The 2024 Russian Literary Festival, organized by the Russian Literary Circle in association with the Russian House, will take place on December 17 at 3 pm in the auditorium of the Russian House in Colombo.
This year, the festival is being held to commemorate the 225th anniversary of the birth of the renowned poet Alexander Pushkin, as well as the 100th anniversaries of the birth of two significant Soviet writers, Vladimir Bogomolov and Yuri Bondarev. Vladimir Bogomolov is recognized among Sinhala readers for his novel Ivan, while Yuri Bondarev is known for his novel Hot Snow.
The distinguished literary scholar Dr. Sunil Wijesiriwardena will present the keynote address titled “Soviet War Literature and Cinema: Patriotism, Humanity, Determination, and Love.” Additionally, Russian literature researcher Irina Evina will give a guest lecture on “Pushkin: From Fighter and Lover to Founder of Modern Russian Language and Literature.”
Throughout the event, activities have been organized to provide a brief introduction to Russian works that have been translated into Sinhala, Tamil, and English in Sri Lanka over the past year. Selected scenes from Andrei Tarkovsky’s film Ivan’s Childhood and Gavril Egiazarov’s film Hot Snow, both with Sinhala subtitles, will be screened. Additionally, Soviet writer Denis Dragunsky will be introduced to Sinhala readers for the first time. A book exhibition featuring translations of Soviet-Russian literature will also be held alongside these events.
The Colombo Russian House and the Russian Literary Circle invite all lovers of Russian literature to participate in this cultural celebration.
Anura B Seneviratne