Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award

The Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award is an annual all-Russian literary award that was founded in 2003 by the Leo Tolstoy Museum Estate and Samsung Electronics. The award is presented for the best traditional-style novel written in Russian.

The awards, in spirit of Leo Tolstoy, are in the following categories:^[1]

• Contemporary Classic
• 21st Century
• Childhood, Adolescence and Youth

A jury that consists of famous writers, critics and literature experts select authors whose works preserve the traditions of classic literature and, at the same time, represent the relevant trends of modern Russian literature.

In 2012 (the award's 10-year anniversary), another nomination category was added to the award – “Childhood, Boyhood, Youth.” named after Leo Tolstoy's semi-autobiographical trilogy of novels.^[2][3]

The award’s fund has doubled since 2010. Currently, it amounts to 1.8 million RUB. The winner of the “21st Century” award receives 750,00 rubles, while the “Contemporary Classic” laureate receives 900,000 rubles. The fund for the award finalists that are included in the short list amounts to 150,000 rubles.

Background

The Yasnaya Polyana literary award maintains classical literature traditions by commemorating the authors of famous 20th-century works and also follows relevant tendencies of contemporary literary traditions by noting talented 20th-century writers. These two aspects allow the award to remain balanced and harmonious.

Yasnaya Polyana jury members include famous Russian writers, literary critics and public figures:

• Vladimir Tolstoy– chairman of the jury, advisor to the President of the Russian Federation on cultural matters, journalist
• Lev Anninsky – Soviet and Russian literary critic, writer, essayist, literature expert
• Pavel Basinsky – journailst, writer, literary critic
• Aleksey Varlamov – novelist, scholar of 20th-century Russian literature
• Igor Zolotusskiy – Soviet and Russian literary critic, journalist, writer
• Valentin Kurbatov – writer, essayist, literary critic
• Vladislav Otroshenko – Russian writer and essayist, winner of the Yasnaya Polyana literary award.

Winners

^{[4] [5] [6] [7] [8]}

References

• Winners of Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award were announced // Gazeta.ru // 21.10.2014
• Medinsky has criticized the school literature programm //Lenta.ru// 21.10.2014
• Winners of Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award were announced // Vedomosti.ru// 22.10.2014
• The trilogy about the First World War won in Yasnaya Polyana Literary Award // Rg.ru// 22.10.2014

External links

• Yppremia.ru
• Ypmuseum.ru