Zakhar Prilepin’s ‘Cloister’ leads the shortlist for Russia’s ‘Big Book’ prize, which is worth 3 million rubles ($87,000) to the winner.
SNOB: Billionaire Backs Rebirth of the Russian Literary Magazine
It’s difficult to find a Russian author of note who has not written for SNOB, billionaire Mikhail Prokorov’s luxury lit mag. By Daniel Kalder Going back to the 19th century literary journals have played an important role in Russian culture. Indeed, no lesser a figure than Dostoevsky edited not one, but two following his return from Siberian exile. After 1917, …
Russia’s Literary Monster: The Wild, Unpredictable World of Vladimir Sorokin
A “living classic,” Sorokin pushes boundaries by writing about a Russia rife with violence, coprophilia, violence, rape, violence, aliens, violence, clones and more violence. He makes his American debut in New York this weekend at the PEN World Voices Festival. By Daniel Kalder At the London Book Fair earlier this month, Russia was featured as Guest of Honor. Nearly every Russian …
Notes from the Underground: Indie Publishing in Putin’s Russia
By Daniel Kalder MOSCOW: Back in 1993 a group of philosophers from the Russian Academy of Sciences formed Ad Marginem Press in Moscow. Their plan was simple: to publish translations of late 20th century Western philosophy that had been unavailable in the USSR, alongside works of contemporary Russian fiction. After 70 years of totalitarianism Russians were hungry for new ideas …