Notes from the Zone of Kaif:

The Life and Work of Azazello - Hippie, Poet and Artist

Azazello's world and work

Azazello was a true creature of the late socialist underground: streetwise, subcultural, rebellious, and yet unmistakably Soviet. Azazello's world was not guided by socialist norms. It was a world of people seeking kaif - an elusive non-Soviet pleasure.

About Azazello

The 'Azazello archive' in the context of Azazello's social and cultural surroundings, its literary tradition and inspiration, and its rootedness in Soviet aesthetics.

Context

The Archive

Azazello chronicled his life not in diary form, but in hundreds and hundreds of pages of painting, notes, song texts and contact details written in thirty-six small notebooks, whose period of production ranged from 1972 to 1993. He also wrote hundreds of poems, which mostly deal with his personal life and collective sentiments prominent in his circle.

Explore the archive

The Azazello archive wishes to acknowledge the funding / co-funding of the European Union under the WIDERA programme (EUROPAST project, Grant Agreement No. 101079466).

We acknowledge the generous assistance of the AHRC, which funded this project 2016-2019.