Publication details
Marusya Navka Bias Tape. Saint Petersburg: Catoblepas Press, 2026
Cover design and illustrations: Mishanya Sergeevich.
Age rating: 18+
Length: 52 pages.
Author: Marusya Navka
Artist: Mishanya Sergeevich
Publisher: Aleksandr Spiridonov Jr.
Annotation
Marusya Navka’s poetry is a self-contained world of solitary language and heart, focused on attentive observation. It rejects despondency, agonizes over the warmth of a gesture, and tirelessly seeks an encounter with someone both cruel and close through tiny disappointments, circus turns, and deadly etudes. The witness-hero gives themself over to this practice completely: making a voluntary fall, initiating a leap over the city from the point of contact with the earth, where necessary ties are lost, a spit flies after an air-kiss, and one hand pushes another away. All of it will surely pass, the moment the watcher blinks.
Anastasia Cheche, playwright.
Reviews
18+
I don’t know, I’ve hated poems and poets for a long time now. Especially now, when there are as many poets and poems as pubic lice. Sometimes, I admit, the boredom got unbearable, and I’d open those fucking contemporary poets. And right away I felt ashamed for everyone and in front of everyone. No exceptions in recent years. These poems were written by a friend of mine, I admit, and even though we’re friends, I usually didn’t pay extra attention to her poems so I wouldn’t have to feel embarrassed looking her in the eye afterward. That’s just how it turned out: some acquaintance of mine is a contemporary poet, and there’s nothing worse, but what can you do. Basically, I used to like the poems just for show… Then she sends me this selection, like, so what do you think? At first I didn’t get the title, but I liked it. I googled it and liked it even more. Then I started reading. The first little poem seemed like nothing much at first, as usual, but by its ending something in me twisted. It got strange, I started wanting something. And after that, that was it: I was fucked… I mean me, supposedly hard as nails. Anyway, by the end of the collection I felt good. Really good. What else is there to say?
Sevastyan Obozny
Interview with the author
Watch or read our interview with Marusya Navka about Bias Tape, poetry, music, and theatre.
Book launch
sewn — a report on the Bias Tape launch — Photographs, video, and guests’ impressions from the gathering at F5 on 24 September 2026.
Order
Choose an edition and email catoblepaspress@mail.ru with the subject “Bias Tape”. We will tell you how to pay and receive the book.
Print edition
490 RUB
Shipping: Russian Post — 350 RUB, CDEK — 700 RUB
Digital edition
350 RUB
Format: PDF
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