His writing has the smell of the lamp; it's informative but lacks creativity.
Его писанина пахнет лампой; она информативная, но ей не хватает креативности.
Definitions
The phrase 'smell of the lamp' refers to work or writing that shows signs of laborious effort, often to the point of being overworked or lacking natural ease. It originates from the idea of someone working late into the night by the light (and smell) of an oil lamp, suggesting painstaking, sometimes excessive, diligence.
