Evening with writer Alexei Ivanov and Screening of the Ridge of Russia

Read Russia presents an evening with writer Alexei Ivanov, and the screening of the first of the series Ridge of Russia. Ivanov will be in conversation with Anastasia Koro.

In Russian and English

The Ridge of Russia (the figurative name for the Ural mountain range) – is a four-part documentary film in the format of a road movie, dedicated to the history of the Urals, presented by leading journalist Leonid Parfenov and created by Ivanov. The series was first shown on Russia’s First Channel, in 2010. It is about the unique culture of the Urals, but it is also a journey and an investigation. The first programme in the series ‘Hero’, which will be shown at this event – recounts the legends of the Urals and one of their lead characters – Yermak – conqueror of Siberia, famous robber, now known as a national hero.

Alexei Ivanov is the author of more than 20 books, with a total circulation of more than a million copies. His work have been adapted for the screen more than any other Russian writer. He works in a broad variety of genres from contemporary urban prose, to modern historical novels, and intellectual thrillers.

Ivanov has won many prizes including: ‘Yasnaya Polyana’, ‘Book of the Year’ the Platonov Prize, the Parliamentary prize for work in the cultural sphere. His work is included in school curriculums. Hundreds of articles and at least five doctorate theses have been written about his work.

In November 2018, his film Nenastye (Stormy Weather) was released on Russia’s 1 TV Channel. Star Media and Director Sergei Bodrov are at present adapting ‘The Heart of Parma’ and the company Kinomir and Yegor Konchalovsky are working on ‘Dogheads’. Plays based on Ivanov’s work have been staged in theatres in Moscow, Omsk, Krasnoyarsk, Perma, Yekaterinburg and Izhevsk.

Anastasia Koro is a PhD Candidate in Comparative Literature at Queen Mary, University of London. Her research focuses on Russian Formalist and Constructivist aesthetic theory and she also teaches European literature. She is a founder and organizer of a Russian Literary Salon which convenes regularly to discuss Russian Modernist literature.