“This book is a memoir of things in my life. The entire second half of the 20th century and a good part of the 21st century were preserved in these objects. I think that they can say no less about time than people. I firmly believe that the heroes’ clothes and small accessories are no less important than their portraits, everyday habits and even social status. Onegin’s “wide bolivar” and “waking breguet”, “Navarino’s tailcoat smoke with flame” and Chichikov’s deftly twisted tie, Oblomov’s robe, Belikov’s umbrella and sunglasses, the “Manlicher” pistol stolen by Pavka Korchagin, “Jordanian trousers” from Aksenov’s “It’s a pity” “that you were not with us”, the Lendlease leather jacket of Trifonov’s Shulepnikov - this whole flea market, a list, in modern terms, of brands and trends is the literary flesh of the named heroes. I won’t even talk about Balzac’s careerists and the titans of bourgeoisism created by Galsworthy - without frock coats and dresses for morning visits, they don’t exist at all...”Alexander Kabakov