The finalists for the anniversary XX season of the “Big Book” literary award have been announced. The announcement was made at the traditional Literary Lunch held in the Demonstration Hall of GUM on June 3rd.

The Expert Council, comprised of writers and literary critics, selected 15 books from a long list of 40 works. These 15 finalists are divided into two categories: seven in “Non-fiction” and eight in “Fiction.”

In the “Non-fiction” category, the finalists are:

• Zoya Boguslavskaya, “Careless Life” – memoirs offering insights into Moscow’s cultural life in the late 20th century.
• Lyudmila Weber, “Girl and Prison” – a personal account of an artist’s two years in pre-trial detention.
• Eufrosinia Kapustina, “People Who Are Not on the Map” – a volunteer photographer’s notes on charitable medical centers in Guatemala and Nicaragua.
• Vyacheslav Kuritsyn, “The Main Russian Book. About L.N. Tolstoy’s ‘War and Peace’” – a literary study of Tolstoy’s epic novel.
• Elena Levkievskaya, “Belarusian Myths. From Mara and Home Horror to a Werewolf and Zlydni” – a popular science exploration of Belarusian folklore.
• Andrei Rubanov, “Ice Notebook” – a fictionalized biography of Protopope Avvakum, a key figure in Russian prose.
• Elena Kholmogorova, “With a Steady Hand” – memoirs of a prose editor, historian, and writer, celebrating old Moscow.

In the “Fiction” category, the finalists are:

• Anna Basner, “Theseus Paradox” – a novel about underground restorers in St. Petersburg.
• Vera Bogdanova, “Seven Ways to Salt Souls” – a story of two girls who encounter supernatural forces in a sect in Altai.
• Eduard Verkin, “Magpie on the Gallows” – complex fiction centered on the search for freedom.
• Andrei Dmitriev, “Wind of Troy” – a tale of love and wanderings through ancient ruins.
• Ilya Kochergin, “Emergency Exit” – a story about the transformative power of a horse.
• Maya Kucherskaya, “An Incident at a Masquerade” – a collection of Christmas stories inspired by Russian classics.
• Maxim Semelyak, “Average Life Expectancy” – a novel described as the Russian “Magic Mountain.”
• Anna Shipilova, “Moscow is Coming Soon” – a narrative weaving together women’s lives connected by a factory and industrial zone.

The “Big Book” is a major Russian literary prize with a total prize fund of six million rubles. Unlike previous years, where up to three winners were selected across both fiction and non-fiction, this year the award will recognize two winners: one for fiction and one for non-fiction. The winners will be announced in early December.