Read more
Light-Headed is a zany, anarchic black comedy which satirises life in contemporary Russia. At its heart is the question what is important in life and what sacrifices an individual should be expected to make for the good of others.
Maxim T. Yermakov was born with an empty space in his head above his brain. As a child this led to him being four kilos less than the normal weight until his mother force-fed him. Always aware of feeling light-headed Maxim was good at school, acquiring information not from books but out of the air. He left the provinces for Moscow where he worked as a brand manager for a chocolate manufacturer. He was contemplating buying his first flat when one day two sinister individuals turned up at the factory to see him. His light head was causing all sorts of problems, it was an alpha object which created natural disasters, terrorist outrages and buildings to collapse. Maxim T. Yermakov's existence threatened the well-being of the state and its citizens. He should do the decent thing and commit suicide. Maxim T. Yermakov refused and began his unequal struggle with the organs of the state.
About the author
Olga Slavnikova was born in 1957 in the Urals. She now lives in Moscow where she works as a journalist and as the director of the Debut Prize which champions the work of new authors. In 2006 she won The Russian Booker Prize for 2017. Light-Headed was shortlisted for the 2011 Big Book and 2012 Russian Booker awards and won Book of the Year Award 2011 at the Moscow International Book Fair.
