The book by the writer and journalist Arkan Kariv (1963–2012) includes two of his novels, as well as a variety of short prose (stories, essays, reviews) written for periodicals. The novel “Once Upon a Time in Bishkek,” published for the first time and completed by the author shortly before his death, has the subtitle: “a novel about love.” The hero of the novel is still the same Martyn Zilber, a kind of alter ego of the author, known to his readers from the novel “The Translator”. An adventurous plot, based on modern political realities, this time brings Zilber to Bishkek to participate in the election campaign of one of the presidential candidates.