Meet the Prague artist behind the viral Czech-Russian dictionary

We hadn’t met Maxim Yanbekov before, but after reading a short piece on the site adme titled “A funny Czech-Russian dictionary,” we decided a story about the book’s author simply had to appear on Around Prague in our new “People” section. Reaching Max wasn’t hard – we found his profile on VKontakte and wrote to him. We weren’t 100% sure we’d get a yes, but within a few hours a reply came: “Thanks for your interest. We’d be happy to!”

There was almost no information about the author of the book that had set Runet abuzz, so we decided we wanted to learn everything about him.

We didn’t have to think long about where to meet the book’s author – we wanted to see the creative workshop where it was made. It turned out, though, that almost the whole book was drawn on Maxim’s lap on the Plzeň–Prague bus. A few drawings were done at the flat where Maxim lives with his wife Anastasia, and that’s exactly where we were invited.

Getting acquainted

When we stepped into the flat, we were greeted by the book’s author and a black cat, who looked us over carefully before disappearing behind an armchair. “That’s a member of our family – a cat named Bagheera,” said Maxim.

Around Prague: Hi!

Maxim: Hi, come in! Nastya isn’t here yet, she’s at the pool, she’ll be back soon. Have a seat, would you like anything – tea, coffee… Hopefully I won’t poison you, Nastya usually handles all that (smiles). So… where did I put it all? (searches)

AP: Where are you from, and how did the idea of moving to Europe come about? Did you meet Nastya already in Prague?



M: I’m from Moscow. Oh… that’s a long story. We met back at our first college, where we studied as artists and designers. That was in 2005. We graduated, I got a job, and we started living together. We got a cat almost right away, and then out of nowhere Nastya’s dad suggested we study in Czechia. We talked it over and decided it was worth trying – if we stayed in Moscow, roots would grow into that country, that city, and we’d never make a move like that. So off we went to study…

AP: What year are you in? Finishing up soon?

M: Already finished! I had my final state exam just a few hours ago! (pleased)

You have to say yes right away!

AP: So the idea came from Nastya and her father?

M: It just worked out that he suggested it, and we found a school here. I forgot to mention we’d already been to Prague once before – that was our first trip abroad. Oh! Wait! I have another good story. It turned out wonderfully… That summer, before we even knew we’d move to Prague, I proposed to Nastya on Charles Bridge. So, she said yes, but not right away (laughs) – I had to convince her that you’re supposed to say yes straight away (laughs). None of this “I’ll think about it, I’ll think about it.”

Then we went back to Moscow and realized Czechia would soon feel like home. We packed everything up, took the cat, and headed to the station. Oh, about 20 people came to see us off, it was quite a party…

Listen… the cat really took to you all… usually she’s scared, but here she sniffed everyone out and is playing with you.

“When we saw a book about all the different ways to relieve yourself, we decided to put out our own funny dictionary”

AP: Maxim, you were featured on adme, right? Did they reach out to you somehow?

M: Yes, they got in touch right then. That was exactly the moment things took off. By the way, we’ve nearly sold out the whole print run. We thought people would have a laugh, tell a few friends, and that would be it, but then a few sites wrote about us and people started buying the books. It’s a shame many don’t credit the author – some wrote about us, but I guess the author’s name got lost in all the reposts.

AP: Who mostly orders the books? From which cities?

M: Most orders come from Moscow and St. Petersburg, but the most unexpected ones for us came from Israel and Scotland, from an institute in Glasgow. A professor there ordered one. It felt very strange writing out that address.

AP: How did the idea for the book come about?

M: We had an assignment at college: draw something funny and amusing. Actually, let me show you something (goes to look). I was studying graphic design, and I was given the task of drawing something funny. While I was working on the project, the idea came to me. I thought about how the word for “cigarette butts” in Czech sounds like a very different, funny word in Russian – there are words like that in both languages. First we found eight of them, then Nastya and I started digging and were stunned by how many there actually were. It just snowballed from there – I finished the university assignment, the professors found it hilarious, they were pleased, and I got top marks.



Looking at the first version of the book, we realized it wouldn’t catch a Russian reader’s eye, so we decided to redo it: we changed the format, added illustrations, and reworked the cover – we wanted people to see themselves in it, which is how Valerik came about (that’s the name of the character who decorates the dictionary’s cover).

In short, we made it different, and in our view, more appealing. At first I even thought about making the pictures in the book realistic, but then decided against it. Here, by the way, take a look – this is my first sketch.



One of the turning points for us was a book by Jakub Plachý, which showed that a book can really be about anything. His book is devoted to dozens of different ways people relieve themselves, and various facts about it. We thought, if books like that exist and people love them, why not?



AP: Will there be a sequel?

M: Oh yes… Actually I drew it so fast, I’ve already got 60 words done for the second part of the dictionary, and I did it in a week while on holiday in Croatia.



AP: Do you do it all yourself, or with your wife?

M: Everything’s divided between us – here’s how it works: Nastya and I pick out the words first, I draw everything, even though Nastya is usually the better artist in our family, but this was an exception, then she helps me with the colors and advises on what works best. And Nastya also carefully packs every book before it’s mailed out – that’s an important part of the process too, and no small effort.

Oh, I remember! Let me show you one more of my pieces. We had an assignment: design a book cover. I chose Anthony Burgess’s novel “A Clockwork Orange” – a book about teenagers and their lifestyle, doing drugs and drinking all day and causing chaos around the neighborhood. I enjoyed working on it, I picked bright colors to capture the mood. I made this one back in 2008.



AP: Maxim, how many books have you made so far?

M: Altogether, probably around 20 by now, but those were all for college. I just fell in love with books and couldn’t stop.

The dictionary really became an outlet for me – I just wanted to draw by hand. At first we thought about making a mobile app, but decided it still couldn’t capture that same feeling. A book stays on your shelf, it becomes a lifelong keepsake, whereas an app would just get used once and forgotten. Our book simply wouldn’t be as fun in digital form.

The second part of the book. A full exclusive

AP: The first part had 60 words, how many will the second have?

M: 60 as well, but I want to make it bigger, for the Czechs this time. The first part was really aimed at Russians, but in the second it won’t be Valerik – it’ll be Honzík, heading off with a roll in hand to conquer Russia. I’ll even show you the first draft now, though it’s not final yet, the character doesn’t quite look Czech enough.



AP: Maybe white socks and sandals?

M: Yes! I’d love that myself, but unfortunately the whole thing won’t fit (laughs). Let me show you a few sketches now.

M: First I draw in pencil, then I scan it, I do it all with the cat around – she’s almost always sitting on top, watching me work.



AP: Do you always have a clear picture in your head of exactly what you want to draw?

M: No, sometimes I can’t come up with an image for a long time, so I just drop that picture and word from the book, and then inspiration strikes and I draw it quickly – but what I dislike most is working when it’s not fun anymore.

Bagheera doesn’t like having her picture taken, but she’s great at it



M: Bagheera! Don’t you dare bite! She’s used to playing with me, she’s actually a hunter at heart. When she lived in a house, she was always dragging mice in, so toy ones don’t interest her anymore. If we give her a toy mouse, she won’t touch it, but order one with real rabbit fur, and that’s a different story! She’s quite the picky one! Bagheera appears in the dictionary three times, the cat character is modeled on her.



Around 9 p.m. Nastya called Max to say she’d be home soon, so we decided to wait for her and take a few more photos. While we waited, Max showed us sketches for the next book and let us photograph a few, so readers could later try to guess which words the author came up with for them.

M: How about some compote? We went up to Petřín and picked apples there. Once we got home, Nastya made compote and a charlotte cake. So, shall we have some?

Maxim had just poured us the compote when there was a knock at the door – Nastya. We met a very sweet young woman and suggested taking a few last photos; Nastya didn’t mind, but first asked for two minutes to brush her hair, since “I just got back from the pool.”

In closing, we’d like to thank Maxim and Nastya on behalf of the whole Around Prague team for a wonderful time, the gift of a book, and the delicious compote.



Special thanks for the photos go to Ilya Maltsev, who managed to capture the atmosphere of that wonderful evening through his camera.