Kommersant FM art columnist Dmitry Butkevich spoke about Russian literary festivals.

Photo: Pavel Kassin, Kommersant / buy photo

It is generally accepted that modern literature, like all modern art, is going through difficult times, including due to the global economic crisis. And talk about a decline in reader interest has been a commonplace for several decades.

Nevertheless, the Russian literary society is alive, healthy and very active. Prose and poetic works are published even by large publishing houses; literary festivals are held regularly and, literally, throughout the country.

A year and a half ago, a group of poets and writers came up with the idea of creating a Club of Curators of Russian Literary Festivals. I must admit, the club is actively functioning. I know this for sure, since I myself had the opportunity to participate in several festivals and meetings of writers. A LitSlet, an open meeting of the club, has just taken place in the Tver region. We summed up the results of our activities in 2015, which, let me remind you, was declared the Year of Literature in Russia. The curators reported on the International Gumilev Festival in Bezhetsk (Tver Region), on the “Petroglyph” taking place in Karelia, and on Kazan festivals (there are several of them). Mention was made of literary festivals in the Irkutsk region, Krasnoyarsk region, Orenburg region, St. Petersburg, Tver, Vladimir, Kaluga and Tula regions, the Republic of Crimea, in total covering about 50 settlements.

A word from one of the founders of the Literary Curators Club and coordinator of the club’s special programs, Maxim Glikin.

“Our club is an informal association and, in fact, already a festival movement in Russia. We are trying to establish literary and creative life in many regions of the country; we need to return to each region the title of the most reading population in the world; it’s time to return young people to books. We will expand the geography - here Gumilyovskaya land, Tver, Lev Gumilyov - this is also Norilsk, where he lived and worked, it is no coincidence that these two regions are connected by the fact that those who help us are Norilsk Nickel, this is Norilsk, this and Tver region. And we think that we will expand our movement, and we think that we will be able to ennoble the northern lands with real high art,” said Glikin.

The current meeting was held in Bolshoye Zavidovo, in the Konakovsky district of the Tver region. The location was not chosen by chance: they talked about the prospects of holding the first international Tver Literary Festival here.

“It’s time to return young people to books”