About the book: 1999 / In his next book, the notorious translator of masterpieces of classical poetry into criminal jargon tells readers funny and not so funny stories from the life of the prison people, most from which it actually happened and is only to a certain extent colored with vivid details and lively, juicy criminal jargon. The author spent almost 20 years in prison and knows the life and customs of the country of Zekland firsthand. The second part of the book is a fascinating story about the origin of many words and expressions of the so-called “thieves' music” - criminal Russian slang. The author considers the criminal jargon not as a “secret” language, but as a form of existence of the living Great Russian language. The reader will learn many unexpected facts and will be convinced that the thieves' argot is closely connected with Slavic mythology, the history of our country, the life of artisans, peasants, and clergy; a discovery for many will be that the “thieves Fenya” was not alien to Peter I and Alexander Pushkin...