Read Russia at the 2017 London Book Fair

At the 2017 London Book Fair, March 14-16, Read Russia will showcase more than 450 new titles – with a focus on works by Russian writers whose major anniversaries are being celebrated in 2017, among them Bella Akhmadulina, Valentin Kataev, Vladimir Makanin, Konstantin Paustovsky, Marina Tsvetaeva, and Maximilian Voloshin.

The public program will include talks and discussions with Russian writers, presentations of new translations of Russian literary works into English, and announcements of new funding opportunities for publishers and translators.  Renowned British literary translators Arch Tait, Donald Rayfield, and John Farndon will present their newest works, and Read Russia will host a series of conversations with award-winning writers Alexey Ivanov, Valery Bochkov, Alisa Ganieva, Marina Stepnova, and Vadim Levental. Film screenings include “My Own Honor Bright,” directed by Alexander Karpilovsky, based on the book by Mikhail Seslavinsky; and “The Backbone of Russia,” Alexey Ivanov’s four-episode documentary series produced with journalist, television host, and director Leonid Parfenov and producer Julia Zaitseva, exploring the culture of the Urals.

Read Russia events will be held at the Russian stand at Olympia and at London cultural venues including Waterstones Piccadilly and Pushkin House.

Tuesday, March 14

11:00 – 12:00
Opening of the Russian National Stand
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8 UX, Stand 5 F111
Language: Russian with English translation

12:30 – 13:00
Presentation. The Read Russia Prize – celebrating the best translations of Russian literature
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: Russian with English translation

14:00 -15:00
Roundtable discussion. How to Make Russian Literature Even More Popular
Participants: Julia Goumen, literary agent; literary translators Donald Rayfield and Arch Tait; and Karina Karmenian, Director of St. James's Publishing and Russian Children's Book Festival
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: English

15:00 – 16:00
Book presentation. Hamid Ismailov's Dance of Devils
Participants: Hamid Ismailov, writer and journalist, Head of BBC Central Asia and Caucasus Service; and Donald Rayfield, author, historian, literary translator
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: English

18:00 – 19:30
New Faces of Modern Russian Literature
Participants: Authors Alisa Ganieva, Aleksey Ivanov, Vadim Levental, and Valery Bochkov
Moderator: Olga Aminova, Editor at EKSMO Publishers
Venue: Rossotrudnichestvo, First floor, 37 Kensington High Street, London W8 5ED
Language: Russian
RSVP: readrussialbf2017@gmail.com, +44 (0)207 937 3355
Reception to follow

Wednesday, March 15

11:00 – 12:00
In Conversation with: Valery Bochkov, on his dystopian novels The Coronation of the Beast, Kharon, The Ferryman of Hell, and The Time of the Water
Special guest: Valery Bochkov, author
Moderator: Olga Aminova, Editor at EKSMO
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8 UX, Stand 5 F111
Language: Russian with English translation

12:00 – 13:00
Aletheiya Publishers, Glagoslav Publications, and the Institute for Literary Translation present Shards from the Polar Ice by Lydia Grigorieva (in Russian and English)
Participants: Lydia Grigorieva, poet; John Farndon, translator; Maxim Hodak, Director of Glagoslav Publications; and Tatiana Savkina, Director of Aletheiya Publishers
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: Russian with English translation

13:00 – 14:00
Glagoslav Publications presents Tsunami by Anatoly Kurchatkin
Participants: Maxim Hodak, Director of Glagoslav Publications; and Arch Tait, literary translator
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: English

14:00 – 15:00
Citata Plus publisher presents Yaroslavl – Exeter: Twin Cities
Participants: Natalia Gubina, author, and R. John Shepherd, editor
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: Russian with English translation

15:00 – 16:00
In conversation with: Alexey Ivanov on the history of Russia
Special guest: Alexey Ivanov, author
Moderator: Alexander Kan, cultural historian and BBC broadcaster
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: Russian with English translation

19:00 – 20:30
Youth in Literature: In Conversation with Russian Writers Vadim Levental, Marina Stepnova, and Alisa Ganieva
Chairperson: Natalia Rubinstein, journalist and literary critic
Venue: Pushkin House, 5a Bloomsbury Square, London, WC1A 2TA
Language: Russian with English translation

Thursday, March 16

11:00 – 12:00
In Conversation with: Marina Stepnova on Family Values
Special guest: Julia Goumen, literary agent; and Marina Stepnova, writer
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Hammersmith Road, London W14 8 UX, Stand 5 F111
Language: Russian with English translation

12.00 – 13.30
The Storytellers. In Fall 2016 six British and Russian artists shared an epic journey on the Trans–Siberian Express, writing music, fiction and poetry that reflected their experiences and performing for the public along the way.  Writers Joe Dunthorne and Andrew Dickson (Britain), and Alisa Ganieva (Russia) reflect on their adventure with breathtaking film footage from Arseny Khachaturyan. Organized by the British Council as part of the UK-Russia Year of Language and Literature 2016.
Chair: Doug Wallace, Creative Director of the UK–Russia Year of Literature and Language 2016
Sponsored by the British Council
Venue: Olympia Exhibition Centre, Stand 5 F111
Language: English

19:00 – 20.00
An evening dedicated to Cherubina de Gabriak
Venue: Rossotrudnichestvo, First floor, 37 Kensington High Street, London W8 5ED
Language: Russian

19:00 – 20.30
In conversation with: writer Alexey Ivanov with a film screening of The Backbone of Russia (with English subtitles)
Chair: Natalia Rubinstein, journalist and literary critic
Venue: The Russian Bookshop at Waterstones Piccadilly, 203–206 Piccadilly, London, W1V 9LE, 4^th Floor
Language: Russian
RSVP: readrussialbf2017@gmail.com