The review considers A. Rudalyov’s book 4 Shots [ 4 vystrela ], devoted to the ‘new realism’, a trend in 2000s Russian literature, and more specifically, works of four ‘new realists’: Z. Prilepin, R. Senchin, S. Shargunov, and G. Sadulaev. The reviewer criticizes the author for an incomplete and biased presentation of ‘new realism’, which had been a focus of intense discussions among literary critics and scholars for over a decade. The same flaw blights the descriptions of the four chapters’ respective protagonists: Prilepin, Senchin, Shargunov, and Sadulaev. Rudalyov ended up writing a panegyric, albeit with very sparse language, mainly by repetition of flattering epithets from the press. He failed, however, to address the discussion of the ‘new realism’ by critics or supply a review of literary theoretical research on the subject. Therefore, the reviewer finds the book lacking in any historical-literary and philological value.
