Orhan Pamuk Received the Yasnaya Polyana Book Award

On February 24 in the Russian State Library, Orhan Pamuk received the Yasnaya Polyana Book Award in the nomination Foreign Literature for his book A Strangeness in My Mind. After the ceremony, Pamuk gave a public interview to Fyokla Tolstaya, a journalist. The annual Book Award Yasnaya Polyana was cofounded by Leo Tolstoy Estate Museum and Samsung Electronics in 2003.

“We have been waiting for this event for several months. The award ceremony usually takes place in autumn, and it is for the first time that the prize is passed to the winner several months after the ceremony. Apart from that, it is only for the second time that the winner in the Foreign Literature category was announced. And so we are very excited to have Orhan Pamuk, one of the most renowned modern writers, with us here today. It is of a special note that throughout all of the 15 years of the existence of the Award we are supported by our trusted partner Samsung Electronics,” said Vladimir Tolstoy, Yasnaya Polyana Award jury chair.

“Support of cultural projects and initiatives is a priority for Samsung Electronics. For 15 years our company has been a partner of Leo Tolstoy’s Museum Estate Yasnaya Polyana and a cofounder of the book award that bears the same name. We are interested in helping readers in Russia and the whole world discover new books through the Yasnaya Polyana Award. Over these 15 years, the award has become truly international. I sincerely congratulate Mr. Pamuk and wish him continued success in his creative work,” commented Uitack  Kim, Samsung Electronics CIS President.

Orhan Pamuk is a 2006 Nobel laureate in Literature and a world-famous author who writes about the interlacing of different cultures and traditions. His novel A Strangeness in My Mind is a story about transformation of Istanbul, a city where he spent almost all of his life. The writer worked on this novel for 6 years.

Pamuk won the Yasnaya Polyana Award in 2016 but was unable to attend the official award ceremony. On February 20 he arrived in Russia for a 6-day visit to Saint Petersburg, Moscow and Leo Tolstoy Museum Estate. According to Pamuk, Leo Tolstoy has become one of his most influential teachers and the opportunity to visit Tolstoy’s estate was Pamuk’s long-nurtured dream.

“In 1974, while still a 22 year old young man, I admired Tolstoy. When I was 23, I could not even dream of receiving an award like this and travelling to Russia to get it,” said Orhan Pamuk. “I am very happy to get this prize and it is a great honor. I would like to say a big thank you to all of the organizers of today’s event.”

After the award ceremony, Orhan Pamuk gave a public interview to Fyokla Tolstaya. Over 500 admirers of Pamuk’s talent attended the event.

In 2017 the Award celebrates its 15-year anniversary. This anniversary season the Award undergoes an evolution in its structure. Modern Russian Prose becomes the main nomination of the Award. It singles out a work of a modern author that stands out and carries the ideals of love for humankind and deserves to be read right away because it sets the stage for trends in the literature of today. The Foreign Literature nomination singles out the most important foreign novel of the twenty-first century and its translation into Russian. A new nomination called The Event was created with a goal to celebrate the most significant event in the cultural life as seen by the jury and experts (a festival, a theatrical performance, a novel screen adaptation).

The special Samsung prize nomination Readers’ Choice remains a part of the Award. The author of the book that received the majority of votes in the readers’ open web poll will be awarded this prize. The winner will get a chance to visit the Republic of Korea.

Apart from that, in the anniversary year for the Award Leo Tolstoy Museum Estate and Samsung Electronics will organize a range of events with the participation of Yasnaya Polyana jury members and nomination winners. These events would include public lectures and meetings with readers, literary exhibitions and festivals, joint projects with theaters and much more.

More detailed information is available on the website of the Award.

About Leo Tolstoy Museum Estate Yasnaya Polyana

Leo Tolstoy Museum Estate Yasnaya Polyana is a literary museum that was opened in 1921 in writer Leo Tolstoy’s (1828-1910) family estate. Here he was born and lived most of his life, and here he was buried on the edge of the ravine. Every year a lot of people come here from all over the world. Today Yasnaya Polyana is a large museum complex and an acknowledged cultural center of a global scale.