The Moscoviad

The Moscoviad (Ukrainian: Московіада) is a 1993 novel by the Ukrainian author Yuri Andrukhovych. His second novel, it was translated from the original Ukrainian into English by Vitaly Chernetsky in 2009. It may be regarded as a part of the trilogy which also includes Perverzion and Recreations. The three novels are not logically connected but all of them feature the postmodern style and deal with the same type of the protagonist — a picaresque Ukrainian poet. The Moscoviad depicts the adventures of Otto Vilgelmovych von F. which take place in the course of one day in 1992 in Moscow shown as a diverse, multicultural and disorganized city controlled by KGB and having imperial ambitions. The text is written in a rich and vivid language, exhibiting the elements of magic realism and mentioning multiple historical and cultural figures. Although the original text's language is Ukrainian, it contains many sentences in Russian and German spelled in Ukrainian for a more pronounced comic effect.

Although the novel has one clearly defined plot of action, the narrative is sometimes interrupted by the hero's reminiscences as well as by his appeals to the fictitious Ukrainian king Olelko the Second. Other non-linear elements include alternative outcomes (endings) and multiple references to famous historical and cultural figures who do not appear directly in the novel.

A condensed plot of action follows.

The Ukrainian poet Otto von F. wakes up in his Moscow dormitory room. He comes down to take a shower in the basement where he makes love to an unknown Malagasy girl. Returning from the shower to his room, he discovers his three older friends (Yura Holitsyn, Arnold Horobets and Boris Roitman) who talk him into going to a disreputable bar with them. At the bar (bar-na-Fonvizina), the four friends consume a large quantity of low-quality beer. Otto pronounces a speech that calls for Ukraine's separation from Russia, to everyone's applause.

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