Sergei Gandlevsky (born 1952), a graduate of the Philology dept of Moscow University. In 1996 he won two major prizes: the Little Booker Prize for his autobiographical novel, Opening the Skull, and the Anti-Booker prize for his poetry. Gandlevsky has several collections of poetry to his credit and numerous publications in the leading literary journals and anthologies, both at home and abroad.

Gandlevsky’s poems document the underground life of a bohemian traveler and debacuhee during the twilight of the oviet regime. His poetry melds a slangy vernacular with traditional forms. He is a major figure in the Russian literary scene.

Opening the Scull, which is Gandlevsky's debut in prose, is a deeply personal and poetical reminiscence of the 1960s and 70s, a period the writer wanted to preserve for posterity. Gandlevsky was then part of literary underground circles where his poems were avidly read in samizdat. Gandlevsky brilliantly describes the anguish of the hero who suddenly has to face the reality of dying from a brain tumour. His friends of those dissident years, now well-known writers and artists, are featured under their real names. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.