The co-founders of the Yasnaya Polyana Book Award—the Leo Tolstoy Estate-Museum and Samsung Electronics—have announced the longlist for the award’s main category, “Modern Russian Prose,” which reflects the current trends in Russian literature.
In its 23rd season, the longlist for the “Modern Russian Prose” category includes 22 works by Russian-speaking authors, among them Vladimir Berezin, Vera Bogdanova, Eduard Verkin, Dina Rubina, Alexey Salnikov, Elena Kholmogorova, and others.
Submissions were accepted on the award's website from January 28 to March 14, 2025. A total of 179 works were submitted. Nominations were made by publishing houses, literary magazines, writers’ unions, and previous winners. Together with the award jury members, applications were reviewed by graduates of the V. Ya. Kurbatov School of Criticism at Yasnaya Polyana.
"Last year, there were many books about people from the banks of the Neva. This time, it felt less like boarding the Sapsan high-speed train and more like stepping into a time machine—writers are eager to reflect on the Soviet past, although there’s clear interest in current events as well. Some texts echoed popular flight searches, taking readers to Belgrade, Samarkand, Istanbul. There are quite a few science fiction novels, autofiction is less common, and it seems there will be no non-fiction titles on this year’s longlist," noted Anna Tokarenko, a graduate of the V. Ya. Kurbatov School of Criticism and a member of the longlist review team.
"This year’s longlist isn’t particularly long, but it is both diverse and consistent. It’s impossible to predict who will make the shortlist—let alone win. Every book has an equal chance, which makes the 2025 award season especially exciting," commented Alexey Varlamov, jury member, prose writer, and Rector of the A. M. Gorky Literary Institute.
The “Modern Russian Prose” nomination honors a significant work by a contemporary author writing in Russian that deeply explores the boundaries of human experience and embodies the ideals of humanism. In previous years, winners in this category have included Leonid Yuzefovich, Sasha Nikolaenko, Dmitry Danilov, German Sadulaev, Yevgeny Chizhov, Sergey Samsonov, Olga Slavnikova, Andrey Rubanov, Narine Abgaryan, Alexander Grigorenko, Guzel Yakhina, Yevgeny Vodolazkin, among others.
The prize fund for the “Modern Russian Prose” category is 3 million rubles. Authors who make the shortlist will share 1 million rubles. The shortlist will be announced in September 2025, and the winner will be revealed at the annual awards ceremony in the fall of 2025.
The Yasnaya Polyana Book Award has been presented annually since 2003 to authors whose works uphold the traditions of classical literature while reflecting contemporary trends in Russian writing. The award serves as a guide for readers, curating lists of the best Russian and translated books. The jury, chaired by Vladimir Tolstoy, includes prominent literary critics and writers. The jury selects works in two main categories: “Modern Russian Prose” and “Foreign Literature.” In addition, the award is presented in several special categories:
More information is available on the official website: www.yppremia.ru
In its 23rd season, the longlist for the “Modern Russian Prose” category includes 22 works by Russian-speaking authors, among them Vladimir Berezin, Vera Bogdanova, Eduard Verkin, Dina Rubina, Alexey Salnikov, Elena Kholmogorova, and others.
Submissions were accepted on the award's website from January 28 to March 14, 2025. A total of 179 works were submitted. Nominations were made by publishing houses, literary magazines, writers’ unions, and previous winners. Together with the award jury members, applications were reviewed by graduates of the V. Ya. Kurbatov School of Criticism at Yasnaya Polyana.
"Last year, there were many books about people from the banks of the Neva. This time, it felt less like boarding the Sapsan high-speed train and more like stepping into a time machine—writers are eager to reflect on the Soviet past, although there’s clear interest in current events as well. Some texts echoed popular flight searches, taking readers to Belgrade, Samarkand, Istanbul. There are quite a few science fiction novels, autofiction is less common, and it seems there will be no non-fiction titles on this year’s longlist," noted Anna Tokarenko, a graduate of the V. Ya. Kurbatov School of Criticism and a member of the longlist review team.
"This year’s longlist isn’t particularly long, but it is both diverse and consistent. It’s impossible to predict who will make the shortlist—let alone win. Every book has an equal chance, which makes the 2025 award season especially exciting," commented Alexey Varlamov, jury member, prose writer, and Rector of the A. M. Gorky Literary Institute.
The “Modern Russian Prose” nomination honors a significant work by a contemporary author writing in Russian that deeply explores the boundaries of human experience and embodies the ideals of humanism. In previous years, winners in this category have included Leonid Yuzefovich, Sasha Nikolaenko, Dmitry Danilov, German Sadulaev, Yevgeny Chizhov, Sergey Samsonov, Olga Slavnikova, Andrey Rubanov, Narine Abgaryan, Alexander Grigorenko, Guzel Yakhina, Yevgeny Vodolazkin, among others.
The prize fund for the “Modern Russian Prose” category is 3 million rubles. Authors who make the shortlist will share 1 million rubles. The shortlist will be announced in September 2025, and the winner will be revealed at the annual awards ceremony in the fall of 2025.
The Yasnaya Polyana Book Award has been presented annually since 2003 to authors whose works uphold the traditions of classical literature while reflecting contemporary trends in Russian writing. The award serves as a guide for readers, curating lists of the best Russian and translated books. The jury, chaired by Vladimir Tolstoy, includes prominent literary critics and writers. The jury selects works in two main categories: “Modern Russian Prose” and “Foreign Literature.” In addition, the award is presented in several special categories:
- “New Adult” – for a Russian-language work that most profoundly and artistically explores the theme of growing up;
- “Personality” – awarded for contributions to the development of literature;
- “Missed Masterpieces” – for a work of world literature introduced to Russian-speaking readers posthumously;
- Samsung Readers’ Choice Award – a special prize awarded to the author whose work receives the most votes in an online readers’ poll.
More information is available on the official website: www.yppremia.ru