Russian writers are Nobel Prize winners. Russian literary awards: who receives them and for what
Since the delivery of the first Nobel Prize 112 years have passed. Among Russians deserving of this most prestigious award in the field literature, physics, chemistry, medicine, physiology, peace and economics became only 20 people. As for the Nobel Prize in Literature, Russians have their own personal history in this area, not always with a positive ending.
First awarded in 1901, bypassed the most important writer in Russian and world literature - Leo Tolstoy. In their address of 1901, the members of the Royal Swedish Academy formally paid their respects to Tolstoy, calling him "the venerable patriarch of modern literature" and "one of those mighty penetrating poets, about whom in this case should have been remembered first of all,” however, they referred to the fact that, in view of his convictions, the great writer himself “never aspired to such an award.” In his reply letter, Tolstoy wrote that he was glad that he was relieved of the difficulties associated with the disposal of so much money and that he was pleased to receive notes of sympathy from so many respected persons. The situation was different in 1906, when Tolstoy, having forestalled his nomination for the Nobel Prize, asked Arvid Järnefeld to use all possible connections so as not to be placed in an unpleasant position and refuse this prestigious award.
In a similar way Nobel Prize in Literature bypassed several other outstanding Russian writers, among whom was also the genius of Russian literature - Anton Pavlovich Chekhov. The first writer admitted to the "Nobel Club" was not pleasing to the Soviet government, who emigrated to France Ivan Alekseevich Bunin.
In 1933, the Swedish Academy presented Bunin with an award "for the strict skill with which he develops the traditions of Russian classical prose". Merezhkovsky and Gorky were also among the nominees this year. Bunin received Nobel Prize in Literature largely due to the 4 books published by that time about the life of Arseniev. During the ceremony, Per Hallstrom, a representative of the Academy, who presented the award, expressed admiration for Bunin's ability to "describe real life with extraordinary expressiveness and accuracy." In his response speech, the laureate thanked the Swedish Academy for the courage and honor it had shown the émigré writer.
A difficult story full of disappointment and bitterness accompanies the receipt of the Nobel Prize in Literature Boris Pasternak. Nominated annually from 1946 to 1958 and awarded this high award in 1958, Pasternak was forced to refuse it. Practically becoming the second Russian writer to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, the writer was hunted down at home, having received stomach cancer as a result of nervous shocks, from which he died. Justice triumphed only in 1989, when his son Yevgeny Pasternak received an honorary award for him "for significant achievements in modern lyric poetry, as well as for the continuation of the traditions of the great Russian epic novel.
Sholokhov Mikhail Alexandrovich won the Nobel Prize in Literature "for the novel" Quiet Don»» in 1965. It is worth noting that the authorship of this deep epic work, despite the fact that the manuscript of the work was found and a computer correspondence with the printed edition was established, there are opponents who declare the impossibility of creating a novel, indicating deep knowledge of the events of the First World War and the Civil War at such a young age . The writer himself, summing up his work, said: "I would like my books to help people become better, become purer in soul ... If I succeeded to some extent, I am happy."
Solzhenitsyn Alexander Isaevich, winner of the 1918 Nobel Prize in Literature "for moral force with which he followed the immutable traditions of Russian literature. Having spent most of his life in exile and exile, the writer created deep and frightening historical works with their authenticity. Upon learning of the Nobel Prize, Solzhenitsyn expressed his desire to personally attend the ceremony. The Soviet government prevented the writer from receiving this prestigious award, calling it "politically hostile." Thus, Solzhenitsyn never got to the desired ceremony, fearing that he would not be able to return from Sweden back to Russia.
In 1987 Brodsky Joseph Alexandrovich awarded Nobel Prize in Literature"for an all-encompassing work imbued with the clarity of thought and the passion of poetry." In Russia, the poet did not receive life recognition. He worked while in exile in the United States, most of the works were written in impeccable English. In his speech of the Nobel laureate, Brodsky spoke about the most precious thing for him - language, books and poetry...
Only five Russian writers have been awarded the prestigious international Nobel Prize. For three of them, this brought not only worldwide fame, but also widespread persecution, repression and exile. Only one of them was approved Soviet government, and its last owner was "forgiven" and invited to return to his homeland.
Nobel Prize- one of the most prestigious awards, which is awarded annually for outstanding Scientific research, significant inventions and significant contributions to the culture and development of society. One comical but not accidental story is connected with its establishment. It is known that the founder of the award - Alfred Nobel - is also famous for the fact that it was he who invented dynamite (pursuing, nevertheless, pacifist goals, since he believed that opponents armed to the teeth would understand all the stupidity and senselessness of the war and stop the conflict). When his brother Ludwig Nobel died in 1888, and the newspapers erroneously "buried" Alfred Nobel, calling him a "merchant of death", the latter seriously thought about how society would remember him. As a result of these reflections, in 1895 Alfred Nobel changed his will. And it said the following:
“All my movable and immovable property must be turned into liquid values by my executors, and the capital thus collected is placed in a reliable bank. The income from investments should belong to the fund, which will distribute them annually in the form of bonuses to those who during the previous year have brought the greatest benefit to mankind ... The indicated percentages must be divided into five equal parts, which are intended: one part - to the one who makes the most important discovery or invention in the field of physics; the other to the one who makes the most important discovery or improvement in the field of chemistry; the third - to the one who will make the most important discovery in the field of physiology or medicine; the fourth - to the one who will create the most outstanding literary work of an idealistic direction; fifth - to the one who will make the most significant contribution to the rallying of nations, the abolition of slavery or the reduction of the existing armies and the promotion of peace congresses ... My particular desire is that the nationality of candidates should not be taken into account when awarding prizes ... ".
Medal awarded to Nobel laureate
After conflicts with Nobel's "deprived" relatives, the executors of his will - the secretary and the lawyer - established the Nobel Foundation, whose duties included organizing the presentation of bequeathed prizes. A separate institution has been established to award each of the five prizes. So, Nobel Prize Literature was included in the competence of the Swedish Academy. Since then, the Nobel Prize in Literature has been awarded annually since 1901, except for 1914, 1918, 1935 and 1940-1943. It is interesting that upon delivery Nobel Prize only the names of the laureates are announced, all other nominations are kept secret for 50 years.
Swedish Academy building
Despite the apparent lack of commitment Nobel Prize, dictated by the philanthropic instructions of Nobel himself, many "left" political forces still see obvious politicization and some Western cultural chauvinism in the award of the prize. It is hard not to notice that the vast majority Nobel laureates come from the USA and European countries (more than 700 laureates), while the number of laureates from the USSR and Russia is much less. Moreover, there is a point of view that most Soviet laureates the prize was awarded only for criticism of the USSR.
Nevertheless, this five Russian writers - laureates Nobel Prize on literature:
Ivan Alekseevich Bunin- Laureate of 1933. The prize was awarded "For the strict skill with which he develops the traditions of Russian classical prose." Bunin received the award while in exile.
Boris Leonidovich Pasternak- Laureate in 1958. The prize was awarded "For significant achievements in modern lyric poetry, as well as for the continuation of the traditions of the great Russian epic novel." This award is associated with the anti-Soviet novel Doctor Zhivago, therefore, in the face of severe persecution, Pasternak is forced to refuse it. The medal and diploma were awarded to the writer's son Eugene only in 1988 (the writer died in 1960). Interestingly, in 1958, this was the seventh attempt to present the prestigious award to Pasternak.
Mikhail Aleksandrovich Sholokhov- Laureate in 1965. The prize was awarded "For the artistic strength and integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia." This award has a long history. Back in 1958, a delegation of the Writers' Union of the USSR, which visited Sweden, countered the European popularity of Pasternak with the international popularity of Sholokhov, and in a telegram to the Soviet ambassador in Sweden dated 04/07/1958 it was said:
“It would be desirable, through cultural figures close to us, to make it clear to the Swedish public that the Soviet Union would highly appreciate the award Nobel Prize Sholokhov ... It is also important to make it clear that Pasternak, as a writer, is not recognized by Soviet writers and progressive writers in other countries.
Contrary to this recommendation, Nobel Prize in 1958, it was nevertheless awarded to Pasternak, which led to severe disapproval of the Soviet government. But in 1964 from Nobel Prize Jean-Paul Sartre refused, explaining this, among other things, by his personal regret that Sholokhov was not awarded the prize. It was this gesture of Sartre that predetermined the choice of the laureate in 1965. Thus, Mikhail Sholokhov became the only Soviet writer who received Nobel Prize with the consent of the top leadership of the USSR.
Alexander Isaevich Solzhenitsyn- Laureate in 1970. The prize was awarded "For the moral strength with which he followed the immutable traditions of Russian literature." Only 7 years have passed from the beginning of Solzhenitsyn's creative path to the award of the prize - this is the only similar case in the history of the Nobel Committee. Solzhenitsyn himself spoke about the political aspect of awarding him the prize, but the Nobel Committee denied this. Nevertheless, after Solzhenitsyn received the prize, a propaganda campaign was organized against him in the USSR, and in 1971 an attempt was made to physically destroy him, when he was injected with a poisonous substance, after which the writer survived, but was ill for a long time.
Joseph Alexandrovich Brodsky- Laureate in 1987. The prize was awarded "For comprehensive creativity, saturated with clarity of thought and passion of poetry." The award of the prize to Brodsky no longer caused such controversy as many other decisions of the Nobel Committee, since Brodsky was known in many countries by that time. He himself, in the very first interview after he was awarded the prize, said: "It was received by Russian literature, and it was received by a citizen of America." And even the weakened Soviet government, shaken by perestroika, began to establish contacts with the famous exile.
Briton Kazuo Ishiguro.
According to the testament of Alfred Nobel, the award is awarded to "who created the most significant literary work of an idealistic orientation."
The editors of TASS-DOSIER have prepared material on the procedure for awarding this award and its laureates.
Awarding and nominating candidates
The prize is awarded by the Swedish Academy in Stockholm. It includes 18 academicians who hold this post for life. The preparatory work is carried out by the Nobel Committee, whose members (four to five people) are elected by the Academy from among its members for a three-year period. Candidates may be nominated by members of the Academy and similar institutions in other countries, professors of literature and linguistics, award winners and chairmen of writers' organizations who have received special invitations from the committee.
The nomination process runs from September to January 31 of the following year. In April, the committee draws up a list of the 20 most worthy writers, then reduces it to five candidates. The winner is determined by academicians in early October by a majority vote. The award is announced to the writer half an hour before the announcement of his name. In 2017, 195 people were nominated.
The five Nobel Prize winners are announced during Nobel Week, which begins on the first Monday in October. Their names are announced in the following order: physiology and medicine; physics; chemistry; literature; peace prize. The winner of the Swedish State Bank Prize in Economics in memory of Alfred Nobel will be named next Monday. In 2016, the order was violated, the name of the awarded writer was made public last. According to the Swedish media, despite the delay in the start of the laureate election procedure, there were no disagreements within the Swedish Academy.
Laureates
During the entire existence of the award, 113 writers have become its laureates, including 14 women. Among the awardees are such worldwide famous authors like Rabindranath Tagore (1913), Anatole France (1921), Bernard Shaw (1925), Thomas Mann (1929), Hermann Hesse (1946), William Faulkner (1949), Ernest Hemingway (1954), Pablo Neruda (1971), Gabriel Garcia Marquez (1982).
In 1953, this award "for the high skill of works of a historical and biographical nature, as well as for brilliant oratory, with the help of which the highest human values"was marked by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill. Churchill was repeatedly nominated for this award, in addition, he was twice nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize, but never became its owner.
As a rule, writers receive an award based on the totality of achievements in the field of literature. However, nine people were awarded for a particular piece. For example, Thomas Mann was noted for the novel "Buddenbrooks"; John Galsworthy for The Forsyte Saga (1932); Ernest Hemingway - for the story "The Old Man and the Sea"; Mikhail Sholokhov - in 1965 for the novel "Quiet Don" ("for the artistic power and integrity of the epic about the Don Cossacks at a turning point for Russia").
In addition to Sholokhov, there are other our compatriots among the laureates. So, in 1933, Ivan Bunin received the prize "for the strict skill with which he develops the traditions of Russian classical prose", and in 1958 - Boris Pasternak "for outstanding achievements in modern lyric poetry and in the field of great Russian prose."
However, Pasternak, who was criticized in the USSR for his novel Doctor Zhivago, published abroad, refused the award under pressure from the authorities. The medal and diploma were presented to his son in Stockholm in December 1989. In 1970, Alexander Solzhenitsyn became the laureate of the award ("for the moral strength with which he followed the immutable traditions of Russian literature"). In 1987, the prize was awarded to Joseph Brodsky "for a comprehensive work, saturated with clarity of thought and passion for poetry" (he emigrated to the United States in 1972).
In 2015, the Belarusian writer Svetlana Aleksievich was awarded for "polyphonic compositions, a monument to suffering and courage in our time."
In 2016, the American poet, composer and performer Bob Dylan became the laureate for "creating poetic images in the great American song tradition."
Statistics
The Nobel website notes that out of 113 laureates, 12 wrote under pseudonyms. This list includes the French writer and literary critic Anatole France (real name François Anatole Thibault) and the Chilean poet and politician Pablo Neruda (Ricardo Eliécer Neftali Reyes Basoalto).
The relative majority of awards (28) were awarded to writers writing in English language. 14 writers were awarded for books in French, 13 in German, 11 in Spanish, 7 in Swedish, 6 in Italian, 6 in Russian (including Svetlana Aleksievich), 4 in Polish, 4 in Norwegian and Danish three people, and in Greek, Japanese and Chinese two each. Authors of works in Arabic, Bengali, Hungarian, Icelandic, Portuguese, Serbo-Croatian, Turkish, Occitan (Provençal French), Finnish, Czech, and Hebrew were awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature once each.
Most often awarded were writers who worked in the genre of prose (77), in second place - poetry (34), in third - dramaturgy (14). For works in the field of history, three writers received the prize, in philosophy - two. At the same time, one author can be awarded for works in several genres. For example, Boris Pasternak received the prize as a prose writer and as a poet, and Maurice Maeterlinck (Belgium; 1911) as a prose writer and playwright.
In 1901-2016, the prize was awarded 109 times (in 1914, 1918, 1935, 1940-1943, academicians could not determine the best writer). Only four times the award was divided between two writers.
The average age of laureates is 65 years old, the youngest is Rudyard Kipling, who received the prize at 42 (1907), and the oldest is 88-year-old Doris Lessing (2007).
The second writer (after Boris Pasternak) to refuse the prize was the French novelist and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre in 1964. He stated that he "does not want to be turned into a public institution," and expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that when awarding the prize, academicians "ignore the merits of the revolutionary writers of the 20th century."
Notable writer-nominees who did not win the award
Many great writers who were nominated for the award never received it. Among them is Leo Tolstoy. Our writers such as Dmitry Merezhkovsky, Maxim Gorky, Konstantin Balmont, Ivan Shmelev, Yevgeny Yevtushenko, Vladimir Nabokov were not awarded either. The outstanding prose writers of other countries - Jorge Luis Borges (Argentina), Mark Twain (USA), Henrik Ibsen (Norway) - did not become laureates either.
a form of rewarding writers for significant literary works or a general contribution to literature, expressing recognition of the merits of a given person and the influence of his work on the literary process as a whole or on its separate direction.
The mandatory components of the process of awarding a literary prize are: a) a circle of experts who formulate the number of applicants and make a final decision; b) selection criterion, i.e. the formulation of the grounds on which this choice is made; c) the actual premium, expressed in monetary terms or having symbolic meaning(in the latter case, the emphasis is on the significance of the choice by one or another circle of experts) and d) the actual writers or poets prize winners representing this choice.
In contrast to the methods of remuneration adopted in the Middle Ages, when writers were given the status of court poets or writers close to the court, accompanied by an appropriate monetary allowance, literary prizes, the practice of which became widespread mainly in the 20th century, are a more democratic way of recognizing the merits of writers. . Modern awards are of a one-time nature and formally do not require any further obligations from writers. However, as experience shows, sometimes receiving a significant status award international or state affected the further work of the writer and influenced his fate.
Prizes can be conditionally divided into a) international (Nobel, Booker, etc.) and national (Goncourt French, Pulitzer American, national Booker English, Russian, etc., State Russian, etc.), b) sectoral ( in the field of fantasy historical novel etc.), c) inscribed Astrid Lindgren Prize International Children's Literature Prize, etc. d) informal Antibooker, Prize them. Andrei Bely, etc.
International Literary Awards. Nobel Prize in Literature (cm. NOBEL PRIZES) the most famous and prestigious annual international award in the field of literature.
Booker International Prize(Man Booker International Prize) Established in 2005. Will be awarded every two years for "creativity, development and overall contribution to the world's fiction" and will be worth 60,000 pounds. Unlike the current Booker Prize, which is open to British Commonwealth and Irish citizens only, the new Prize is open to anyone writing in English.
The 2005 laureate was the Albanian poet Ismail Kadare.
IMPAC Award(Improved Management Productivity and Control Leading Productivity Company) An international award established in 1996 by Dublin City Council. 185 library systems in 51 countries have the right to nominate applicants. The prize is awarded for a work written or translated into English. It is worth 100,000 euros the largest award you can get for a single work, it is awarded in Dublin.
Among those awarded Moroccan Takhar Ben Jelloun for his novel Blinding absence of light, Edward Jones for the novel known world.
Literary daggers(Gold Dagger, Silver Dagger, Debut Dagger, Library Dagger, etc.) . The award has been awarded since 1955 for the best detective novel of the year by the Detective Writers Association of Great Britain, an open society for the support of detective writers. Nominations "Fiction", "Non-fiction", "Story". ( cm. DETECTIVE)
AAI(AAR)Association of American Publishers. Established by the Association American writers and is awarded for the merits of its publishing houses. In 2002, T.A. Kudryavtseva, translator of John Updike, William Styron, Norman Mailer, Margaret Mitchell and others, received the award for translating fiction that promotes mutual understanding between America and Russia.
Liberty Award(Liberty) Established in 1999 by emigrants from Russia. Awarded for contributions to Russian-American culture and development of cultural ties between the United States and Russia. The winner receives a diploma and a cash prize. The independent jury consists of three people: Grisha Bruskin, Solomon Volkov and Alexander Genis. Sponsors are Media Group Continent USA and American University in Moscow.
The winners of the award were cultural figures living in America. Among them are V. Aksyonov, L. Losev, M. Epstein, O. Vasiliev, V. Bachanyan, J. Billington
National Literary Awards. Booker Prize(Man-Booker Prize for Fiction, Booker Prize) (Great Britain) annual british literature award for best novel, written by a British or British Commonwealth citizen in English. Its goal is to support and develop the traditions of such a literary form as the novel. The award was founded in 1969. The first sponsor was Booker-McConnell plc., and the award was called the Booker-McConnell Prize. Since 2002, the award has become known as "Man Booker", it is financed by the company "Man Group". The prize has risen from £21,000 to £50,000.
Awarded by an independent charitable organization Book Fund. English Booker laureates were: in 1969 P.H. Newby (P.H. Newby, Something to Answer For); in 1970 Bernice Rubens (Bernice Rubens, The Elected Member); V 1971 V.S. Naipaul (V.S. Naipaul, In a Free State); in 1972 John Berger (John Berger, G); in 1973 J.G. Farrell (J.G. Farrell, Siege of Krishnapur); in 1974 Stanley Middleton (Stanley Middleton, holiday); in 1975 Nadine Gordimer and Ruth Jabwala (Nadine Gordimer, The Conservationist, Ruth Prower Jhabvala, heat and dust); in 1976 David Storey (David Storey, Saville); in 1977 Paul Scott (Paul Scott, Staying on); in 1978 Iris Murdoch (Iris Murdoch, The Sea); in 1979 Penelope Fitzgerald (Penelope Fitzgerald, offshore); in 1980 William Golding (William Golding, Rites of Passage); in 1981 Salman Rushdie (Salman Rushdie, Midnight's Children); in 1982 Thomas Keneally (Thomas Keneally, Schindler's Ark); in 1983 J.M. Coetzee, Life and Times of Michael K.); in 1984 Anita Brookner, Hotel Du Lac); in 1985 Keri Hulme, bone people); in 1986 Kingsley Amis (Kingsley Amis, The Old Devils); in 1987 Penelope Lively (Penelope Lively, moon tiger); in 1988 Peter Carey (Peter Carey, Oscar and Lucinda); in 1989 Kazuo Ishiguro (Kazuo Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day); in 1990 Byat A.S. (A.S. Byatt, Possession); in 1991 Ben Okri (Ben Okri, The Famished Road; in 1992 Michael Ondaatje and Barry Unsworth (Michael Ondaatje, The English Patient; Barry Unsworth, Sacred Hunger); in 1993 Roddy Doyle, Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha); in 1994 James Kelman (James Kelman, How Late It Was, How Late); in 1995 Pat Barker (Pat Barker, The Ghost road); in 1996 Graham Swift (Graham Swift, Last orders); in 1997 Arundhati Roy (Arundhati Roy, The God of Small Things); in 1998 Ian McEwan, Amsterdam); in 1999 J.M. Coetzee, Disgrace); in 2000 Margaret Atwood, The Blind Assassin); in 2001 Peter Carey, True History of the Kelly Gang); in 2002 Yann Martel, Life of Pi); in 2003 DBC Pierre (Peter Warren Finlay), Vernon God Little); in 2004 Alan Hollinghurst, The Line of Beauty).
Among the winners of the English Booker there are world-famous novelists Murdoch, Amis, Golding and others, almost half of the winners are women. Recently, among the laureates there are more and more people from the countries of the British Commonwealth Canada, South Africa, India, Australia, etc.
Whitbread Prize. Awarded by the British Booksellers Association. Laureates each receive £5,000; from among the laureates in five categories (“Novel”, “Best First Novel”, “Bibliography”, “Children's Literature”, “Poetry”), an absolute winner is selected, who receives 25 thousand pounds sterling. His work is named "Book of the Year"
Goncourt Prize(Prix Goncourt) (France) an annual French literary award for achievements in the genre of the novel. The Goncourt Prize is considered one of the most honorable and authoritative in France. And although nominally the size of the award is symbolic - only 10 euros, the writer is guaranteed large incomes, since after its award, as practice shows, sales of the laureates' books skyrocket.
The Goncourt Prize was officially established in 1896, but it only began to be awarded in 1902. The Goncourt brothers left a huge fortune, which, according to the will of Edmond Goncourt, passed into the Goncourt Academy, officially established in 1896. It includes ten of the most famous writers of France who receive a nominal fee 60 francs per year. Each member of the academy has only one vote and can only vote for one book. The President of the Academy has two votes.
Members of the Goncourt Academy at different times were writers A. Daudet, J. Renard, Roni Sr., F. Eria, E. Bazin, Louis Aragon and others. The first winner of the Prix Goncourt in 1903 was John-Antoine Naud for his novel hostile force.
The winners of the Prix Goncourt were Ahmad Kuruma, Francois Salvin, Amélie Nothombe, Jean-Jacques Schul.
In addition to the Goncourt Prize, in France there are such literary prizes as Renaudo, Medici, Femina, Goncourt for Lyceum students.
Femina one of the oldest literary awards in France, founded in 1904. Awarded by a jury consisting of women only, for the best French novel, foreign novel, essay.
Pulitzer Prize(USA)one of the most prestigious US awards in the field of literature, journalism, music and theater, since 1942 and in the field of photojournalism.
The award was established by the Hungarian-born American newspaper tycoon Joseph Pulitzer. At the end of the 19th century he skillfully drew the attention of readers to the newspapers he published. After living for 65 years, in October 1911, Joseph Pulitzer died, leaving an unexpected will to his last will was the establishment of the School of Journalism at Columbia University and the foundation of the foundation named after him. They were left $2 million for this.
Since 1917, the Pulitzer Prize has been awarded annually on the first Monday of May by the Trustees of Columbia University. The formal announcement of the award is traditionally made by the President of Columbia University in April of each year.
In the field of journalism, the award is not secured cash prize, and represents gold medal for "Service to the Fatherland", awarded to the publication itself, and not to its journalists. In other areas, the decision is made by an independent jury of 90 experts. The amount of the award is 10 thousand dollars.
National Book Award(USA). Founded in 1950 by a group of publishers. The award is given in four categories: fiction, non-fiction, poetry, children's literature. Prize about $10,000 to laureates, $1,000 to nominees, a statuette, and a medal for contributions to American literature. Sponsor US National Book Foundation.
Prize to them. Cervantes(Spain) is often referred to as the Nobel Prize for Literature in the Spanish-speaking world. It was established in 1979 by the Spanish Ministry of Culture. Bonus fund 90 thousand euros. The prize is presented by the King of Spain on April 23 every year on the day of Cervantes' death.
Among the winners of the award are Spaniard Francisco Umbral, Chilean Jorge Edwards, Spaniard Sanchez Ferlosio.
Prize to them. Romulo Gallegos(Spain) established in 1967 in memory of the Venezuelan novelist and former President Romulo Gallegos. Awarded annually for the best novel written in Spanish, it is considered one of the most generous in the Spanish-speaking world: an award of $100,000 and a medal.
Among the laureates Gabriel Garcia Marquez for the novel One hundred years of solitude.
Peace Prize. remark(Germany) was established in 1991 and is awarded every 2 years in Osnabrück. Awarded for journalistic, fiction and scientific writings, dedicated to the problems peace. Prize fund 30 thousand euros.
Literary awards of Russia. The first authoritative all-Russian prize was the Demidov Prize in 18311865, awarded by the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences in many branches of knowledge, including literature. She was replaced by the Lomonosov Prize. Since 1856, in memory of Count S.S. Uvarov, the former president of the Academy of Sciences, the Uvarov Prize was established. It was given mainly for works on Russian history, but there were also writers among the laureates. In total, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences at various times had more than 20 nominal prizes. The most authoritative was the Pushkin Prize, established with the money left over from the funds raised for the monument to the poet in Moscow. The prize in memory of AS Griboyedov was established in 1883 for the new and best plays of the theatrical season by the Society of Russian Dramatic Writers and Opera Composers.
State literary awards. From 1941 to 1952, the State Stalin Prizes were awarded mainly for literary works that met the ideological requirements of the historical moment (I.G. Erenburg for Fall of Paris, Dzhambul for poems about the Great Patriotic War, A.N. Tolstoy for the play Ivan groznyj and etc.). Since 1966, the Lenin Prize has been awarded every 2 years. Among the laureates are M.A. Sholokhov, A.T. Tvardovsky and others.
State Prize of the Russian Federation in the field of literature and art, since 1992, it has been awarded annually in the amount of 300 thousand rubles, since 2005 its amount is 100 thousand dollars. The position of chairman of the commission is traditionally held by the heads of the presidential administration. Candidates for the award are nominated by the editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, publishing houses and public organizations. Among the laureates are V.S. Makanin, V.N. Voinovich, A.G. Volos, K.Ya. Vanshenkin, D. Granin, V. I. Belov, K. Kh.
State Prize for the most talented works for children and youth established by presidential decree in 1998. Boris Zakhoder became the laureate in 1999.
State Pushkin Prize of Russia established in June 1994 by decree of the President of the Russian Federation to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of A.S. Pushkin "for the creation of the most talented works in the field of poetry." It has been awarded on a competitive basis annually since 1995 by the President of the Russian Federation on the proposal of the commission on state prizes in the field of literature and art under the President of the Russian Federation. Candidates are nominated by federal executive authorities, executive authorities of subjects of the federation, enterprises, institutions and organizations, public associations, educational institutions, editorial offices of newspapers and magazines. The works presented for the award are considered by a special commission (section) chaired by I. Shklyarevsky as part of the commission on State Prizes of the Russian Federation. The monetary support of the premium in 1999 was increased to 1600 times the minimum wage.
B. Okudzhava Prize established in 1998. The prize winners are poets and creators of author's songs for outstanding works. Awarded in the amount of two hundred times minimum size wages, established by law RF. At various times, the award was received by Yuli Kim, Dmitry Sukharev, Alexander Dolsky, Yuri Ryashentsev.
Booker Open Russia(Russian Booker Prize Russian Booker, Small Booker Prize) has been awarded since 1992 from the funds of a benefactor who wished to remain anonymous for many years. In 2000 his name was revealed this is English public figure Francis Green. Since 2002, the Open Russia Regional Public Organization has become the general sponsor of the award. The award became known as "Booker Open Russia".
Since 2003, the remuneration has been 15 thousand dollars, the finalists included in the short list receive 1,000 dollars.
Initially, the Small Booker Prize was a kind of branch of the "big" Booker. Currently, the "Small Booker" is awarded not for a novel, but every year for works of different genres. Goal To encourage the most innovative and supportive trends in the literary process. IN different years Small Booker was awarded: for the best book of stories (Viktor Pelevin, blue lantern), for the best debut in prose (Sergey Gandlevsky ( cm. MOSCOW TIME, trepanation of the skull), for the best magazines of Russian abroad (“Spring”, “Riga”, “Idiot”, “Vitebsk”), for the best work that comprehends the history of literature (Mikhail Gasparov, Featured Articles, Alexander Goldstein (Tel Aviv), Parting with Narcissus) and others. In 1999, the prize was awarded for a work that develops the genre of essay in Russian literature, Vladimir Bibikhin for the book New Renaissance. In 2000 for literary project, that is, organizing activities for collecting, organizing and presenting literary texts, realizing certain ideas and concepts, were received by the Yuryatin Foundation (Perm, a group of curators of 4 people). The prize was awarded for publishing work (publishing books by authors of modern Russian abroad, significant authors of the province, young authors of Perm, local history literature), organizing and supporting the Perm salon " Literary environments in Smyshlyaev’s house”, where many famous modern writers who came to Perm especially for this purpose spoke, and a lecture hall where humanities scholars Georgy Gachev, Mikhail Ryklin, Igor Smirnov, Boris Dubin, Sergey Khoruzhy read short courses of lectures.
The long-list and short-list of the Big and Small Russian Booker are published in autumn. The shortlist is announced and commented on at a special press conference. The winner is announced in December.
In 2000, the Small Booker Prize organizationally separated from the Big Booker Prize.
The award is presented by a jury that changes partly every year. In addition, each year special experts are invited to serve on the jury in the direction that this year is encouraged by the Small Booker.
Pushkin Prize of the German Alfred Toepfer Foundation. The Alfred Toepfler Foundation has become the source of a whole system of encouraging cultural and scientific figures in European countries. The Pushkin Prize was founded in 1989 to reward writers writing in Russian for outstanding contributions to Russian literature. The award is 40,000 euros and is awarded with the participation of the Russian PEN Center. Together with the prize, two scholarships of 6,000 euros are awarded each year for young writers. Andrey Bitov, Evgeny Rein are among the awarded.
Andrei Bely Literary Prize. Established in a cultural underground ( cm. SAMIZDAT) in 1978 by the samizdat magazine "Hours" (editors B. Ivanov and B. Ostanin) as the first regular non-state literary award in the history of Russia. The names of the laureates were determined by an anonymous jury. The bonus was a bottle of white wine, an apple, one ruble (similar to the Goncourt franc) and a diploma. Among the laureates, who usually represented the avant-garde and postmodern sectors of the literary underground, are poets Viktor Krivulin (1978), Elena Shvarts (1979), Vladimir Aleinikov (1980), Alexander Mironov (1981), Olga Sedakova (1983), Alexei Parshchikov ( 1986), Gennady Aigi (1987), Ivan Zhdanov (1988), Alexander Gornoy (1991), Shamshad Abdullaev (1994); prose writers Arkady Dragomoshchenko (1978), Boris Kudryakov (1979), Boris Dyshlenko (1980), Sasha Sokolov (1981), Evgeny Kharitonov (1981; posthumously), Tamara Korvin (1983), Vasily Aksenov (1985), Leon Bogdanov (1986) , Andrey Bitov (1988), Yuri Mamleev (1991); critics and culturologists Boris Groys (1978), Evgeny Schiffers (1979), Yuri Novikov (1980), Efim Barban (1981), Boris Ivanov (1983), Vladimir Erl (1986), Vladimir Malyavin (1988), Mikhail Epshtein (1991) .
After a break, the award was recreated by M. Berg, B. Ivanov, B. Ostanin and V. Krivulin in 1997. According to the founders, it was given "the character of a nationwide cultural institution, which aims to support the experimental-intellectual trend in Russian literature, searches in the field of language reflecting changes in the mentality and speech practice of the new generation, but taking into account the experience of Russian modernism, most clearly expressed in the work of Andrei Bely, whose significance we believe to be unchanged against the backdrop of the most incredible changes in our cultural climate.
It is awarded in four categories: poetry, prose, criticism and theory of culture. There is also a special merit award, which remains, as before, the prerogative of an anonymous jury. A notarized contract for the publication of the laureate's book of works over the next year in the special series "Winners of the Andrei Bely Prize" is added to the traditional material reward. The names of the laureates were first announced in St. Petersburg, later within the framework of the Moscow Exhibition-Fair of Intellectual Books, on Andrei Bely's birthday, 26 October.
Antibooker annual bonus; established in 1995 under Nezavisimaya Gazeta. Since 1996 it has been awarded separately for prose (The Brothers Karamazov), poetry (The Stranger) and dramaturgy (Three Sisters). Since 1997, the prize has been awarded for literary criticism and literary criticism ("Ray of Light") and non-fiction ("The Fourth Prose") since 2000.
Aelita The oldest science fiction prose award in Russia was established in 1982 by the Union of Writers of the RSFSR and the editors of the magazine "Ural Pathfinder". Awarded annually for the best sci-fi book of the previous two years at the Science Fiction Festival in Yekaterinburg. The amount of monetary reward was not disclosed. The first honorary laureates of the Aelita Prize were A. and B. Strugatsky.
Prize« Debut”established in 2000 by the International Generation Foundation for authors under the age of 25 writing in Russian. It has seven nominations: "Large prose", "Small prose", "Poetry", "Dramaturgy", "Film story", "Publicism", "Literature of spiritual search". Winners in all five nominations receive an honorary prize "Bird".
All-Russian Literary Prize named after St. blg. Prince Alexander Nevsky« Russian faithful sons» established by the Holy Trinity Alexander Nevsky Lavra with the blessing of Metropolitan Vladimir of St. Petersburg and Ladoga with the support of the Writers' Union of Russia. Awarded in the nominations "Poetry", "Fictional Prose", "Documentary and Journalistic Prose", "Book for Children", "Criticism and Literary Studies", "Magazine and Newspaper". The commission consists of priests, members of the Writers' Union of Russia. The main principles for determining the winners are a high artistic style based on Orthodox spirituality, professionalism, historical authenticity, and patriotic orientation.
The award is given annually in January. For the first places, the medal “Literary Prize named after St. blg. Book. Alexander Nevsky, diploma and a cash prize of $2,000. For the second and third places certificates and cash prizes. First place winners are eligible to become committee members for the following year. Among the awarded Yu.Kozlov, E.Yushin.
National Prize. A. and B. Strugatsky(ABC Award) was established in 1999 by the "Center for Contemporary Literature and Books" with the assistance of the literary community of St. Petersburg and the support of the administration and the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg. The award encourages "realistic directions in fiction, connection with the past, present and future of a real earthly person."
Prize winners E. Lukin, V. Mikhailov, M. Uspensky, N. Galkina, S. Lukyanenko, V. Pelevin.
Apollon Grigoriev Prize established in 1997 by the Academy of Russian Modern Literature as "a professional expert award for the best work of the year in all genres, except for criticism, literary criticism and cultural studies." The sponsors of the award are ONEXIMbank (1997), State Bank (since 1998). All members of the Academy are nominees. The jury (chairmen: 1997 Petr Vail; 1998 Alexander Ageev; 1999 Sergey Chuprinin; 2000 Alla Latynina; 2001 Evgeny Sidorov; 2002 Andrey Nemzer) selects three winners, and then announces the laureate of the main prize. Funding for the main prize is $25,000; other laureates are awarded laptops and printers (a writer's workplace) in the amount of $2,500 each.
Ivan Petrovich Belkin Prize, established by the EKSMO publishing house and the Znamya magazine, the only award in Russia named after literary hero, established in 2001. Awarded for the best Russian story of the year. The right to nominate is enjoyed by the editorial offices of newspapers and magazines, creative organizations, as well as professional literary critics. Monetary reward: $5,000 for the laureate, $500 for the authors of the other four stories included in the shortlist. Award coordinator Natalia Ivanova. Jury chairmen: in 2001 - Fazil Iskander, in 2002 - Leonid Zorin.
« bronze snail» Established in 1992 by Andrei Nikolaev and Alexander Sidorovich as a personal prize of B.N. Strugatsky (he is the chairman and sole member of the jury of the prize). Awarded in the nominations "Large Form", "Medium Form", "Small Form", "Criticism/Publicism" at the traditional annual conferences of science fiction writers, critics, translators, publishers in Repino near St. Petersburg.
Prize« northern palmyra» was established in 1994. Awarded by the jury (O. Basilashvili, A. German, Y. Gordin, A. Dodin, A. Panchenko, A. Petrov, B. Strugatsiy, A. Ariev and others) for a literary work created in Russian language and published in St. Petersburg, according to the nominations: poetry; prose; journalism and criticism; book publishing. The award was sponsored by Credit Petersburg Bank (1995), St. Petersburg Bank for Reconstruction and Development (1996). According to the regulations, the nomination committee analyzes St. Petersburg literature throughout the year and nominates the most talented, in its opinion, works. Upon completion of this work, 7 applicants remain in each section of the award. Voting takes place anonymously, the works are not discussed, so that the members of the jury do not put pressure on each other.
Literary Prize. Alexandra Solzhenitsyn awards the Foundation, founded by A.I. Solzhenitsyn in 1997, as an award to Russian writers, “whose work has high artistic merit, promotes self-knowledge of Russia, makes a significant contribution to the preservation and careful development of traditions domestic literature". The prize may be awarded for a novel, short story or collection of short stories, book or series of poems, play, collection of articles or research. The permanent jury includes A. Solzhenitsyn, N. Struve, V. Nepomnyashchy, L. Saraskina, P. Basinsky, N. Solzhenitsyna. The monetary amount of the award is 25 thousand dollars.
Triumph. Awarded by the Russian Independent Foundation for the Encouragement of the Highest Achievements in Literature and Art, established by LogoVAZ JSC in the summer of 1992. The names of the applicants are proposed by the jury members, as well as by experts, and are not announced in advance. The names of the laureates are determined by a permanent jury, which includes V. Aksenov, A. Voznesensky, E. Neizvestny, V. Spivakov, I. Antonova, Y. Bashmet, A. Bitov, Z. Boguslavskaya (jury coordinator), O. Tabakov, E.Klimov, V.Abdrashitov, E.Maximova, V.Vasiliev. In 1998, the jury also included D. Borovsky, A. Demidova, M. Zhvanetsky, A. Kozlov, O. Menshikov, V. Pozner, A. Sokurov, I. Churikova. The premiums are set based on prize fund in 100 thousand dollars, after 1996 250 thousand dollars, and is traditionally divided among five laureates. In addition to monetary rewards, laureates receive a diploma and a medal with the image of the Arc de Triomphe.
Sholokhov International Prize founded in 1993 by the magazine "Young Guard", the publishing house " Contemporary Writer"(now" Soviet Writer "), MSPS and writers' joint stock company. Current founders MSPS, Union of Artists of Russia, publishing house "Soviet Writer", Moscow State Open Pedagogical University. M.A. Sholokhov. The permanent chairman of the jury is Y. Bondarev. The financial support of the award is not disclosed, the laureates are awarded diplomas and medals.
National Bestseller. Established in 2000 by the National Bestseller Foundation. Nominated for the award prose works in Russian. The winner receives a prize of 10 thousand dollars. Among the awardees are M. Shishkin, V. Pelevin, A. Garrosa and A. Evdokimov, A. Prokhanov and L. Yuzefovich.
Prize to them. P.P. Bazhova was founded in November 1999 to mark the 120th anniversary of the writer by the Sverdlovsk branch of the Literary Fund of Russia and the financial and industrial group Jewels of the Urals. The competition actually stepped over the boundaries of the regional and acquired the status of an all-Russian one. The award is annually awarded for achievements in literary activity not only to representatives of the Ural region, but also to writers from other Russian territories for works on the Ural theme. Five nominations: "Prose", "Poetry", "Dramaturgy", "Literary Studies", "Publicism". Each laureate receives a sum of money in the amount of 10,000 rubles, as well as specially cast gold and silver medals.
Prize to them. Boyana established by the Council of Governors of border cities and regions of Russia, Ukraine, Belarus. The Regulations on the award say that it is “awarded for works that carry the light of Slavic spirituality, rooted in Slavic mythology and folklore and affirming the ideas of friendship and brotherhood of the Slavic peoples.
Prize to them. F.M.Dostoevsky was founded by the Union of Writers of Russia together with the Association of Russian Writers of Estonia and the non-profit association “Primiya im. F.M. Dostoevsky. It was first awarded in the year of the 180th anniversary of the writer's birth. The prize is awarded to writers who have made a significant contribution to the development and popularization of Russian literature and culture, both in Estonia and Russia, and in other countries.
Valentin Rasputin, Geir Hyotso, Anna Vedernikova, Anatoly Builov, Rostislav Titov, BNTarasov were among those awarded.
Prize to them. Igor Severyanin established by the Russian faction of the Riigikogu and awarded annually to cultural figures who have made a significant contribution to the development and popularization of Russian cultural life in Estonia and Estonian among the Russian-speaking population of the country.
All-Russian Literary Prize named after Sergei Yesenin« Oh Rus', flap your wings...» annual open competition works of poets of Russia, established by the National Fund for the Development of Culture and Tourism and the Union of Writers of Russia in 2005. It is awarded in four categories: “Big Prize” poetic works (poems and poems) are accepted for the competition, “Searching Look” critical works on Russian poetry, "Song Word" texts of poems to which music is set (at least 3), "Russian Hope" poetry of the young (18-30 years old). No later than October 3 of the current year, the award committee announces the names of the laureates.
Contest« Scarlet Sails" behind the best editions for children and youth was established in 2003 by the Ministry of the Russian Federation for Press, Television and Radio Broadcasting and Mass Communications.
As the development of modern literature shows, literary prizes have become an integral part of literary life, presenting a kind of ratings of works and writers. Of course, this method of marking causes certain complaints about the subjectivity of the choice, bias (when they choose “their own”), considerations of the political situation, etc. However, with all the minuses, the practice of awarding literary prizes will obviously continue, since it represents a visual affordable way structuring and evaluation of literary works.
Irina Ermakova
Find " LITERARY PRIZES" on
Are literary awards necessary?
Chairman of the board of a non-profit association
Kunst im Dialog e.V. (Germany),
consultant for a number of German publishing houses on
Russian literature and book publishing market in Russia,
literary agent
There is in the world myriad literary awards. Many of them appeared quite a long time ago. Prizes in the field of literature are the encouragement of authors, both moral and material. This promotion has a very great importance for development and further creativity both the author himself, who received the prize, and the literary process, which, in turn, affects the ideology of the state. If we continue this chain further, we will see the impact on the position of the nation in the world community and on the world community itself. As you know, the largest and most prestigious world prize in the field of literature is the Nobel Prize, established by Alfred Bernhard Nobel and awarded by the Royal Swedish Academy.
This publication will focus on the literary awards of the Russian Federation and their impact on literary and social processes in Russia and the world.
The institution of literary awards in the Russian Federation is quite developed. Prizes for the best literary works were awarded back in Tsarist Russia, in the middle of the 19th century, but they were common for both writers and scientists. Later, at the end of the 19th century, the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences established a special literary prize, and already in the USSR, before the Great Patriotic War, the Stalin Prize for Literature was established. If we take the total number of literary awards in Russia, then we can count several hundred of them. Many not only large, but also small provincial cities have their own literary awards, which indicates a high level of their culture. The purpose of Russian literary awards is to increase the social significance of Russian literature and draw attention to it. Individual awards have their own specific goals. For example, Yasnaya Polyana supports authors who follow the morality and ideals of Leo Tolstoy, the ideals of humanistic prose and poetry, whose works express the centuries-old traditions of Russian culture.
Judging by the list of awards that exist today on the Internet, there may be several dozen in one or another major city, and they are named, as a rule, in honor of the Soviet and Russian writers- Anna Akhmatova, Fyodor Abramov, Yuri Mamleev and others. There are also prizes awarded by thick magazines such as "Znamya", " New world”,“ Youth ”, etc.
The main literary awards in Russia are Big Book, Russian Booker, National Bestseller. There are equally well-known, but smaller ones, for example, NOS (New Literature), which was established by the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation. Almost every award has several nominations, due to which more authors can be noted and encouraged. The main difference between the NOS award and others is that the evaluation and argumentation of the jury members for each candidate for the award takes place in public. By the way, another difference from most awards is that there is also a reader's vote.
The Russian Booker Prize is a subsidiary of the British Booker Prize. This award was first presented in 1969, and the Russian Booker in 1992.
The Big Book has an incredibly large expert council - more than a hundred people. The selection of the main laureates of this award is very impressive. Right during the solemn presentation, in another room, the final small jury gathers, such a last resort that distributes the three prizes included in the Big Book.
Yasnaya Polyana and the Belkin Prize are less significant prizes, but they have their place in the literary process.
The "Russian Prize" was established to support authors who write in Russian but live abroad, and is also awarded for best translation works of Russian literature.
Debut Award - for the best young authors. Moreover, there are many nominations in this award: prose, poetry, dramaturgy, short story, criticism. Many other literary awards can be named, but the purpose of this article is to analyze internal processes in the literature influenced by such external factors as the awarding of literary prizes.
Literary awards are enterprises that have a directorate, accounting department, employees who organize and conduct the process of accepting and reviewing works, forming a jury, organizing a PR campaign and the final award ceremony. Very important point— financing. It can be both public - for example, the Agency for Press and Mass Communications supports the Big Book Prize, or private - the Mikhail Prokhorov Foundation finances the NOS Prize, which is managed by his sister Irina Prokhorova, the Generation Foundation finances the Debut Prize, etc. d.
Of particular note is the Enlightener Award for best books in the field of popular science literature. It was established in 2008 by Dmitry Zimin, founder of the Dynasty Foundation. The purpose of the award is to popularize science and expand the market for popular science literature. There are two categories in this award - natural sciences and humanities. In addition, the award also has a cash equivalent.
There are literary prizes that are awarded by publishing houses. Naturally, the presentation of such an award to the author of the same publishing house is absolutely meaningless. Besides, it's not entirely clear. After all, the purpose of the award is to celebrate a work that has become an event in the literary process. And having chosen the work of this particular author for publication in its journal, the publishing house has already singled it out from the general list. Nevertheless, when evaluating the reasons for receiving the award, in this case, preference is still given to the authors of this publishing house, and new ones, perhaps more talented ones, pass by. Here harm is done both to the author, who was not noted, and to literature as a whole.
Often the choice of the jury is based not on the actual uniqueness of the text, but on the preferences of the jury members, whose composition is not always constant. For example, in the jury of the Russian Booker Prize, its members and chairman change every year. This does not contribute to an objective assessment of the works submitted for the award. As a result, the winners are determined by a jury consisting of random people with different taste preferences. It does not do without purely human sympathies and antipathies of the jury members to the authors participating in the competition. This does not always contribute to stimulating the literary process, and from the point of view of morality, it is also not entirely correct. Some experts propose to reform or reorient the goals and objectives of literary prizes and, in this regard, the nature of such prizes. First of all, this applies to literary trends. Now, the main winners are works not of traditional trends, such as realism or its varieties that allow some deviation, but works that are considered innovative, that is, unrealistic. The term "postmodernism" is a ticket to the community of shortlisted members and award winners. The principles of specialization of various awards by genre and form are proposed. There are calls for the jury to consider works nominated for awards not as entertainment reading, but as an object of study. The specialization of literary prizes, according to experts, would enhance their ability to orient the reader, who will be informed about the essence of the work that received the prize, awarded for the performance of specific tasks in literature.
Valery Pecheikin (photographer - Ira Polyarnaya)
Like any business, some awards die if they are run by non-professionals or if funding is cut off, especially during an economic crisis.
Literary awards are integrated into the book publishing industry. Prizes in the field of literature are a tool for promoting Russian literature to the reader, not only Russian, but also foreign. Literary agents know that immediately after the announcement of the shortlists, and especially after the award is given to the author, foreign publishers approach him, because the award is a navigator for the publisher in the search for authors who, if their books are published, can make a profit. The award makes the names of new authors known, but even this does not guarantee that the works that won the prize will be published. An interested publisher, if he sees no prospects for selling the book, for example, due to the not very high quality of the text or even due to the political orientation of not only a particular text, but also the author himself, is unlikely to accept it for publication. Prizes, of course, enliven cultural life, people discuss, argue, express their opinion. It can be said that literary awards are a sociocultural phenomenon that attracts contemporary literature the attention of not only specialists, but also the reading community as a whole and the individual reader. At the same time, the reputation of one or another writer is formed. And not necessarily positive. The status of an author who has been awarded a prestigious award immediately rises - he becomes a laureate. But in the future, if he does not receive other awards or his books are not published abroad, his rating may gradually fall. And vice versa, a talented author who has not been awarded a prize also acquires a special status - he becomes a hero who is undeservedly, for some, perhaps secret reasons, clamped down by literary experts. But his fame does not bring him large circulations of books and awards. This is a kind of dissidence. I must say that the path to the award and even to the long list, and even more so to the short list, is very difficult. Being shortlisted for a literary award is already a direct path to an award.
Authors awarded a literary prize are of interest not only to readers and publishers. Prizes divide the authors into groups: the first - those who are awarded the prize; the second - those who got into the short lists; the third is everyone else, although this group often contains more talented writers than the first two. Such authors include, for example, Yuri Nechiporenko and Daniel Orlov, who have received several minor literary awards, including network ones, but have not yet received a significant award in the field of literature.
Authors may not be in the forefront for various non-literary reasons. Often - because of the political position of the author or the text itself. This reason is also an obstacle to the publication of the author's work abroad, where there is a strong binding of authors to an ideology that meets the declared "Western values".
Literary awards are undoubtedly useful, but at the same time harmful. We can say that awards are killers of literature. There is a displacement of the criterion of artistry. Some authors write for a prize, such as the Big Book. Already well-known authors, marked by literary awards, allow themselves to simply "disperse the text" to the format of a thick book. Although there have been cases of awarding the Big Book Prize to a work of the usual format. As already mentioned, the fate of the book and the author depends on the tastes of the jury members and other subjective reasons.
Separately, one can note the positive role of the Debut Award, which gave the green light to many young authors who have already become famous. This, for example, is Valery Pecheikin, a playwright who successfully collaborates with the Gogol Center, where his plays are staged, which can be called in good sense innovative.
If you draw a line under everything written, we can say that despite all their shortcomings, awards are needed. Without them, it is already difficult to imagine the literary process and the reading community, as well as book publishing and book distribution.
