The collection “The Poor Land” by the famous St. Petersburg writer Nina Katerli presents prose dating back to the seventies and eighties of the 20th century. The book contains both works of fantastic realism, a genre that brought the author fame, and traditional realistic stories. The collection includes the fantastic story “Kostylev,” written in 1983 and never published before. According to Nina Katerli, the general theme of the book “Poor Land” is the living human soul in the conditions of the absurd and deforming Soviet reality. The book contains a real commentary that will help introduce young reader into the socio-political, cultural and everyday context of the late Soviet era.