After the head of the Russian Investigation Committee, Aleksandr Bastrykin, ordered the verification of the works of children’s author Grigori Oster, the demand for his books suddenly increased.
According to data provided to RBC publication by the RWB company (which includes Wildberries), sales of Oster’s books on the platform increased by almost 500% during the period of April 21-26, compared to the same period last year. Compared to the beginning of April, the increase was 220%. “We’re talking about thousands of copies sold this year. The most popular are the various editions of the volume ‘Harmful Advice'”, the company representatives specified.
A similar trend was observed in the Citaigorod bookstore network, where, during the period of April 16-23, sales of the book “Harmful Advice” increased by 223% compared to the previous week, and the total volumes sold by the author tripled.
The decision to review Oster’s work was taken on April 21st. According to the Investigation Committee, the initiative particularly targeted the poetry cycle “Harmful Advice”, one of the author’s most well-known works, in which children are humorously encouraged to do the exact opposite of the rules (for example, not to wash their hands or to draw on the walls).
The authorities have deemed that these texts contain “questionable messages from a pedagogical point of view” and have argued that verification is necessary for “identifying minors in the preparation stage of committing offenses” and for “preventing the criminalization of the adolescent environment”.
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