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Abstract: The article examines the utopian “anti-economics” in Andrey Platonov’s novel “Chevengur” against the background of the transition from domestic peasant labour to a proletarian one. At the center of our interest is the comparison between the craftsmanship of Zakhar Pavlovich and the belated economic activity at the end of the novel. From the point of view of economy, one can observe two opposing vectors. Whereas Zakhar Pavlovich proceeds from peasant labour to the machine, the inhabitants of Chevengur start producing grotesque and unnecessary products. The locomotive, the symbol of the modern age, is not even mentioned in this context. In the case of the intelligent craftsman Zakhar Pavlovich, one can observe the transition from traditional to modern forms of economy. In contrast, the apocalyptics of Chevengur are in captivity of the seductive dream of creating paradise here and now.