Russian Booker Prize
Encyclopedia
The Russian Booker Prize (Russian
: Русский Букер, Russian Booker) is a Russia
n literary award
modeled after the Booker Prize and inaugurated in 1992 by English Chief Executive Sir Michael Caine. Now established as the country's premier literary prize, it is awarded to the best work of fiction
written in the Russian language
each year as decided by a panel of judges, irrespective of the writer's citizenship. The head of the Russian Booker Prize Committee is currently British journalist George Walden
. It is the first Russian non-governmental literary prize since the Russian Revolution
in 1917.
Each year, the jury of the contest chooses from among all the participants, the "long list", the six best novels which forms a "short list". The winner receives a cash prize of 600,000 ruble
, estimated US$20,000, while each of the shortlisted finalists earns US$2,000. The first Russian Booker Prize was awarded to Mark Kharitonov for his novel Lines of Fate. In 1997 the award was renamed to Smirnoff–Booker, in honor of sponsor P.A. Smirnov. From 2002 to 2005, Open Russia NGO was the general sponsor of the Booker Literary Prize in Russia, leading to its name change into the Booker–Open Russia Literary Prize during that time. Before the announcement of the 2005 winner, the Booker Foundation decided to end its partnership with Open Russia because its chairman, Mikhail Khodorkovsky
, was sentenced to nine years in prison for tax evasion. The committee signed a five-year contract to sponsor BP
. In 2010 the prize ran into funding problems and preparations for the 2010 prize were suspended because no new sponsor could be found. Since 2011 the new sponsor is Russian Telecom Equipment Company (RTEC).
Five out of sixty books were nominated for the novel of the decade prize, which will be awarded in 2011. These are Aleksandr Chudakov
's Haze Sets upon the Old Steps, Oleg Pavlov
's Funeral Rites in Karaganda, or, a Tale of Recent Times, Zahar Prilepin's Sankya, Lyudmila Ulitskaya
's Daniel Stein, Translator and Roman Senchin's The Eltyshevs.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Русский Букер, Russian Booker) is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n literary award
Literary award
A literary award is an award presented to an author who has written a particularly lauded piece or body of work. There are awards for forms of writing ranging from poetry to novels. Many awards are also dedicated to a certain genre of fiction or non-fiction writing . There are also awards...
modeled after the Booker Prize and inaugurated in 1992 by English Chief Executive Sir Michael Caine. Now established as the country's premier literary prize, it is awarded to the best work of fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
written in the Russian language
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
each year as decided by a panel of judges, irrespective of the writer's citizenship. The head of the Russian Booker Prize Committee is currently British journalist George Walden
George Walden
George Gordon Harvey Walden is a British journalist and a former Conservative Party Member of Parliament who served as the Minister for Higher Education from 1985-87....
. It is the first Russian non-governmental literary prize since the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution can refer to:* Russian Revolution , a series of strikes and uprisings against Nicholas II, resulting in the creation of State Duma.* Russian Revolution...
in 1917.
Each year, the jury of the contest chooses from among all the participants, the "long list", the six best novels which forms a "short list". The winner receives a cash prize of 600,000 ruble
Russian ruble
The ruble or rouble is the currency of the Russian Federation and the two partially recognized republics of Abkhazia and South Ossetia. Formerly, the ruble was also the currency of the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union prior to their breakups. Belarus and Transnistria also use currencies with...
, estimated US$20,000, while each of the shortlisted finalists earns US$2,000. The first Russian Booker Prize was awarded to Mark Kharitonov for his novel Lines of Fate. In 1997 the award was renamed to Smirnoff–Booker, in honor of sponsor P.A. Smirnov. From 2002 to 2005, Open Russia NGO was the general sponsor of the Booker Literary Prize in Russia, leading to its name change into the Booker–Open Russia Literary Prize during that time. Before the announcement of the 2005 winner, the Booker Foundation decided to end its partnership with Open Russia because its chairman, Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Mikhail Khodorkovsky
Mikhail Borisovich Khodorkovsky is a Russian prisoner, considered by some - such as Amnesty International - to have been imprisoned for political reasons, jailed until 2016 and a former Russian oligarch and businessman...
, was sentenced to nine years in prison for tax evasion. The committee signed a five-year contract to sponsor BP
BP
BP p.l.c. is a global oil and gas company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the third-largest energy company and fourth-largest company in the world measured by revenues and one of the six oil and gas "supermajors"...
. In 2010 the prize ran into funding problems and preparations for the 2010 prize were suspended because no new sponsor could be found. Since 2011 the new sponsor is Russian Telecom Equipment Company (RTEC).
Five out of sixty books were nominated for the novel of the decade prize, which will be awarded in 2011. These are Aleksandr Chudakov
Aleksandr Chudakov
Aleksandr Evgenievich Chudakov was a Soviet Russian physicist in the field of cosmic-ray physics, known for Chudakov Effect, the effect of decreasing ionization losses for narrow electron-positron pairs and for experimentally confirming existence of the transition radiation.He was also the...
's Haze Sets upon the Old Steps, Oleg Pavlov
Oleg Pavlov
Oleg Pavlov is a prominent Russian writer, winner of the Russian Booker Prize.Born in Moscow, he served in the Interior Ministry troops near the city of Karaganda...
's Funeral Rites in Karaganda, or, a Tale of Recent Times, Zahar Prilepin's Sankya, Lyudmila Ulitskaya
Lyudmila Ulitskaya
Lyudmila Evgenyevna Ulitskaya is a critically acclaimed modern Russian novelist and short-story writer. She was born in the town of Davlekanovo in Bashkiria on February 21, 1943...
's Daniel Stein, Translator and Roman Senchin's The Eltyshevs.
Winners
| Year | Recipient | Book | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | Lines of Fate | ||
| 1993 | Baize-covered Table with Decanter | ||
| 1994 | The Show is Over | ||
| 1995 | The General and His Army | ||
| 1996 | The Stamp Album | ||
| 1997 | Cell | ||
| 1998 | Strange Letters | ||
| 1999 | Freedom | ||
| 2000 | The Capture Of Izmail | ||
| 2001 | The Kukotsky Case | ||
| 2002 | Ninth Day Party in Karaganda: or the Story of the Recent Days | ||
| 2003 | Black on White | ||
| 2004 | Voltairiens and Voltairiennes | ||
| 2005 | Without a Way Russophone (novel) Russophone is a novel by the Russian writer Denis Gutsko . The novel is an expanded and reworked version of his novel Without Track or Trace, Без пути-следа published in Druzhba Narodov magazine... |
||
| 2006 | 2017 | ||
| 2007 | Matisse | ||
| 2008 | Librarian | ||
| 2009 | A Time of Women | ||
| 2010 | The Flower Cross | ||