I’ve been so caught up in work and preparations for my trip
to England next month for the Translators’ Coven that I completely forgot about
today’s Big Book short list announcement! Before I head to the beach for some
Memorial Day reading, here’s a quick list, in the order the books were listed
on Lenta.ru:
- Sergei Beliakov: Гумилев сын Гумилева (excerpts) (Gumilev, Son of Gumilev).
- Aleksandr Terekhov: Немцы (Germans). This book won the 2012 National Bestseller award.
- Vadim Levental: Маша Регина (Masha Regina).
- Dmitrii Danilov: Описание города (Description of a City). A short book but a big personal favorite (previous post).
- Maksim Kantor: Красный свет (Red Light, though “свет” can also mean “world”… and this is a historical novel). Also on the 2013 NatsBest short list.
- Evgenii Vodolazkin: Лавр (Laurus). Another big personal favorite: I have a particular affection for this book after translating some excerpts. Also on the 2013 NatsBest short list.
- Anton Ponizovskii: Обращение в слух (maybe For the Ears?).
- Iurii Buida: Вор, шпион и убийца (Thief, Spy, and Murderer). The online version’s pages calls this novel “an autobiographical fantasy.”
- Maya Kucherskaya: Тетя Мотя (Aunt Motya or Auntie Mina, per literary agency Elkost). I’ve been meaning to read this book for months.
- Andrei Volos: Возвращение в Панджруд (excerpts) (Return to Panjrud).
- Anna Matveeva: Подожди, я умру — и приду (maybe something like: Wait a Bit, I’ll Die and Then Come Back). Short stories.
Disclosures: The usual, with direct and indirect ties to Big Book and many of the books on the list.
