“I considered it desirable that he should know nothing about me but it was even better if he knew several things which were quite wrong.”
― The Third Policeman, Flann O'Brien
Greetings, wanderer!
§1 Nova Nevédoma1, or NoNe, is a literary locus and a solo samizdat imprint of genre-defying and experimental fiction from Tulubaika. I, that is Vanya Bagaev, am the main author behind it.
My work is concerned with literature and everything surrounding it, be it the creation of new works or discussions of literature I've enjoyed.
In my own literary endeavours, expect weird characters in whimsical situations, unhinged dialogue, absurd and dark humour, dreamlike sequences, helical narratives, hysterical surrealism, magical realism, sudden philosophical and psychological romps, and stylised prose often infused with poetry. You'll find witty comedy, poignant twists, logic and lunacy, literary anarchy, magical degeneracy, and many other sublime matters. In essence and in form, it's literature for the sake of literature.
In pieces of literature and art, expect discussions of Chekhov, theatre, modernist literature, especially, but not limited to, Russian modernism and postmodernism, formalism, futurism, and the avant-garde.
§2.1. My most recent published work to date is “Deleted Scenes from the Bestselling Utopian Novel”, a mosaic novel inspired by the surreal and absurd reality of Russia. I highly recommend checking it out. It’s been getting favourable reviews (you can find some of them on the linked page) and was featured in Readsy Discovery.
It’s a surreal, experimental dystopian narrative set in the remote, snow-covered island of Novo Tsarstvo, an uncanny reflection of contemporary Russia. Through a mosaic of perspectives, the author explores the lives of ordinary people struggling under a totalitarian regime where reality blends with nightmares. The novel combines psychological horror with dark humour to examine themes of truth, violence, and freedom, while showcasing the resilience of the human spirit in the face of oppression.
You can get it from Blackwell’s with free international delivery or from your favourite online bookseller, e.g. Amazon, Waterstones (UK), Foyles (UK), Barnes & Noble (US), Hugendubel (DE), Kobo (ebook), and others.
Should you encounter any issues with getting hold of a copy, don’t hesitate reaching out by sending me a DM on Substack or an email.
If you don't have spare lucres, message me (I insist). I want you to read it all regardless of where you have ended up on the capitalism spectrum.
§2.2 I wrote a guide to my fiction archives that serves as a catalogue of my work, a table of contents, a map to help beginners navigate NoNe. All of the stories there live on my main website. Most of them, except those which went to print, are available to read for free.
§2.3 Nevédomosti2 is my regular | irregular newsletters featuring things literature, findings, readings, publication and personal updates, rants and observations, etm. a pot-pourri of whatever’s on my mind and whatever I find worth sharing.
§2.4 Full Substack archive is available here. Other than short fictions, you can find essays, literary analysis, translations, and other things.
§3.1 Should you be eager to support my work financially, consider subscribing on Substack. Paid subscribers get access to free ebook versions of my published works, digital Advanced Reader Copies of my future books, and, if they wish so, can be listed in the Acknowledgements section. It’s $5/mo for a standard subscription.
If you’re not a fan of subscriptions at all but still want to support my independent literary efforts, you can use one-time donations of any custom amount.
Complementary subscriptions available for those for whom capitalism has been less kind. Reach me out (I insist):
§3.3 But the best way to support me is to buy my books, talk about them with your family, followers, friends, and write reviews!
Thank you for your attention. I hope this makes sense, no worries if not.
Before you go…
lit. the New Unknown, Obscure, Unexplored, or even Subconscious—depends on which Slavic language you pick.
The title is a sophisticated wordplay that comes as twist on the publication’s title and a reference to the format of historical Russian newspapers ("vedomosti") while inverting their purpose of making things known by incorporating the negative prefix "ne-" (not, un-), essentially creating an oxymoronic "gazette of the unknown."
