<div> This remarkable collection brings together the best writers of the Russian literary renaissance, providing the English-speaking reader with the largest, most representative anthology of works published during the 1980s in the Soviet Union.<br> <br> The ten writers included here are all literary stars whose works have evoked both praise and controversy, often provoking charges of excessive naturalism and pessimism. These stories illuminate new worlds as previously forbidden themes are explored in works of genuine merit.<br> <br> Included are biographical sketches and an introduction that places the authors--most of whom are making their debut in English--within the context of Russian literature during the Gorbachev era.<br> </div>