A summary of Boris Akunin’s "Cemetery Stories"

Written between 1999 and 2004, the book comprises six essays and six short stories. The series is divided into two distinct perspectives: writer Grigory Chkhartishvili provides a documentary account of the historical atmosphere of the necropolises, while novelist Boris Akunin populates these territories with fictional characters. The combination of documentary and fiction allows the author to explore questions about the transience of time and the nature of human fear of death.

Old Donskoy Cemetery

The essayist strolls through an old Moscow necropolis, noting the tranquility of the place compared to the terrifying death factories. Among the people buried here are the architect Osip Bove, the philosopher Pyotr Chaadayev, and the cruel landowner Darya Saltykova. Old tombstones preserve the memory of forgotten nineteenth-century citizens, such as Gavriil Karnovich.

In the short story "Lips-One, Teeth-Two," police captain Nikolai Chukhchev is fascinated by treasure hunting. As a child, he discovered gold in a mine and firmly believes in his luck. While digging trenches on the grounds of the St. John the Baptist Monastery, the policeman enters the basement of an old church.

In a former Cheka basement, the captain encounters the spirit of the tormentor Saltychikha, who had been imprisoned there for thirty years. The ghost mistakes the guest for Nikolai Tyutchev’s former lover and reveals the secret of the treasure. The landowner hid golden plates in a dry well on Kuznetsky Most and teaches the captain a spell to pass through the earth. The policeman goes to the FSB building on Lubyanka Square, utters the magic words, "Lips one, teeth two, help, tear-grass," and vanishes without a trace.

Highgate Cemetery

The English Victorian necropolis is overgrown with elms and oaks, yet retains the spirit of British propriety. The author examines eccentric monuments — sculptures of beloved dogs, the horse of animal abuser John Atcheler, and a sleeping lion. A colossal granite bust on Karl Marx’s grave attracts crowds of tourists. The writer recalls London exhumations: artist Dante Rossetti exhumed the body of his wife, Elizabeth Siddal, for a manuscript of poetry, and legal battles led to the opening of the coffin of merchant Thomas Druce.

The plot of the novella "Matter Is Primary" describes the afterlife of Karl Marx. The founder of communism has become a vampire and maintains his material form by drinking the hot blood of materialist visitors. Over time, the true adherents of the radical idea have almost disappeared, and the delegates have been reborn as well-fed bureaucrats. The vampire suffers from hunger and physical weakness.

Noticing the night visitor, Karl Marx prepares to attack. However, he disgustedly refuses the blood of the Russian liberal, sensing his ideological impurity. To quench his thirst, the author of "Capital" is forced to drink the viscous blood of a common cemetery fox.

Père Lachaise Cemetery

The Parisian City of the Dead is steeped in adventure, romance, and mysticism. The Communards were executed here at the Federal Wall, and Napoleon’s marshals, writers Honoré de Balzac, and Marcel Proust are buried here. Composer Frédéric Chopin’s heart was transported to Warsaw, and Oscar Wilde’s tomb is crowned by a winged sphinx covered in lipstick stains. The place attracts spiritualists to the colorful mausoleum of Allan Kardec and rock fans to the tomb of Jim Morrison.

The story "Let Me Kiss Your Lips" is about an illegal nighttime operation. Former graduate student Pavel Lenkov and the taciturn undertaker Mole secretly open ancient tombs to retrieve artifacts. The companions’ next target is Oscar Wilde’s sarcophagus. Lenkov removes a gold ring with an emerald scarab from the incorruptible writer’s finger. At home, the jewelry is clutched tightly to its thief’s hand.

In a panic, Pavel knocks out his partner with a bottle of wine and returns to Père Lachaise to return the ring to the dead man. The undertaker, awakening, catches Pavel in a stone vault and nails him inside a narrow coffin. In complete darkness, the corpse begins to speak to the trapped thief, demanding the promised kiss.

Foreign Cemetery in Yokohama

The Japanese hill of Gaijin-bochi is filled with the graves of Europeans who died far from their homeland. The author calls these slopes the "zone of sudden death," or roshō-fujō in Japanese. Foreigners were hacked to pieces by wandering samurai with katanas, killed by fevers and accidents, and the great earthquake of 1923 put an end to the old part of the cemetery. The writer ponders the mystery of a monument to a girl named Midori, who exactly matches the character in his own novel.

In the novella "Sigumo," Erast Fandorin investigates the horrifying death of his former colleague. The Russian diplomat took the name Meitan and became a Buddhist monk to atone for the birth of his paralyzed daughter, Akiko. The hermit is found dead in a font, the water around him freezing, and two bloody wounds gaping in his neck. Aristocrat Emi Terada reports an attack by a giant werespider, Shigumo.

Fandorin interrogates the one-legged guard Sylvester, measures distances on the ground, and uncovers the truth. The murder was planned by the deceased’s wife, Satoko. The man intended to send his sick daughter to a Hong Kong orphanage. Satoko poisoned her husband, bled him into a gutter, and faked an attack by evil spirits to avoid being separated from her child. The diplomat takes pity on the widow and conceals the results of his investigation.

Green-Wood Cemetery

The Brooklyn Cemetery in New York City resembles a vast park. The space reflects American optimism. The positive outlook of the locals makes death a logical transition after successfully completing earthly affairs. Among the shady alleys are the remains of gangster Albert Anastasia, scandalous lawyer William Howe, and dancer Lola Montez. Wealthy citizens purchase plots here in advance, making far-sighted investments.

The story "Unless" tells the story of a successful lawyer named Misha. The young man has planned his life out for decades, right up until his move to a luxurious penthouse and retirement. Arriving in Green-Wood to purchase a family plot, the lawyer meets a mysterious woman with purple flowers.

A stranger asks for a ride, accurately tells her the number of his future burial site, and declares that he will live another forty-nine years unless he makes a move on her. She offers Misha a game of Russian roulette for a passionate kiss, handing him a revolver with one bullet. The lawyer succumbs to impulse, pulls the trigger, and is killed by a bullet to the temple. A veiled woman secretly attends his lavish funeral.

Jewish cemetery on the Mount of Olives

The Jewish necropolis in Jerusalem is devoid of greenery and decorative aesthetics. Stone slabs densely cover the slope of the ancient mountain. For years, righteous Jews saved money and sought to be buried in this dry soil, so they could be the first to rise on the Day of Judgment. The cemetery resembles a gigantic waiting room, where the dead await their time without fear or worldly sorrow near the biblical tombs of Absalom and the prophet Zechariah.

In the science fiction story "Happy End," a very elderly writer and his wife discuss the latest scientific findings. The couple had been married for 102 years, had undergone complex medical procedures for cellular regeneration, and had lost interest in artificially prolonging life. The man recounts a study of Japanese double suicides — scientists have proven that in 37 percent of cases, the souls of the lovers make a conscious transition together.

Tired of the utter monotony of their existence, the couple decide to take poison to discover the secret of the light on the other side of the black tunnel. They calmly await their moment, listening to the monotonous sound of dripping water from a copper drainpipe.