Purpose. The article presents an analysis of V. Zazubrin's story Sliver (1923) from the perspective of ornamental prose on the background of the crumbling purity of literary genres.

Results. The focus on the high genre is evidenced by the capital letter of the pronoun in the subtitle of the work: «A Tale of Her and of Her», i. e. about the Revolution and Her again. In contrast to this intention, the apocalyptic imagery of the work presents the revolutionary era in the corridors of a terrifying world. The poetic layer of the text is shaped by the lyrical voice of the protagonist, enhanced by the ornamental richness of the associations. The poignancy of his inner bout, based on the attraction for revolution and repulsion from it, heightens the emotional tension of the entire work.

Conclusion. At the level of intertextual dialogue the influence of Blok's poem The Twelve on the poetics of Sliver is palpable. This is evidenced by the characteristic details of the plot: the atmosphere of the night, the street, the wind, the Chekist rampage, which correlates with the rampage of the elements, as well as the mosaicism of images and the intermittent rhythm of the narrative. Accompanying stylistic elements in the story are the poetics of contrasts, the technique of counterpoint, the density of tropes, the hyperbolization of images, which reproduce the dissonant «music» of the red terror.