Words Without Borders, Russian issue

[Melissa Frazier]

Dear Seelangers,

I'm posting this for a friend and former student; please address any
questions/comments to Words Without Borders.



PRESS RELEASE
Contact: Rohan/Dedi
wordswithoutborders at gmail.com
July/August 2007


THE RUSSIANS ARE COMING!

And there’s never been a more apt time to look East. This July and
August, Words Without Borders brings you a special two-month-long issue
dedicated to the best of contemporary Russian writing. Whether established
doyens of Russian letters or stars fresh on the literary scene, these
exciting talents from the new Federation are making a splash on
www.wordswithoutborders.org this summer.

The first ever winner of the Russian Little Booker Prize, Victor Pelevin
is one of the most prominent writers in Russian today. Since his debut,
Pelevin’s work continues to develop in adventurous ways. In his latest
translated offering Akiko, now available on www.wordswithoutborders.org, a
victim’s obsession with an online porn site devolves into a losing pas
de deux with a computer-generated concubine and her monkey Mao. Showcasing
Pelevin’s themes of occultism and the shadowy underside of society in
the age of technology, Akiko raises the bar yet again with its author’s
trademark delicious--and malign--narrative wit.

Mikhail Shishkin was born in 1962 in Moscow. In his short story The
Calligraphy Lesson, Shishkin’s narrator is a government functionary
whose job analyzing handwriting provides him with rare insights into that
which is hidden in the written script. In the course of the story, the
functionary’s richly detailed descriptions of cursive Cyrillic take an
unexpected turn, becoming a lavish sounding chamber for recollections of
his past; of personal and witnessed tragedies. Shishkin’s story
effortlessly spans the divide between the turmoil of experience and the
true consolation of literature—the transformative act of imposing order
through the written word.

These and other stories in our July issue of Words Without Borders, are
online now at www.wordswithoutborders.org. In keeping with our new look,
we will continue to roll out fresh content as the month progresses, so be
sure to check back as we post new features, interviews, reviews and much,
much more.

For more information please contact us at wordswithoutborders at gmail.com.

###

Words without Borders ( www.wordswithoutborders.org ) is an online
magazine for literature in translation that undertakes to promote
international communication through publication of the world's best
writing—selected and translated by a distinguished group of writers,
translators, and publishing professionals. Its monthly publications
include fiction, nonfiction, poetry and contextual essays, all available
for free online.




_________________________________
Melissa Frazier
Russian Language and Literature
Sarah Lawrence College
1 Mead Way
Bronxville, NY  10708

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