Bilingual

H.G. Wells wrote about "The Green Door"; Lesley Knife's door, however, is painted not in soothing green, but in a bright, eye-catching acidic orange. Acidic... Perhaps that is the most fitting word to describe the voyage the author invites the reader to embark on. Dreams that appear more meaningful and real are interspersed with awakenings that are not always logical, but rather viscous and sticky. What is more real? The dream space or the life of the Homel underground in the early 2000s? I don't have an answer to the question, although I lean towards the former.
If I were to categorize "The Orange Door" by genre, I would classify it as magical realism. I believe Lesley Knife's book would sit perfectly on the same shelf as Cortázar, Borges, and Márquez. Only, instead of Márquez's Macondo, there will be Homel, and instead of Cortázar's city, there will be dreams. I think "The Orange Door" is transcendently Homel-esque. And not just because the characters are easily recognizable as real people from the city's music circles, but by its spirit, energy, or, if you will, its aura.

Z.N.
Musician, writer, and journalist

Uladzislau Navazhylau aka Lesley Knife is a Belarusian writer, rock musician, and essayist.
Known as a co-founder of Gods Tower, one of the most famous metal bands from Belarus.

He left his homeland due to political persecution and currently lives and works in Lithuania.

The author of texts bordering on autobiography, philosophy, and irony. His work covers themes of memory, cultural schism, spiritual wandering, and humor as a form of survival. He doesn't believe in genres, considering modern literature to be both mockery and confession, and the last breath before another beginning.