaphors, also contributes to the fact that the novella, despite its complex structure, can be read in one breath. It is a sensitively and lightly written prose that touches on deep and eternal questions of human existence. The plot culminates in a relieving catharsis, yet much remains unresolved...