This book owes more than I can say to Larisa Aksenova. Without her it could not have become the book it is.
Roger Sallis put years of loving encouragement into this book; and, in the long Moscow twilight, he found the dogs.
It is published in its final form thanks to my agent Jenny Darling and editor Mandy Brett.
Many people contributed in different ways to this book. They are: Stuart Barnett, Donica Bettanin, Gillian Bovoro, Maria Danchenko, Nikolai Danchenko, Tania D’Antonio, Sonja Dechian, Amaia de la Quintana, Jenni Devereaux, Jem Fuller, Alfred Hornung, L’hibou Hornung, Richard Hornung, Alexey Kopus, Tamara Leonidovna Kozlovskaya, Aleksandr Kozlovski, Gay Lynch, Lyudmila Malinin, Michele Meijer, John Morss, Maria Nichterlein, Alexander Ovchar, Rosa Piserchia, Olesya Pomazan (www.russiangirlfriday.com), Ramsey Sallis, Tom Shapcott, Valery and Svetlana Shusharin, Celia Summerfield, Paul Voytinsky (www.unclepasha.com), Phil Waldron, Teresita White, Claudio Zollo.
Thank you to the University of Adelaide for a fruitful residency in the first half of 2008.
Thank you to ArtsSA for funding my research trip to Moscow in 2006.
Thank you to Nexus Multicultural Arts Centre for a three-month residency in 2006.
Thank you to Rafael Sallis for the title and much more.
Special thank you to Emori Bovoro for playing with Rafael, making possible long writing hours through the summer holidays.
Finally, Halley and Rosie deserve dried kangaroo tail every day for their parts in this book.