Vladimir's Mustache — Stephan Eirik Clark

Set against the backdrop of Russian history from the time of Peter the Great to the years of the post-soviet collapse, the nine stories in Vladimir's Mustache represent a rare feat of ventriloquism and range. From an Italian castrato who longs to sing for the tsar, to a method actor who learns the danger of losing himself in a role after he's cast as Hitler, to the men and women who meet through mail order bride agencies, all of Stephan Clark's stories are told with a humor that's never far removed from an underlying sadness. Regardless of his where he situates his attention, Clark writes with a voice that never falters, telling with great emotional honesty the story of men and women who are trapped by circumstances, alienated by history, or irrevocably estranged from the culture at large.