Diaghilev fever is taking London by storm. The V&A's major exhibition 'Diaghilev and the Golden Age of the Ballets Russes, 1909-1929' reveals Diaghilev's enduring influence on 20th-century art, design and fashion. The V&A is also holding a number of other Diaghilev themed events, including 'The Music of Diaghilev with the Philharmonia Orchestra' and 'Rephrasing the Ballets Russes', in collaboration with the English National Ballet. And the perfect accompaniment to this year's season of Diaghilev events is Sjeng Scheijen's new biography of the arguably the greatest (and most controversial) impresario of all time.

We are as disappointed as you are that the ash cloud stopped our Russian authors from making it to the UK for our SLOVO festival. However, the festival has not been cancelled, merely postponed. We are working hard to bring the events to London at a later date, so keep a close eye on our website! In the meantime, Academia Rossica is delighted to support The East End Film Festival (22 April – Friday 30) in their focus on new Russian cinema.

ACADEMIA ROSSICA's aim is to bring writers, publishers and translators together and to help create structures to support the publication and distribution of Russian literature in the English speaking world. The Translators Day will be a key element of this project, which will set the ground for a stronger recognition and promotion of literary translation from Russian into English. 10.30 – 11.30 PEN Café, EC2 Rossica Translation Prize, Young Translators Prize award. A special Rossica Translation award to Stanley Mitchell 11.30 –12.00 BFR, Y455 Russkiy Mir Translation Grants Presentation 12.00 – 13.00 BFR, Y455 Roundtable: Translating Russia 13.30 –14.30 BFR, Y455 Presentation: Famous Englishmen, Known Only in Russia Presentation: Misreading English Literature – A few true stories from Soviet translations 15.00 – 15.30 BFR, Y455 New Millennium Prize Award. Winner - Mary Hobson, poet and translator. 16.00 – 16.30 PEN Café, EC2 Market Focus Handover Ceremony, Champagne Reception Interpreting for the Russian guests at the LBF and SLOVO festival For those interested in offering their professional translation skills during the London Book Fair, ACADEMIA ROSSICA will have a series of events and seminars where interpreters will be needed in order for Russian and UK guests to communicate with each other. This an excellent opportunity for professional translators to play an involved and encouraging role in the development of future publishing projects that will lead to the further promotion and distribution of Russian literature in the English speaking world. To register as an interpreter, please contact Rodrigo@academia-rossica.org by 15th April.

I was delighted and astonished when I received the invitation to be one of the judges of this year’s ‘Rossica’ Translation Prize. Delighted – because, by accepting, I would be able to indulge myself with a clear conscience in reading (or, as it often turned out, rereading) many works of Russian literature rather than doing what I all too often do – reading works about Russian literature (and various other things). Astonished – because I am not a prolific or high-profile translator of Russian literature, so I was unsure about why I had been chosen. However, not being known for false modesty, I did feel that I was reasonably well qualified for the work ahead.

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'.

By Ricky Ghosh Dastidar
The 2nd Russian Film Festival was held in London recently by the cultural organisation Academia Rossica. Known for their work in promoting the best of Russian arts, the festival comprised screenings of feature films and documentaries, as well as discussions and masterclasses.

6 June, 7pm, afterparty with DJ Taras till 01.00
O2 Arena
Rock group BI-2 is one of the most famous Russian rock groups. Since its formation in 1989 the group has released many very successful albums, has won some very prestigious awards including MTV Russia Music Awards in 2007, has been involved in several major music projects and has produced soundtracks to some of the very best Russian action movies, including Brat-2 (Brother-2). Their music is well known and easily recognizable for its rock-and-roll drive and fun-loving lyrics.

By Ricky Ghosh Dastidar
The 2nd Russian Film Festival was held in London recently by the cultural organisation Academia Rossica. Known for their work in promoting the best of Russian arts, the festival comprised screenings of feature films and documentaries, as well as discussions and masterclasses.

Filmmaker, historian
Evgeny Tsymbal is the only BAFTA-winning Russian film director. Little known to mainstream film goers, he is well respected in Russian and European artistic and intellectual circles as a documentary filmmaker, writer and film historian.

10 February
BFI, Southbank
Tarkovsky's genre-defying evocation of a decayed post-industrial society was filmed in a disused and rotting power station, the setting for a forbidden landscape known as "the zone" where the Stalker leads a Writer and a Scientist on a quest for a hidden truth. Thirty years on from the film's original release, Professor Ian Christie will introduce this seminal film. Following the screening there will be a discussion with special guests including Evgeny Tsymbal, the film's assistant director. For a chance to win tickets to this exclusive event, let us know what this film means to you at our forum.

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.

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.

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.

Founding director of Glas Publishers, a small Russia-based publishing house specializing in publishing modern or less known Russian literature in English translations. Several of Glas’ publications received widespread critical acclaim and brought the works (such as Nina Lugovskaya’s diary) into the spotlight.

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.

The Ties of Blood
Russian Literature from the 21st Century
This edition of Rossica takes on a new form! It is an Anthology of New Russian Writing, featuring both prose and poetry translated into English and edited by leading specialists.
The issue was launched at the first Russian Literature Week, in April 2008.