Octopus
Alexander's contract with the bank in Nagoya where he worked is expiring and he must return home to Russia. But before that, the young man decides to visit the small fishing island of Himakajima, where he is involved in complicated relationships and events. The calm narrative gradually fills with dynamics, tension and horror as the island falls into the deadly embrace of a powerful earthquake and devastating tsunami.
Anneet Grigoryan presents a strange, haunting story in which reality and mysticism intertwine to weave a dense and fascinating text with its particular poetics. Ancient superstitions and modern Japanese life come to life, and the island itself, "photographed" with accuracy in typhoon season, with its torrential rains and unsolved secrets, somehow naturally fits among the main characters.
Anneet Grigoryan
The Russian writer Anneet Grigoryan (b. 1983) completed two majors in her native St. Petersburg - philology and biology, and even became a doctor of biological sciences. But she devotes herself to literature and in 2018 she was nominated for the "Lyceum" award for young fiction writers and poets.
She translates Japanese authors and defines Japanese culture as her "second home". Her great popularity came with the novel Octopus (2021), which reflects her amazing knowledge of Japan and her attitude towards this magnetic country.
