The BOOKS FROM RUSSIA stand was held at the London Book Fair for the third time by the Russian Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communication in collaboration with Academia Rossica. Building on the success of last year, publishers were offered even greater opportunities for creating and expanding business links with the fast growing Russian book market. This was of particular important this year as part of the lead up to the 2011 London Book Fair, where Russia will be the Guest of Honour. Despite being affected by the unexpected volcanic activity, as was the entire London Book Fair, we were very pleased to see that the BOOKS FROM RUSSIA stand was one of the liveliest at the fair.

The Debut Prize was instituted in 2000 by State Duma Deputy Andrei Skoch, creator of the humanitarian foundation Pokolenie (Generation). Skoch originally conceived of Pokolenie as a medical charity to help provincial Russian clinics, sick children and pensioners. The Debut, Pokolenie’s only cultural project to date, has become a prize of national renown. The Debut has a strict age limit: entrants may not be over the age of 25. Members of the Russian literary establishment were skeptical at first. They doubted that writers so young would have something to say to readers. Young writers might try their hand at poetry, they argued, but they didn’t have enough life experience to write a story or a novel. However, the Debut has shown that a person’s life experience at any age is complete in and of itself. What a person knows about the world at 20 has been forgotten by the time he is 30. What he could have written at 20 he will no longer write at 30. He will write something else. Strangely enough, most writers live without their first book: it remains in their minds, in drafts. The Debut inspires young Russian writers to complete that first book. The Debut prompts them to commit to literature their unique experience, what might be described as the shock of their first encounter with grown-up life. Not just their new existential status, but daily events. Suddenly a person is faced with bank applications, having to pay rent and buy insurance; no one will fill out the forms for him, no one will answer for him. And he suddenly feels horribly alone in the world. This sort of loneliness, like any other, has a huge creative potential. The Debut brings in the first literary harvest of the writing generation — and it does so every year. 2010 marks the first year of Debut’s international program. Funded by Pokolenie, the program aims to present the works of Debut finalists and winners to the foreign reader. Collections of these works will be translated and their authors will be sent to international book fairs and festivals. This year’s collection appears in English and Chinese. Future collections will be brought out in French, German, Italian, Spanish, Japanese, and so on. Since the number of Debut finalists and winners is only increasing, as is their level and mastery, publication of their works in English will continue.

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.

Саша Дагдейл родилась в Сассексе. С 1995 по 2005 жила и работала в России. В 1999 году Саша совместно с лондонским Royal Court учредила New Writing project и сейчас работает переводчиком и консультантом для Royal Court. Четыре переведенных Сашей произведения были поставлены на сцене. Пьеса «Пластилин» Василия Сигарева получила награду Evening Standard Award как произведение подающее большое надежды.

Sasha Dugdale was born in Sussex. Between 1995 and 2000 she lived and worked in Russia. In 1999 she initiated the Russian theatre New Writing project with the Royal Court, London, and currently works as a translator and consultant at the Royal Court. Four of her translations have been staged. Plasticine by Vassily Sigarev won the Evening Standard Award for Most Promising Playwright. She has had poems published in Oxford Poets 2002 and New Writing 12 (Picador 2003). In 2003 she received an Eric Gregory Award.

Mario has published numerous poetry books and pamphlets, including: Shrapnel and Sheets, Bosco, Heavy Water, Half Life, Fearnought (poems for Southwell Workhouse), along with translations of Catullus, Sappho and Montale. Lepidoptera is a hybrid book of long poetry and short prose, while his illustrated collection The Stamina of Sheep (the unique result of an innovative public and educational arts project for Havering, the Thames and Essex) captured the Essex Book Award for Best Fiction Publication (2000-2002). Flowers of Sulphur was published in 2007. Mario is currently working on two further collections, Monte Cassino and i tulips.

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.

Interros launched a Publishing Programme in 2001. The purpose of this humanitarian project was to participate in educational and cultural progress by publishing books. In eight years the Interros Publishing Programme has released over 30 books on history, arts, culture and philosophy. Books are central to the educational activities of the programme.

Founder and chief editor of “New Literary Review”, which has transformed from being the cult literary magazine of the post-Soviet generation into a multifaceted cultural project including a major publishing house. Pioneered the publication of Russia-originated cultural studies with an academic slant and yet targeted at general audience. Organizer and participant of various literature-related events (conferences, presentations, etc.) at home and overseas.