"Stargorod is emphatically not big..." So begins Peter Aleshkovsky's profound, humorous, mystical and poetic novel in stories - a tribute to Russian provincial life that is a modern heir to Gogol's Mirgorod tales. Stargorod is a mid-sized provincial city that exists only in Russian metaphorical space. It has its roots in Gogol, and Ilf and Petrov, and is a place far from Moscow, but close to Russian hearts. It is a place of mystery and normality, of provincial innocence and Black Earth wisdom. Strange, inexplicable things happen in Stargorod. So do good things. And bad things. A lot like life everywhere, one might say. Only with a heavy dose of vodka, longing and mystery. Peter...