“Murlov, or Overcoming Absence” is a novel about life and death, about the search for oneself, one’s place in life, about love that overcomes any obstacles, even leaving this world. A novel about Russian life in the second half of the last century, which cannot be considered in isolation from the entire previous culture, not only of Russia, but also of humanity. Dmitry Murlov, a former researcher, factory worker, and writer of historical novels, finds himself together with other people in a dungeon abandoned after the Civil War. Along the way, he is joined by other heroes, from whom he learns not only about their lives, but also understands a lot about his own. Stories and memories, as an indispensable attribute of any trip, reconstruct the life story not only of Murlov and his companions, but also of two or three generations of the main characters of the novel, their friends, enemies, acquaintances, who in one way or another played a significant role in their lives. While traveling through the dungeon, travelers make radial forays into medieval Italy, then into Athens during the time of Socrates, then into the city of Volozlin, in which they all lived most of their lives, then into the mythical city of Galera, in which the true essence of man and human relationships is revealed.