At the Edge

At the Edge. Victor Matveev The novel is based on real events, however characters, locations and circumstances may be fictional. Although I have never met Victor Matveev in real life, and our relationship as author and translator over the past year and a half has developed through telephone calls, emails and the pages of his novel, I would dare call myself a friend and supporter. I was aware of the incident with the Artic Sea through the media, but not until now had I understood the depths of physical and emotional cruelty, but also heroism and stoicism. Victor is a true Hero of Our Time, but unlike Pechorin, one not overcome by self-doubt and hesitation, but one filled with resolve, sensitivity and courage, the Hero that our times need. ¿At the Edge¿ is an intriguing criminal story, framed and bounded in the poetic prose of a masterful author, reminiscent in its nuances of Pasternak, Bulgakov and Gogol ¿ sometimes mythical in its traditions ¿ sometimes dark in its humour¿ A challenge to write and a challenge to translate! David Mossop is a PhD lecturer in Linguistics at the University of Sofia, Academic Editor, New Bulgarian University. Member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists UK