Russia was made the Market Focus of the London Book Fair 2011 in recognition of Russia’s rapid growth in the publishing field in the past two decades and following the success of the Russian Pavilion and Russian Literature Week, held in conjunction with The London Book Fair and in the presence of Minister Mikhail V. Seslavinsky and His Excellency Ambassador Yury V. Fedotov.

Maria Stepanova is a graduate of the Literature Institute. She has worked in various media, and since 2007 has been the chief editor of the literary internet portal Openspace.ru. Stepanova is the author of several poetry collections, winning many major national and international awards, like the German Hubert Burda prize in 2006. Her works also have appeared in many of Russia’s literary magazines including Zerkalo, Kriticheskaya Massa and Novoe Literaturnoe Obozrenie (NLO)

Dmitry Kosyrev is one of Russia’s leading thriller writers. Kosyrev, who writes under the distinctive alias Master Chen, a legacy of his long-standing interest in the Far East, was born in 1955 and studied Chinese history at Moscow State University and the Nanyang University of Singapore.Since the late 1970s he has been actively involved in the national media, writing on international politics for leading newspapers such as Pravda, Rossiiskaia gazeta and Nezavisimaia gazeta; he is a Member of the Board of the Foreign Policy Association.

Sergei Ivanov is not only one of Russia’s most distinguished historians of Byzantium, but also a leading popular historian and columnist. Since receiving his PhD from Moscow State University in 1984, he has produced over 170 scholarly publications, including Holy Fools in Byzantium and Beyond, which was published in English translation by the Oxford University Press in 2006, and Byzantine Missions, which is currently being translated into English and Czech.

Alexander Ilichevsky was born in Sumgait, Azerbaijan in 1970 and graduated in theoretical physics from a technological institute affiliated to Moscow University. He is the author of many literary works in various genres, both poetry and prose, all of which have been published in Russia’s most prestigious literary journals, such as Novy mir (New World), Oktiabr (October) – and all to great literary acclaim.

Polina Dashkova is Russia’s most successful crime author, with a total of 40 million copies of her books sold so far; in Germany alone, where she is known as the 'Queen of Russian Crime Fiction', she has sold more than 300,000 copies. A graduate of Moscow’s Maxim Gorky Literary Institute, Dashkova has been an active radio and print journalist, and has worked as an interpreter and literary translator from English. She currently lives with her husband and daughter in Moscow.

Dmitry Bykov is one of Russia’s most prominent and admired writers and public intellectuals. His often controversial and always engaging opinions can be found in newspapers, magazines, television and radio programmes and, of course, his own polemical novels. Regardless of his ubiquity and capacity for provocation, Bykov is recognised as a superb critic, essayist, novelist and poet, capable of expressing cultural insight with verve and humour.

Monday 7 June, 7pm
Kenneth Clark Lecture Theatre Courtauld Institute, Somerset House
Chaired by Elaine Feinstein
The Bolshevik Revolution produced a mass exodus of Russia’s aristocracy and educated bourgeoisie. In the years following 1917 many of Russia’s most talented writers, artists, composers, scientists, professionals,

Sunday 30 May, 5pm, Apollo Cinema
Immerse yourself in the world of surrealist Russian animation! On this very special Sunday evening we will be holding a one off screening of spectacular new Russian award-winning animations, presented by the famous Russian writer, Dmitry Bykov. The animations are based on stories by some of Russia’s wittiest writers, such as Chekhov, Krzhizhanovsky, Mayakovsky and Kharms, and include the Nika prize

On 19 – 25 April ACADEMIA ROSSICA will bring you SLOVO, the Russian Literature Festival that knows no boundaries. Packed with a kaleidoscope of genre-defying events, SLOVO will offer a unique insight into Russian literary culture, presenting not only the foremost contemporary Russian writers and highly opinionated public figures, such as Dmitry Bykov, Sergei Lukyanenko, Olga Slavnikova, Maria Galina and Vladimir Sharov, but also cutting edge young writers and poets from right across Russia’s eleven time zones. This year’s festival sees a particular focus on fantasy and magical realism. Lukyanenko’s 'Night Watch' series clearly comes under this genre, but ‘Living Souls’ by Dmitry Bykov,‘2017’ by Olga Slavnikova and ‘Iramifications’ by Maria Galina, all newly published in English, have also been influenced by this notable undercurrent of Russian writing. Our authors will present their new books in light of this genre, which has its roots in the 19th and 20th century literary greats, Gogol, Bulgakov, Zamyatin and Platonov, while Lev Danilkin, literary critic and ‘Afisha’ columnist will explore why Russian literature has a tendency to look at reality through a prism of the unreal. In addition to events with established authors, SLOVO will introduce Russia’s newest literary voices. Olga Slavnikova, herself an award-winning writer, is the coordinator of Russia’s prestigious Debut prize for young writers and will present six Debut prize winners at this year’s festival, including three of Russian literature’s rising stars, Polina Klyukina from Perm, Alisa Ganieva from Dagestan and Alexander Gritsenko from Astrakhan. Key to this festival is the belief that literature can act as an instrument of social and political change and can help to bring two cultures together. For this reason SLOVO will coincide with the London Book Fair, where ties between the Russian and British publishing industry have already been strengthened by naming Russia Guest of Honour and Market Focus of the London Book Fair 2011. SLOVO will continue in this spirit with unique collaborative events between Russian and British poets, as well as providing numerous opportunities for cross-cultural discussions. Indeed, as the slogan ‘WORDS IN ACTION’ may suggest, SLOVO is not just about the written word. Film also plays an important part in this year’s festival. SLOVO will hold the first ever screening of Russian underground video poetry in the UK and the London premiere of Aliona Van der Horst’s hauntingly beautiful film on poet Boris Ryzhy. SLOVO’s broad spectrum of events will be held across several venues, Waterstones Piccadilly, Waterstones Hampstead, The Calvert 22 Gallery and the Apollo cinema. Come and join us for this un-missable chance to witness literature in transition!

3rd RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL 30 October – 8 November 2009 Apollo Piccadilly, London T: 0871 220 6000 Academia Rossica is proud to present 10 UK premieres of award-winning Russian films produced in. All films with English subtitles. Programme director: Andrey Plakhov, President of FIPRESCI. The festival opens on 30 October with a new adaptation of Anna Karenina by one of Russia’s most defiant film directors, Sergei Soloviev. The film took 14 years to make and it is part of Soloviev’s trilogy ASSA (1987) – ASSA-2 (2009) – Anna Karenina (2009). Full programme of the Festival:

Now in its second year, the Rossica Young Translators Prize is hard on the heels of the success of the main Rossica Prize. Through this prize we would like to encourage young people under 25 who are passionate about Russia, literature and translation to enter into the world of professional literary translation. We hope that this award will help to nurture a new generation of Russian to English literary translators, as well as further cultural dialogue between Russia and the English-speaking world. The Winner will be announced on 21 April at the London Book Fair. The winning translator will receive £500 and the opportunity to travel to Moscow to take part in a Translators' Congress in September 2010. All shortlisted translators will be invited to a special programme of events at the London Book Fair and introduced to writers and publishers. If you would like to take part in this competition, please translate one of the three extracts in this brochure. They are taken from new novels written by Russia’s foremost contemporary novelists: Leonid Yuzefovich’s “Журавли и карлики”, Mikhail Shishkin’s “Письмовник”, and Viktor Pelevin's "t". The deadline for submission is 1 April. The translations will be judged by prominent translators and winners of the Rossica Prize – Robert Chandler, Amanda Love Darragh and Oliver Ready. It is an exciting opportunity for young translators to enter into the professional world of literary translation.

Translate one of three extracts taken from new novels written by Russia’s foremost contemporary novelists and send us your entry by 1 April. The winning translator will receive £500 and the chance to attend a Translators' Congress In Moscow in September 2010. All under 25s, don’t let this exciting opportunity pass you by!

In September 2009 Russia was announced the Market Focus and Guest of Honour of The London Book Fair 2011. This decision has been taken in recognition of Russia’s rapid growth in the publishing field in the past two decades, and following the success of the Russian Pavilion and Russian Literature Week, held in conjunction with The London Book Fair 2009 and in the presence of Minister Mikhail V. Seslavinsky and His Excellency Ambassador Yury V. Fedotov.

In order to prepare Russia’s participation as Market Focus Country two steering committees have been set up - in London and in Moscow. The first London steering committee was held at the Russian Embassy in London on 9 November 2009. It was chaired by Mr Alistair Burtenshaw, Director of The London Book Fair.

On 19 – 25 April ACADEMIA ROSSICA will bring you SLOVO, the Russian Literature Festival that knows no boundaries. Packed with a kaleidoscope of genre-defying events, SLOVO will offer a unique insight into Russian literary culture, presenting not only the foremost contemporary Russian writers and highly opinionated public figures, such as Dmitry Bykov, Sergei Lukyanenko, Olga Slavnikova, Maria Galina and Vladimir Sharov, but also cutting edge young writers and poets from right across Russia’s eleven time zones.

3rd RUSSIAN FILM FESTIVAL 30 October – 8 November 2009 Apollo Piccadilly, London T: 0871 220 6000 Academia Rossica is proud to present 10 UK premieres of award-winning Russian films produced in. All films with English subtitles. Programme director: Andrey Plakhov, President of FIPRESCI. The festival opens on 30 October with a new adaptation of Anna Karenina by one of Russia’s most defiant film directors, Sergei Soloviev. The film took 14 years to make and it is part of Soloviev’s trilogy ASSA (1987) – ASSA-2 (2009) – Anna Karenina (2009). Full programme of the Festival:

I see Russia’s future in the brightest of hues. Admittedly, this sort of statement does not befit a dystopian writer like me, who is supposed to make dire predictions, though for some what I am going to tell you will sound as bad as an anti-utopia (while I see it as an almost ideal outcome).

I see Russia’s future in the brightest of hues. Admittedly, this sort of statement does not befit a dystopian writer like me, who is supposed to make dire predictions, though for some what I am going to tell you will sound as bad as an anti-utopia (while I see it as an almost ideal outcome).

The Rainbow Publishing House is one of Russia’s oldest publishers, which has been on the book market for 27 years. Its wide scope takes in bi-lingual editions of poetry and prose, memoirs and biographies, reference books and encyclopedias and translations of romance novels in collaboration with the firm ‘Harlequin’.

Born in 1975 under his real name of Yevgeniy Nikolayevich Lavlinsky, Zakhar Prilepin grew up in a small village, Ilinka Skaponskovo, in Ryazan Province, not too distant from Nizhni Novgorod. He comes from a family of teachers and nurses. After finishing at the Philology Department of Nizhni Novgorod State University he worked as a security guard and a journalist before joining the Russia’s ‘Special Purpose Police Squad’ (the OMON) and, as a captain, serving on military deployments in Chechnya during 1996 and 1999.

by Sergei Golitsyn
Translated by Nicholas Witter
Reportage Press, 2008, pp.335
The Golitsyns were one of Russia’s most powerful families until the revolution turned their world upside down and life became a battle to survive. Sergei Golitsyn was just eight-years old, his head full of stories about knights in shining armour, but the reality was a bowl of gruel for supper and panic when there was a knock at the door. Nich

by Tolstoy
Translated Richard Pevear and Larissa Volokhonsky
Vintage Classics; 2007; pp. 1215
War and Peace is one of the richest novels ever written. Tolstoy’s enthralling epic combines history and fiction in his depiction of Russia’s lengthy war with the French armies of Napoleon and its effects on the domestic lives of those caught up in the conflict.

President of the International Institute of Global Development
Mr. Lebedev’s career commenced in 1977 at the Russian Academy of Sciences, after which he spent several years as a diplomat, being posted to Russia’s Embassy to the UK as both Third and subsequently Second Secretary.

President of the International Institute of Global Development
Mr. Lebedev’s career commenced in 1977 at the Russian Academy of Sciences, after which he spent several years as a diplomat, being posted to Russia’s Embassy to the UK as both Third and subsequently Second Secretary.

One of Russia’s leading historians of the 19th century, as well as being the Director of the State Archives of the Russian Federation, and he is the editor of Nicholas and Alexandra: Their Own Story – a historical biography of tsar Nicholas II’s family, murdered in July 1918. One of his principal concerns is to preserve and make available archives on the extensive gulag system and many other institutions of the former Soviet Union, and to assist the 6,000 researchers who annually visit the archives, in order to aid scholars to assess and reassess the past. He is editor of Anti-government Opposition During Khrushchev-Brezhnev Years (Yale University Press). His informal title is The Chief Keeper of Russian State Secrets.

Monday, 14 April, 8 pm
Waterstone’s Piccadilly, 5th Floor, 8 pm, FREE
Discovering brilliant new writing in Russia’s expanses. Speakers: Olga Slavnikova, winner of the Russian Booker Prize 2006, Natalia Ivanova, literary critic, Irina Prokhorova, NLO publisher, Ravil Bukharaev, BBC correspondent, poet and translator, and Alexander Gavrilov, editor in chief of the “Knizhnoe obozrenie” (Book Review)
In Russian and English

Alexander Ilichevsky was born in Sumgait, Azerbaijan in 1970 and graduated from a technological institute affiliated to Moscow University in theoretical physics. He worked in scientific research in Israel and California from 1991 to 1998, whereupon he returned to live in Moscow with his family. He is the prolific author of many literary works in various genres, both poetry and prose, all of which have been published in Russia’s most prestigious literary journals, such as Novyi mir (New World), Oktiabr (October) – all to great literary acclaim. His novel Matisse, dedicated to all those born in 1970, like the author himself, won him the Russian Booker Prize in 2007 – one of a record seventy-eight works submitted for consideration for the prize that year. This outstanding achievement is not only testament to Ilichevsky’s great talent as a writer, but also to the fact that Russian literature is alive and flourishing today, perhaps as never before.

Imperial Russian Ballet
Oranienbaum: Chinoiserie a la Russe
A la Russe: the Russian art of performance through the 18th and 19th centuries is celebrated in this issue, dedicated to Russia’s most famous ballets and to Catherine the Great’s personal Dacha – Oranienbaum.

Tretyakov Gallery
This issue is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Tretyakov Gallery, Russia’s most famous art museum which contains the national collection of Russian art.

Rumiantsev’s Arc – Library of a Nation
If the book lies at the heart of Russian culture, then the most vital, life-preserving institution in Russian culture is the library. This issue of ROSSICA focuses on the remarkable history and collections of Russia’s largest library: originally called the Rumiantsev Museum, later the Lenin Library (Leninka) it is now the Russian State Library.

St Petersburg – 300
This special issue, with a foreword by Her Majesty The Queen, celebrates the Tercentenary of Russia’s imperial capital, known as the Venice of the North and one of the world’s most enigmatic cities – St Petersburg.

Moscow – The Third Rome,
Stalin’s Capital, Global City
This issue focuses on Russia’s capital city as myth, as physical history, and as the future.

Imperial Russian Ballet
Oranienbaum: Chinoiserie a la Russe
A la Russe: the Russian art of performance through the 18th and 19th centuries is celebrated in this issue, dedicated to Russia’s most famous ballets and to Catherine the Great’s personal Dacha – Oranienbaum.

Moscow – The Third Rome,
Stalin’s Capital, Global City
This issue focuses on Russia’s capital city as myth, as physical history, and as the future.

St Petersburg – 300
This special issue, with a foreword by Her Majesty The Queen, celebrates the Tercentenary of Russia’s imperial capital, known as the Venice of the North and one of the world’s most enigmatic cities – St Petersburg.

Rumiantsev’s Arc – Library of a Nation
If the book lies at the heart of Russian culture, then the most vital, life-preserving institution in Russian culture is the library. This issue of ROSSICA focuses on the remarkable history and collections of Russia’s largest library: originally called the Rumiantsev Museum, later the Lenin Library (Leninka) it is now the Russian State Library.

Monday, 14 April, 8 pm
Waterstone’s Piccadilly, 5th Floor, 8 pm, FREE
Discovering brilliant new writing in Russia’s expanses. Speakers: Olga Slavnikova, winner of the Russian Booker Prize 2006, Natalia Ivanova, literary critic, Irina Prokhorova, NLO publisher, Ravil Bukharaev, BBC correspondent, poet and translator, and Alexander Gavrilov, editor in chief of the “Knizhnoe obozrenie” (Book Review)
In Russian and English

Alexander Ilichevsky was born in Sumgait, Azerbaijan in 1970 and graduated from a technological institute affiliated to Moscow University in theoretical physics. He worked in scientific research in Israel and California from 1991 to 1998, whereupon he returned to live in Moscow with his family. He is the prolific author of many literary works in various genres, both poetry and prose, all of which have been published in Russia’s most prestigious literary journals, such as Novyi mir (New World), Oktiabr (October) – all to great literary acclaim. His novel Matisse, dedicated to all those born in 1970, like the author himself, won him the Russian Booker Prize in 2007 – one of a record seventy-eight works submitted for consideration for the prize that year.

Tretyakov Gallery
This issue is dedicated to the 150th anniversary of the Tretyakov Gallery, Russia’s most famous art museum which contains the national collection of Russian art.