SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2018 READ RUSSIA PRIZE
Imagine that many of Russia's greatest writers of the twentieth century were entirely unknown in the West, and only recently discovered in Russia itself. Strange as it may seem, it is in fact true, and their rediscovery is setting the literary world alight. Names such as Gaito Gazdanov and Vasily Yanovsky have excited great interest in Russia, and with stories of gambling, drug abuse, love, death, suicide, madness, espionage, glittering high society and the seedy underworld of Europe's capitals, their appeal is extremely broad. Many of these writers' works are only now being published in Russia for the first time, alongside those of leading contemporary authors - and to great critical acclaim. And we aren't just talking about two or three obscure authors; there are, quite literally, dozens of them.

Bryan Karetnyk (External Editor)
Bryan Karetnyk is an editor and a translator of Russian literature. He read Russian and Japanese at the University of Edinburgh, subsequently working as a translator for the Civil Service. His recent work focuses primarily on Russian émigré studies, and his acclaimed translations of Gaito Gazdanov include The Spectre of Alexander Wolf, The Buddha's Return and The Flight.