In 1992 Pelevin published his first collection of stories "The Blue Lantern". A year later it received the Russian Little Booker Prize. In 1994 it received InterPressCon and the Bronze Snail awards. In March 1992 Pelevin published his first novel "Omon Ra" in the literary journal "Znamya". The novel attracted the attention of literary critics and was nominated for the Booker Prize. In April 1993, the same journal published Pelevin's next novel "The Life of Insects". In 1993 Pelevin published an essay "John Fowles and the tragedy of Russian liberalism" in Nezavisimaya Gazeta. The essay was the writer's answer to some negative critics reaction to his work. In the same year Pelevin was admitted to the Russian Union of Journalists.