Thread: new contemporary writing in russia

I am starting a PhD in september on contemporary writing, and want to include Russian literature in my studies. I have been reading Ахматова and Хелевников, but who is writing NOW in russia? Is there a poet laureate? It is quite difficult to find news on new russian poetry on the net. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong places! please help!

Спасибо

Are you interested in poets or prose writers?
But anyway, the www.lib.ru is the best place to start from.

It seems that contemporary Russian literature is only criminal adventures

http://www.stihi.ru/

Try this one and some other sites linked on that page

Originally Posted by mansellls

I am starting a PhD in september on contemporary writing, and want to include Russian literature in my studies. I have been reading Ахматова and Хелевников, but who is writing NOW in russia? Is there a poet laureate? It is quite difficult to find news on new russian poetry on the net. Perhaps I am looking in the wrong places! please help!

Спасибо

If you're interested in poets only I'd recommend you check out/search for
Пригов and Игорь Иртеньев, the first one writes absurd and experimental stuff and makes installations, also he writes short balc humour poems like едет мальчик на машине весь размазанный по шине, this one is not Prigov's but it's his style. The second one, Igor Irtanyev writes more classical poems full of irony and sarcasm, he once talked on TV abt how he was trying to write a serious love poem back when he was young and he almost finished it, the last line was missing, but when he finally came up with a good line to finish the poem this line was so sarcastic and ironic and unserious that all the initially intended seriousness of the poem just went down the toilet, unfortunately I can't remember neither that poem nor that last line that helped Irtenyev realise his real calling which is to rhyme sarcasm and irony. but here's one Irtenyev poem that I remember by heart, he wrote it shortly after the first treaty on cutting down the number of nuclear warheads between Gorbachyoff and Raegan was signed.
Монолог на выдохе
Нет мы империя добра, а не империя мы зла
Ка мы тут слышали вчера, от одного мы тут казла
не будем называть страну, главой которой был казел
мечтавший развязать войну, от наших городов и сел
чтоб не осталось и следа, но мы ему сказали нет
и он был вынужден тогда,чтоб свой спасти авторитет,казлиный
с нами заключить один известный договор,
который должен исключить саму возможность всякий спор
решать насильственным путем
а нам такой не нужен путь, и если вдруг когда нибудь
другой казел захочет вдруг с пути нас этого свернуть
Ему мы скажем, знаешь, друг, вали откудова пришел
И он отвалит, тот казел.
so search for these two names I gave at the beginning, I think these two are by far the most popular poets, at least popular with myself.
good luck

You should definitely check out Victor Pelevin. I have read a collection of short stories by him (A Werewolf Problem in Central Russia) and his novel Homo Zapiens. He has several others I have on my list to be read. Great stuff. Further reason to want to be able to read Russian. Sort of a mix match of Bulgakov meets Nabokov meets Murakami. Very much one of the hottest post Soviet new Russian authors.

Mark