I was excited to read this before it arrived at my desk yesterday, but the cover art for Vladimir Sorokin’s Day of the Oprichnik (out March 22nd on Farrar, Straus and Giroux) is so incredibly sweet, that it seemed appropriate to give out the award this prematurely.
Does this beat out the prior #1 best example of Russian book cover featuring a bear?
I think I’m going to have to go with “yes,” for the following reasons.
1. That Shteyngart photo was on the back of The Russian Debutantes Handbook. Had it been on the front, it would have been super hilarious, and far more awesome.
2. The Oprichnik picture is an illustration of a bear with a dagger, a Rolex and a cross necklace. That is maybe the most ingenious combination I’ve ever seen.
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The Rolex definitely puts it over the top (in all the right ways).