But in 1985 , the year the novel begins and the year Mikhail Gorbachev came to power , bringing with him a new age of openness -- glasnost -- to the Soviet Union , Sukhanov is asked to do the unthinkable : publish a respectful treatise on Marc Chagall .
Mikhail Gorbachev /people/person/nationality Soviet Union
CC IN CD , DT NN DT JJ VBZ CC DT NN NNP NNP VBD TO NN , VBG IN PRP DT JJ NN IN NN : FW : TO DT NNP NNP , NNP VBZ VBN TO VB DT JJ : VB DT JJ NN IN NNP NNP .
Mikhail Gorbachev
PERSON
Soviet Union
LOCATION
/people/person/nationality