Q&As

Anna Arutunyan, a journalist and analyst, and Mark Galeotti, a specialist on the Russian military and security services, tell us about their recommended reads for business and pleasure and their new book Downfall: Prigozhin, Putin, and the New Fight for the Future of Russia which they will be discussing at Pushkin House on 22 October. What are your top five recommended books? Mark: Gosh, an impossible ask; apart from the fact that they change from day to day, there are books that enlighten, books that entertain, books that uplift. Arbitrarily picking from the best of the bunch… W. Bruce Lincoln’s Nicholas I for its combination of...

Dr Carol Adlam is Associate Professor in the Nottingham School of Art & Design. She formerly worked as a university lecturer specialising in Russian literature and art, before embarking on a second career as an award-winning artist and illustrator.  Carol will be presenting her latest book, The Russian Detective, a graphic novel adaptation of a bestselling 19th-century crime novel, at Pushkin House on 21 June. In the lead-up to her event Carol has told us about the story behind her book, as well as sharing her favourite books, literary inspirations and more. What are your top five recommended books? Currently, JG Farrell, The Siege...

Dr Jade McGlynn is a Leverhulme EC Researcher in the Department of War Studies at King’s College London, where she focusses on memory politics, identity construction, the Russian war on Ukraine since 2014, media and propaganda. She published two books last year: Russia’s War, which explores the attitudes of Russia’s population towards the invasion of Ukraine – and which was shortlisted for the Pushkin House Book Prize 2023; and Memory Makers, which explores Russian historical propaganda and its penetration into everyday life.As well as talking about her favourite books, Jade told us about the writers and organisations we should pay attention...

Robert Chandler is one of the most eminent translators of Russian-language literature, including works by Vasily Grossman, Andrey Platonov and Teffi. As well as telling us about his favourite books, literary inspirations and who he would invite to a fantasy dinner party, Robert talks about his upcoming translation of Teffi’s stories, And Time Was No More, due to be published in April 2024.    Which authors/works have you enjoyed translating the most? Hard to say. No novel has moved me more deeply than Vasily Grossman’s Stalingrad. Translating Pushkin’s prose is always refreshing; somehow it makes me feel emotionally cleaner. Teffi...