Stalking the Atomic City
AuthorMarkiyan Kamysh
Original titleОформляндія
CountryUkraine
LanguageUkrainian
Publication date
2015
Published in English
April 05, 2022
Pages160
ISBN978-1-66260-127-9

Stalking the Atomic City: Life Among the Decadent and the Depraved of Chornobyl (Ukrainian: Оформляндія,[1] lit. Oformliandiia) is the debut book of Ukrainian writer[2] Markiyan Kamysh. It was originally published in Ukrainian in 2015, and the first English translation was published in 2022.[3] The book is [4] about Kamysh's experiences illegally exploring the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone.

Synopsis

Kamysh tells of his experiences as a "stalker" in the Chornobyl Exclusion Zone of Ukraine between 2010 and 2014. The majority of the book takes place within "The Zone," including Prypiat, Chornobyl-2, and the abandoned villages. Kamysh describes his fascination and obsession with The Zone, self-described "fetish" and "addiction" persists in spite of the various dangers that he encounters while stalking.

Kamysh makes clear that he does not support traditional "tourism." He criticizes those who would use something like a guide book or follow a traditional and official guided tour.

Throughout the book, Kamysh openly discusses his complicated relationship with The Zone. He has sworn off stalking multiple times, attempting to convince himself that it is not worth the time and risk to keep returning. These attempts are always unsuccessful, and he always returns to The Zone. As a testament to this, the book concludes with the phrase "I will return again."[5]

Reception

Multiple Ukrainian authors, including Andrey Kurkov have written positive reviews of the work. la Repubblica included the book on their list of the ten “books of the year" that "best represent the spirit of our times".[6] The Guardian called it “remarkable book”.[7]

References

  1. ↑ "Маркіян Камиш. Оформляндія. Чормет. Ряска". Книгарня Нора-Друк (in Ukrainian). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  2. ↑ "Маркіян Камиш: «1990-ті в Україні – абсолютний постапокаліпсис»". ЛітАкцент - світ сучасної літератури (in Ukrainian). 2016-07-13. Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  3. ↑ "Stalking the Atomic City". Astra Publishing House. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  4. ↑ "Оформляндія". ru-ru.facebook.com (in Russian). Retrieved 2023-04-27.
  5. ↑ Kamysh, Markiyan (2022). Stalking the Atomic City: Life Among the Decadent and the Depraved of Chornobyl. New York: Astra House. p. 139. ISBN 9781662601279.
  6. ↑ "I libri più belli dell'anno ve li consiglia Robinson". la Repubblica (in Italian). 2019-12-28. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
  7. ↑ Jordison, Sam (2022-07-09). "Stalking the Atomic City by Markiyan Kamysh review – in search of meaning in Chornobyl's forbidden wasteland". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-04-09.
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