Russia has been announced The Market Focus of The London Book Fair 2011 

PRESS RELEASE

In September 2009 Russia was announced the Market Focus and Guest of Honour of The London Book Fair 2011.

This decision has been taken in recognition of Russia’s rapid growth in the publishing field in the past two decades, and following the success of the Russian Pavilion and Russian Literature Week, held in conjunction with The London Book Fair 2009 and in the presence of Minister Mikhail V. Seslavinsky and His Excellency Ambassador Yury V. Fedotov.

Why Russia? Why now? Culture and commerce unite

Literature has always been at the heart of Russian culture. In fact, in the 19th and 20th centuries it gained international repute for being more than literature, but nearly always a forum for political debate, philosophical treatise, and social and psychological study. Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, Chekhov and other great Russian writers revolutionised European literature.
Today’s writers continue this great literary tradition. As Russia is challenged by enormous social and economical transformations, its literature plays an important role by providing a platform for open debate and crystallising new national values. The number of national annual literary awards, including the main - the Big Book Prize, with a cash value larger than that of the British Man Booker Prize, attests to the importance of literature in Russia today.

Market Focus will bring both internationally established authors, such as Vladimir Makanin, Ludmila Ulitskaya and Dmitry Bykov, and new and exciting writers to the forefront of the international book publishing industry, and to the attention of the English speaking world, during The London Book Fair 2011.

To maximise business and networking opportunities, The London Book Fair will be running a series of events and industry debates in the run-up to the Fair, with the support of the British Council, Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications and Academia Rossica.

Alistair Burtenshaw, Group Exhibition Director, The London Book Fair says: “We are delighted to welcome Russia as The London Book Fair's Market Focus partner for 2011. Market Focus influence is growing significantly year-on-year and this is an exciting opportunity to maximise links with a country that has an immensely strong literary history, but has also transformed itself over the past two decades into a thriving consumer-driven market. We are thrilled to be able to enhance understanding of, and showcase opportunities with, contemporary authors and publishers in the region, and to capitalise fully on the commercial benefits of greater knowledge of the Market Focus partner.”

Vladimir Grigoriev, Deputy Head of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications, says: "We do hope that Russia's presence as the key exhibitor at The London Book Fair 2011 will be instrumental in developing cooperation between our two countries in the field of literature and publishing, increasing the number of contemporary British and Russian authors being translated respectively into Russian and English, while the British readers would get more complete information about the literary trends underway in Russia".

Rosemary Hilhorst, Director, British Council Russia, comments: “What unites British and Russian culture is our deep love of literature. Some may argue that our strong literary traditions lead the world. Many readers in the UK are familiar with classical Russian authors such as Tolstoy, Dostoevsky and Chekhov but few can name contemporary Russian writers. This is a great opportunity for the British Council to help introduce more contemporary Russian literature to British readers and publishers as part of the Market Focus Russia Cultural Programme as well as create new relationships and readers in both of our societies.“

Svetlana Adjoubei, Drector of Academia Rossica, adds: “It is a great privilege for us to represent one of the greatest literatures of the world in Britain, to one of the most literary audience of the world.”