Reading Pelevin without knowing the cultural context is absolutely pointless. His books consist of references to movies, books, historical events, anecdotes, fairy tales, folklore songs, and many other elements of cultural heritage. I emphasize: his books consist of references, not just have them. Stories are based on intersections of meanings of different references.

Pelevin is not a sci-fi writer, and Pelevin is anything but a “soviet” writer. Pelevin is a 100% anti-soviet writer.