Автопортрет на фоне русского пианино

V venskoĭ kofeĭne anonimnyĭ rasskazchik znakomitsi͡a s russkim pianistom Suvorinym. Kogda-to on byl molodym i znamenitym, zhil v Leningrade, druzhil s velikimi kompozitorami, no ego zhiznʹ otravili kommunizm i alkogolʹ. Rasskazchik s voskhishcheniem slushaet istorii͡u Suvorina, potomu chto emu khorosho znakomo to, o chem on govorit. Chem chashche ėti dvoe vstrechai͡utsi͡a, tem trudnee stanovitsi͡a razlichitʹ ikh golosa. Ko vsemu prochemu ikh znakomstvo okazyvaetsi͡a nesluchaĭnym. Roman o tvorchestve, odinochestve i genialʹnosti, a takzhe o bezrassudstve, s kotorym stoit prinimatʹ starostʹ."Avtoportret na fone russkogo pianino" - literaturnai͡a sonata, posvi͡ashchennai͡a vechnomu voprosu o tom, stoi͡at li krasota, muzyka i strastʹ tekh zhertv, na kotorye nekotorye li͡udi vynuzhdeny idti radi nikh."Romantik v sumasshedshem dome. Pozvolitʹ golosu Vondracheka utonutʹ v shume sovremennoĭ literatury bylo by kolossalʹnoĭ oshibkoĭ". - Patrik Zi͡uskind, pisatelʹ

In a Vienna coffee shop, an anonymous narrator meets the Russian pianist Suvorin. He was once young and famous, lived in Leningrad, was friends with great composers, but his life was poisoned by communism and alcohol. The narrator listens to Suvorin's story with admiration, because he is well aware of what he is talking about. The more often these two meet, the more difficult it becomes to distinguish their voices. Besides, their acquaintance turns out to be no coincidence. A novel about creativity, loneliness and genius, as well as the recklessness with which one should accept old age."Self—portrait against the background of a Russian piano" is a literary sonata dedicated to the eternal question of whether beauty, music and passion are worth the sacrifices that some people have to make for them."A romantic in a madhouse. To let Vondracek's voice drown in the noise of modern literature would be a colossal mistake." — Patrick Suskind, writer