Lizok's Bookshelf of course reported on the announcement of the finalists for Russia's (horribly titled but prestigious and remunerative) Большая книга ('Big Book') prize when it was made, more than two weeks ago; Russia Beyond the Headlines now follow up, as Georgy Manaev reports on the shortlist, in The Russian novel returns: Solovki prison, the defense industry, and an agronomist called Gogol.
(But there's apparently a lot of time left until they choose a winning title .....)
Svetlana Alexievich -- author of Voices from Chernobyl -- was, you might recall, very considered to be very much in the Nobel Prize-mix last year, and her shortlisted book has been racking up the prizes and critical praise throughout Europe; amazingly, her agent's site lists it being published in four countries, with rights sold in another ten, but nothing doing yet in the English-speaking world. How is this possible ?
Vladimir Sorokin also has a book on the shortlist, as do Zakhar Prilepin and Vladimir Sharov (whose Before and During Dedalus recently brought out (see their publicity page) and which I look forward to getting to soon). A pretty interesting selection of books.
Svetlana Alexievich -- author of Voices from Chernobyl -- was, you might recall, very considered to be very much in the Nobel Prize-mix last year, and her shortlisted book has been racking up the prizes and critical praise throughout Europe; amazingly, her agent's site lists it being published in four countries, with rights sold in another ten, but nothing doing yet in the English-speaking world. How is this possible ?
Vladimir Sorokin also has a book on the shortlist, as do Zakhar Prilepin and Vladimir Sharov (whose Before and During Dedalus recently brought out (see their publicity page) and which I look forward to getting to soon). A pretty interesting selection of books.