Shantaram

For the first time in Russian, this is one of the most astonishing novels of the early 21st century. This artistic confession of a man who managed to escape from the abyss and survive has rammed all the bestseller lists and earned enthusiastic comparisons with the works of the best writers of the new era, from Melville to Hemingway. Like the author, the hero of this novel hid from the law for many years. Deprived of parental rights after a divorce from his wife, he became addicted to drugs, committed a series of robberies and was sentenced by an Australian court to nineteen years in prison. Having escaped from a maximum security prison in his second year, he made his way to Bombay, where he worked as a counterfeiter and smuggler, sold weapons and took part in Indian mafia showdowns, and also found his true love, only to lose it again, only to find it again... A film adaptation of the novel is being prepared for release in 2011, with the incomparable Johnny Depp as the producer and lead actor.

"A man who is not deeply moved by Shantaram either has no heart, or is dead, or both. I have not read anything with such pleasure for many years. Shantaram is the Arabian Nights of our century. It is a priceless gift to all who love to read."