This article clarifies the term “booth tradition”. The term “booth tradition” seems to me a convenient definition of an aspect of the literary process, which refers to a certain literary strategy of literature of both the Silver Age and the period following it, but in the 1930s. the postulates of this phenomenon are radically different from those that were inherent in the literature of pre-revolutionary times for a number of reasons. Despite all the conventions of this term, I accept it, realizing the inaccuracy of the formulation, which is very convenient for working at the stage at which my research is located. Next, we consider “Balagan reminiscence” in the prose of A. Nikolev, which can refer to characters‟ memories of the past, usually of childhood or youth, which may be distorted or idealized. The prose of A. Nikolev is considered in the context of the “underground literature” of the 1930s in the Soviet Union. The underground literature of the time was often aimed at expressing individual opinions that did not conform to official ideology. In this context, “booth reminiscences” could represent an act of resistance or escape from persecution for the expression of new ideas and order. They could serve as a way to preserve personal freedom and intellectual independence in conditions of political repression.