Russian Censorship Agency Bans Two Dystopian Novels by Olga Ptitseva
Roskomnadzor has banned Olga Ptitseva's novels "Dvesti trety den zimy" and "Vesna vody," set in an alternate Russia of eternal winter. The books have been pulled from sale, and the author has confirmed their withdrawal.
Russia's communications regulator, Roskomnadzor, has banned the novels "Dvesti trety den zimy" ("The 203rd Day of Winter") and "Vesna vody" ("Spring of Water") by writer Olga Ptitseva. A notice appeared on the God Literatury portal on October 7, according to Vyorstka.
The portal said the book in question had been added to Roskomnadzor's Unified Register of Prohibited Information and to the Registry of Book Assessments kept by the Russian Book Union's expert center, and must be withdrawn from public circulation in Russia.
Timeline
On October 2, Roskomnadzor ordered the portal to remove information about "Vesna vody." Earlier, on July 16, the portal had already taken down information about "Dvesti trety den zimy," the first book of the duology, at the regulator's request.
Both titles have also vanished from the website of their publisher, Polyandria No Age, and from the catalogs of LitRes and Chitai-Gorod. The publisher confirmed that Roskomnadzor was behind the ban. The Blueprint reported that the cause may be signs of "propaganda of nontraditional sexual relationships" in the texts.
About the books
The two novels form a dystopian duology set in an alternate Russia, where eternal winter arrives after the Party of Cold takes power. Residents must maintain a prescribed level of snow cover, food is distributed with ration cards, and dissenters are sent to freezers.
Ptitseva confirmed that her books were withdrawn from sale. On her Telegram channel she wrote that it is true the first novel has been pulled, but that she is fine.
The author
Olga Ptitseva has written several novels and collections of contemporary prose. In 2023, her novel "Tam, gde tsvetet polyn" ("Where Wormwood Blooms") was adapted into a television series of the same name. A year later, the book was nominated for the Yasnaya Polyana literary prize in the Youth category. Her novel "Vyidi iz shkafa" ("Come Out of the Closet") was shortlisted for the FICTION35 prize, while "Krai chudes" ("Land of Wonders") was longlisted for the Lyceum prize.
