Writer Vladimir Sharov - laureate of the literary award "Russian Booker" in 2014

In our overloaded information age "white noise" drowns out many interesting events and big names. Perhaps only those who regularly follow the news in the literary world know about the existence of the annual Russian Booker Prize. To whom and for what it is awarded, we will consider.

In 2014, her laureate was Vladimir Sharov - a famous historian, writer, author of intellectual novels. But first about the prize itself.

The History of the Russian Booker Award

In the literary world, the Booker Prize, the oldest among non-state awards, has a prestigious reputation. The initiator of its foundation was the British Council in Russia. Established in 1992, it has been awarded for the best Russian-language novel for 25 years already. The project is similar to the British Booker Prize, but is organized quite differently.

The right to nominate works in the nomination belongs to the publishing houses and editorial offices of major literary journals, libraries and universities, the list of which is approved annually by the Committee. The main purpose of the award is to draw the attention of the reading public to serious works that affirm humanism as the main value traditional for Russian literature.

The prize fund from 2012 is provided by Globex Bank, the country's largest financial institution. This is already the sixth trustee during the existence of the award. With his arrival, the monetary reward of the laureate increased to 1.5 million rubles, finalists - up to 150 thousand rubles.

"Return to Egypt" - novel of the laureate

In 2014, at a solemn ceremony held at the Golden Ring Hotel, the literary historian A. Aryev named the name of the winner of the Booker Prize. They became Vladimir Aleksandrovich Sharov. In addition to him, other famous writers also claimed to win: Z. Prilepin with the novel "Abode"; V. Remizov - "Will free"; E. Skulskaya - "Marble Swan", etc. But the best was recognized as an epistolary novel by Sharov V. "Returning to Egypt". It was printed in the journal Znamya (Nos. 7-8 for 2013).

In his novel, historian and essayist Vladimir Sharov is once again trying to unwind the tangle of Russian history. Before the readers in the letters is the story of the members of the family of the main character Kolya Gogol. All of them descendants of the great writer Nikolai Vasilyevich Gogol, who live in the twentieth century. Before the revolution, the family gathered in the Little Russian estate, where they staged and played "The Inspector General", later all wandered around the world - someone left, someone hid, and some died. Their correspondence is the basis of the novel. All surviving members of the family are obsessed with one idea: if it were possible to finish the remaining unfinished parts of the Gogolian novel Dead Souls, then the history of Russia could, under the influence of an artistic word, change the vector of development and take the right direction to rebellion.

The novel "Return to Egypt" is purely theoretical, it is filled with historiosophy mixed with the theme of mystical knowledge of God, very close to the author and well studied by him. Epistolary genre creates unobtrusiveness and lightness of the text, digressions into history are not accompanied by extensive argumentation, but this does not make the novel superficial.

Of course, "Return to Egypt" is an outstanding historical and philosophical work that can become a reference book for readers who are inclined to reflect.

About the writer, the candidate of historical sciences VA Sharov

Vladimir Sharov was born on April 7, 1952, the native Muscovite. His father is Alexander Sharov, a famous Soviet writer. The family is traditionally literary - close relatives of Vladimir also were writers, journalists or publishers.

After graduating from the Faculty of History of the University of Voronezh, he worked as a loader, then as a worker for archaeologists, then as a literary secretary.

He began his creative activity as a poet ("New World" magazine, 1979). His first novel, "Trace in the footprint" appeared in 1991. He wrote novels: "Before and During", "Raising Lazarus", "Do I Have No Regrets", "The Old Girl", etc. His books, which are of special interest to the thinking public, have been translated into several foreign languages.

No doubt, Vladimir Sharov today is one of the most outstanding writers. His novels are a favorite reading for Russian intellectuals. The author himself thinks that he writes first for himself, but that his thoughts are of interest to someone else is a gift for him.

Literary Prize in 2017

The next competition for the best Russian-language book has already been announced. Since 2017, the premium fund will be provided by the production company Fetisov Illusion. Its size remains the same.

The jury headed by Chairman P. Aleshkovsky, the Booker Laureate of 2016, includes: the literary critic A. Skvortsov, the poet A. Purin, the writer A. Snegirev (the Booker Prize in 2015), the director of the regional library in Penza M. Osipova . The long list will be made public on September 8; Six finalists, who were in the shortlist - on October 26. Well, the name of the winner will be known on December 5.

The authors who published their novels in the period from June 16 of last year to June 15 of the current year can count on the nomination. Literary circles are waiting for results with great interest.