The Debut Prize Recognizes a New Generation of Russian Poets and Literary Voices; Prize Winners and Finalists Visit North America This Month to Read From Their Works and Discuss the Emergent Russian Counterculture

NEW YORK, Oct. 9, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Russia's most innovative and outspoken literary voices and winners and finalists of the Debut Prize will be visiting the United States and Canada this month for engagements in New York City, Chicago and Toronto.

The poets, celebrated winners and finalists of the prestigious Debut Prize, will read from their latest works and discuss the emerging counter culture in Russia.  The poets will also be received as delegates at the Harbourfront Centre International Festival of Authors (IFOA) in Toronto.

The Debut Prize, one of Russia's most prestigious literary honors, has been awarded annually since 2000 to authors of works in the Russian language.  The Debut's mission is to discover new Russian literature by authors under 35 all over the world.  As such, the prize showcases writers who never (or hardly) knew the Soviet era, a new generation of Russian writers often called the Debut generation.  This year's winners were selected from more than 70,000 submissions in six categories.

"It's a generation whose writing seems to be united less by subject matter or style or political slant than by a confidence, honesty and vibrancy that have made the literary establishment take notice." The Washington Post,  "In Russia, At Long Last, Notes From Aboveground," February 24, 2012

Olga Slavnikova, director of the Debut Prize, winner of the Russian Booker Prize and author of the widely acclaimed novel 2017, will be accompanying the poets and also holding readings and discussions.  She will read from 2017 and her novel Light Head, soon to be published in English.

The Russian poets are traveling to the US as part of an effort to bring New Russian Literature to an English language audience sponsored by the Debut Prize Foundation, a Russian non-governmental organization, and Causa Artium, a New York-based non-profit.

Bios:
Dina Gatina (b. 1981) was short-listed for the Debut Prize in 2001 in the poetry category and won the Prize outright the following year in the short prose category.  Her poetry has won numerous awards and has been translated into French, Italian, Ukrainian and English. Dina is also active as an urban artist, singer and illustrator.

Kirill Korchagin (b. 1986) was long-listed for the Debut Prize in 2008, becoming a finalist in 2009.  He has worked as an editor of Russia's Scientific Current Affairs since 2010.  A collection of his literary criticism has been published in the New Literary Review.

Ksenia Marennikova (b. 1981) is an active figure in Russia's poetry scene.  She co-edited the 2003 poetry anthology Nine Dimensions, and is an organizer of the annual "Vozdukh" festival.  In 2004, Ksenia was a Debut Prize finalist in the poetry category.

Alla Gorbunova (b. 1985) won the Debut Prize for poetry in 2005.  Her poems have been translated into German. She has two published collections of poetry, one of which was short-listed for the 2011 Andrei Belyi Prize.

Lev Oborin (B. 1987) was short-listed for the Debut Prize for poetry in 2004 and 2008 and has a scholarship from the "New Names" National Foundation. Oborin frequently participates in readings and literary festivals, and is also a prominent translator and critic.

Details can be found at http://www.debutprize.com and http://www.causaartium.com.

For Press Information, contact:

Bruce Mason, (917) 541-9014, [email protected]

This press release was issued through eReleases® Press Release Distribution. For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com.

SOURCE Debut Prize Foundation