It would seem that the world of metaphysical St. Petersburg has long been mastered in detail by literature, but Lev Naumov’s novel “The Dream Swimmer,” located at the intersection of magical realism and Russian symbolism, shows that its space is always new and extraordinary. In this work you can find the features of an action-packed detective story, literary-centric philosophical reflection, chilling horror, and even a romantic drama. In any case, the story is about how a fashionable writer, the author of popular books, solves one of the central problems of modern culture - why did people stop reading? – is unlikely to leave anyone indifferent or seem irrelevant to someone.