Vladimir Grigoriev is Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Agency for the Press and Mass Communications and he is a tireless campaigner and champion of Russian literature and culture at all the world's major book fairs: he has famously said, ‘Russian literature should know no boundaries.'

Maria Galina is one of the most interesting authors among those who made their names in the turbulent 1990s. She writes both literary and science fiction (with ten SF books to her credit). She is also a noted poet, a thoughtful critic, and translator of English and American science fiction, in all of which she excels. She is a winner of many important prizes for her prose and poetry and her critical essays.

4th Russian Film Festival, 29 October – 7 November Dear Friends! The Russian Film Festival is getting ready to present London with this year's best premieres in Russian cinema. The Main Programme As always, the main festival programme showcases the best Russian films, award-winners at major international and Russian film festivals. These films include, 'Silent Souls' (Ovsyanki), directed by Alexei Fedorchenko and winner of three prizes at the Venice Film Festival, 'How I Ended This Summer' by Alexei Popogrebsky, awarded prizes for best actor and best cinematography at the Berlinale, 'One War' by Vera Glagoleva, Grand Prix winner at Sofia International Film Festival and Russia's nomination for the Oscars and Svetlana Proscurina's latest film 'The Truce', winner of the main prize at Kinotavr. As in previous years, guests include directors, producers and actors who come to London specially to present their films at the festival. Documentaries – 'Noughties Art' This year's documentary programme sums up the last decade with screenings of the ten best Russian documentary films, one for each year. The programme is presented by the great director and documentary maker, Vitaly Mansky, president of the ArtDocFest. Animation Alongside the main programme and documentaries, we have also put together a comprehensive and diverse programme of animation. As part of our festival 'Astral dogs Belka and Strelka' take a trip to outer space captained by director Inna Evlannikova, while Irina Evteeva, famous for her graceful and original style, brings 'Little Tragedies' to the screen. These films will capture the hearts of adults and childen alike. As well as an extensive programme of full length animation, we will be screening a special programme for our young audiences, presenting the best of award-winning Russian animated films of recent years Special Screenings This year's film festival also includes a retrospective of the great actor and director Sergei Bondarchuk's films and the works of Leo Tolstoy on film, as well as a retrospective of masters of Soviet and Russian animation. Venue For the fourth year in a row the Russian Film Festival will take place at the Apollo Piccadilly, one of London's best cinemas.

Maria Galina is one of the most interesting authors among those who made their names in the turbulent 1990s. She writes both literary and science fiction (with ten SF books to her credit). She is also a noted poet, a thoughtful critic, and translator of English and American science fiction, in all of which she excels. She is a winner of many important prizes for her prose and poetry and her critical essays.

Maria Galina is one of the most interesting authors among those who made their names in the turbulent 1990s. She writes both literary and science fiction (with ten SF books to her credit). She is also a noted poet, a thoughtful critic, and translator of English and American science fiction, in all of which she excels. She is a winner of many important prizes for her prose and poetry and her critical essays.

Vladimir Grigoriev is Deputy Head of the Russian Federal Agency for the Press and Mass Communications and he is a tireless campaigner and champion of Russian literature and culture at all the world's major book fairs: he has famously said, ‘Russian literature should know no boundaries.'

When Academia Rossica approached me to serve on the jury for their translation prize, I was excited and intrigued. What would the field be like, how many entries would there be, were there still publishers around in the West willing to produce translations of serious Russian works? The classics apart, was there more to Russian literature for English-speaking people than penguins and historical detectives? My caricature of the average Western reader's view of Russian literature today can perhaps be excused in part by my own education.

A hallmark of Shtypel's poetry is its lyrical playfulness matching a complex structure - demanding from the reader an active, if constrained, co-operation. Vladimir Gubailovsky of ‘Русский журнал' (‘Russian Journal') has said of Stypel that ‘he is, above all else, clear. This does not mean,' Gubailovsky continues, ‘that his verse is in any way basic - in fact quite the contrary. What really stays with you after reading Shtypel is a sense of poetic clarity'.

Maria Galina is one of the most interesting authors among those who made their names in the turbulent 1990s. She writes both literary and science fiction (with ten SF books to her credit). She is also a noted poet, a thoughtful critic, and translator of English and American science fiction, in all of which she excels. She is a winner of many important prizes for her prose and poetry and her critical essays.

Maria Galina is one of the most interesting authors among those who made their names in the turbulent 1990s. She writes both literary and science fiction (with ten SF books to her credit). She is also a noted poet, a thoughtful critic, and translator of English and American science fiction, in all of which she excels. She is a winner of many important prizes for her prose and poetry and her critical essays.

Russian Gulliver is a publishing project designed to provide exposure to great new names in poetry, prose and essay-writing written in Russian regardless of country of residence. Their slogan ‘Our authors will become famous’ is born out in number of prizes and the amount of attention that their writers and readers receive. The publisher is interesting because it is run not by professional publishers, but by professional writers: the poet and prosaisist Vadim Mesiats and the writer Aleksands Davidov, who are closer to the creative realm.

Maria Galina is one of the most interesting authors among those who made their names in the turbulent 1990s. She writes both literary and science fiction (with ten SF books to her credit). She is also a noted poet, a thoughtful critic, and translator of English and American science fiction, in all of which she excels. She is a winner of many important prizes for her prose and poetry and her critical essays.

Tuesday, 15 April, 6.30 pm
Waterstone’s Piccadilly, 5th Floor, £3
Prize-winning writer James Meek discusses the blessings and dangers of literary prizes with 4 Russian prize-winning writers: Dmitry Bykov, winner of the Big Book prize 2007, Alexander Ilichevsky, winner of the Russian Booker Prize 2007, Olga Slavnikova, winner of the Russian Booker Prize 2006, and Lev Rubinstein, winner of the Andrei Bely Prize.
In English and Russian

Born in 1960. Poet, critic, translator, and science fiction writer with ten SF books to her credit. A graduate from Odessa University majoring in marine biology she took part in several sea expeditions. She has been a professional writer since 1995. She has won many prizes for both her prose and poetry. Her fiction contains a strong element of magic realism while gender issues have always been the focus of her attention.
She has been nominated for the Russian Booker and short-listed for the Russian Critics Academy Award. Iramifications was awarded the International Portal Prize.

Vladimir Grigoriev is Councillor to Head of the Russian Federal Agency for the Press and Mass Communications and he is a tireless campaigner and champion of Russian literature and culture at all the world's major book fairs: he has famously said, ‘Russian literature should know no boundaries.' Born in 1958, Vladimir Grigoriev worked as an editor for the Novosti news agency from 1982 to 1990, after which he founded and headed the publishing house Vagrius. Vladimir Grigoriev has worked unflaggingly to promote and support the publication of Russian books and the protection of authorial rights during the difficult, transitional period from the old publishing protocol inherited from the former Soviet Union to the establishment of a new, market-oriented, internationally recognized modus operandi. He has been honoured with prizes in recognition of his work for services to Russian publishing and the dissemination of literature and culture not only in the Russian Federation (2001), but also in Poland (2005) and in France (2006). Grigoriev is also one of the founders of the prestigious book prize ‘Bolshaia kniga' (‘Big Book') - the second largest cash award, after the Nobel Prize. His unique insights into the increasingly buoyant and expanding market for Russian books makes him an extremely interesting and valuable speaker.

Writer, journalist and TV presenter, Alexander Arkhangelsky is best known for authoring and presenting the Russian television programme ‘Tem vremenem’ (Meanwhile) on the ‘Culture’ channel. He has been honoured by several prizes for his work in the television and he himself frequently appears on radio and television talk-shows as a commentator on contemporary society and literature. He is also a well published author of a number of books, including his latest novel 1962, and articles on Russian literature, many of which have been translated into foreign languages. He served on the jury of the Russian Booker Prize and others. Alexander’s wide experience of academe, the media and journalism makes him a most valuable commentator on many aspects of contemporary Russia and culture.

Alexander Drozdov has been Director of the First President of Russia Boris Yeltsin Foundation since its inception in November 2000. The foundation undertakes a broad range of educational, scientific, scholarly and cultural projects. It strives to promote cultural cooperation and an open exchange of ideas and information between Russia and the West. After establishing together with Academia Rossica the Rossica Translation Prize, the only prize for literary translation from Russian into English in the world, the foundation has subsequently establishes prizes for literary translation from Russia into French and Italian, with Spanish and German soon to follow.
We are indeed privileged to benefit from the insights of such visionary people as Alexander Drozdov, who wish to promote a greater understanding of Russian culture in all its varied aspects.

Tuesday, 15 April, 6.30 pm
Waterstone’s Piccadilly, 5th Floor, £3
Prize-winning writer James Meek discusses the blessings and dangers of literary prizes with 4 Russian prize-winning writers: Dmitry Bykov, winner of the Big Book prize 2007, Alexander Ilichevsky, winner of the Russian Booker Prize 2007, Olga Slavnikova, winner of the Russian Booker Prize 2006, and Lev Rubinstein, winner of the Andrei Bely Prize.
In English and Russian

Vladimir Grigoriev is Councillor to Head of the Russian Federal Agency for the Press and Mass Communications and he is a tireless campaigner and champion of Russian literature and culture at all the world's major book fairs: he has famously said, ‘Russian literature should know no boundaries.' Born in 1958, Vladimir Grigoriev worked as an editor for the Novosti news agency from 1982 to 1990, after which he founded and headed the publishing house Vagrius.

Chief editor of “Book Review”, Moscow’s weekly newspaper about all that happens in the literary and publishing world and founder of the Moscow Book Festival. His activities, though, far surpass this niche; he is a real kulturträger who knows everyone and everything in the world of books. Gavrilov organized the annual Moscow Book Festival (by now there were two), the first event in Russia targeted at readers rather than at professionals; he hosts a talk show on books and frequently appears on TV; he actively participates in all Russian and many overseas book-related fairs, he masterminded several prizes such as the “Abzats” literary prize for the worst achievements in editorial work, translation, etc.

Alexander Drozdov has been Director of the First President of Russia Boris Yeltsin Foundation since its inception in November 2000. The foundation undertakes a broad range of educational, scientific, scholarly and cultural projects. It strives to promote cultural cooperation and an open exchange of ideas and information between Russia and the West. After establishing together with Academia Rossica the Rossica Translation Prize, the only prize for literary translation from Russian into English in the world, the foundation has subsequently establishes prizes for literary translation from Russia into French and Italian, with Spanish and German soon to follow.

Writer, journalist and TV presenter, Alexander Arkhangelsky is best known for authoring and presenting the Russian television programme ‘Tem vremenem’ (Meanwhile) on the ‘Culture’ channel. He has been honoured by several prizes for his work in the television and he himself frequently appears on radio and television talk-shows as a commentator on contemporary society and literature. He is also a well published author of a number of books, including his latest novel 1962, and articles on Russian literature, many of which have been translated into foreign languages. He served on the jury of the Russian Booker Prize and others.