“Like most spineless people, that is, like most people in general, I was easily satisfied with the first thing that came into my hands, jumped into my mouth or darted into the depths of my codpiece. At the same time, without any effort, I managed to convince not only my acquaintances, but even myself that no, on the contrary, all these, so to speak, delicacies pass my most serious, picky, if not capriciously whimsical, selection. As a result, sipping lukewarm swill from the general barracks trough, I was in full confidence that I was tasting the finest works of art created by the virtuosos of French cuisine,” this is how the hero of the novel “Lunch” describes the menu of his life. This existentialist Russian-European novel was shortlisted for the 2000 Booker Prize. Marina Paley opened a new genre for them: the rebellious novel.