Fish: A History of One Migration An authentic novel of a Russian everywoman


This mesmerizing novel from one of Russia’s most important modern authors traces the life journey of a selfless Russian everywoman.


FISH Peter Aleshkovsky


Translator: Nina Shevchuk-Murray 230 pages, paperback • $16


In the wake of the Soviet breakup, inexorable forces drag Vera (“Faith” in Russian) from the desert of Central Asia, to exile in Southern Russia, to a remote forest-bound community of Estonians, to the chaos of Moscow. Facing a relentless onslaught of human and social trials, she swims against the current of life, countering adversity and pain with compassion and hope, in many ways personifying Mother Russia’s torment and resilience amid the Soviet disintegration. Vera gains the nickname “fish” from her abusive husband, who feels she is cold and unfeeling. Yet nothing could be further from the truth. Vera in fact discovers she has a powerful gift to alleviate the suffering of others, while she can do little to fend off the adversity that buffets her own life.


Aleshkovsky’s work is remarkable for his commit- ment to the realistic novel tradition, creating an expansive, gripping, often controversial story about the intimate fallout of imperial collapse.


“Prose of the highest calibre: every detail resonates with absolute authenticity, you can feel and hear the heroine’s every breath.”


– Maya Kucherskaya, Literary critic and author


Indeed, Fish is the first Russian novel to grapple with post-Soviet colonial “otherness” without transposing it into a fantastic, post-apocalyptic realm or reducing it to black-and-white conflicts of the popular detec- tive genres. Aleshkovsky has a mastery of evocative detail and mystical undercurrents, and his choice of a first-person, female narrator (extremely rare in Russia) makes Fish all the more significant.


Translator Nina Shevchuk-Murray was born and raised in the western Ukrainian city of L’viv. She holds degrees in English linguistics and Creative Writing. She translates both poetry and prose from the Russian and Ukrainian languages. Her translations and original poetry have been published in a number of literary magazines. With Ladetter Randolph, she co-edited the anthology of Nebraska non-fiction, The Big Empty.


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