In the late 90s, this book, rightly called by a German art critic “a stunning declaration of love,” won a whole bunch of literary awards (including the State Prize of the Russian Federation). The action of the novel “Khurramabad” (the prototype of which is the real Dushanbe) unfolds over more than half a century - from the late twenties, when the Russians moved to Central Asia following Soviet power, to the present day, when they rolled back to Russia in even greater numbers. The split of the empire and the chaos of the civil war forced them to flee, leaving everything behind them , which was created and acquired by the labor of several generations. The individual destinies traced in the novel add up to a colorful picture, without which an idea of the life not only of Tajikistan, but also of modern Russia would be incomplete, and confirm the simple idea that suffering, devotion , love and hope have no nationality. Khurramabad: a city that does not exist? Or, on the contrary, do we all walk its streets? A city of serenity and happiness - or a city of cruelty and melancholy?