Book Donation Ceremony at the National Library of India

During the book donation ceremony on January 29, 2020 with the participation of Consul General of Russia in Kolkata Mr Alexey Idamkin and Officer on Special Duty of the National Library of India Dr K.K.Kochukoshy twenty books in the Russian and English languages were handed over to Indian partners: scientific monographs and popular science publications on literary criticism, literature of the past and present centuries as well as series of photo exhibitions dedicated to Russian writers prepared by the State Literary Museum commissioned by Rossotrudnichestvo and 10 films of the Soviet period with English subtitles provided by Rossotrudnichestvo.

Head of desk of the Federal Agency for Press and Mass Communications of the Russian Federation Mr Alexander Voropaev, winner of many Russian prestigious awards writer Mr Eugene Vodolazkin, director of the A.M.Gorky Institute of World Literature of the Russian Academy of Sciences Dr Vadim Polonsky, Director of the Institute for Literary Translation Mr Eugene Reznichenko, director of the Russian Center of Science and Culture (Rossotrudnichestvo) Mr Vladimir Dementiev, representatives of the press, local cultural circles as well as students from leading Universities of Kolkata took part in the event.

Mr Eugene Vodolazkin and Dr Vadim Polonsky gave a lecture in the form of a dialogue on the topic “Russian Writers as Preachers”.

The donation ceremony was held within the 44th International Kolkata Book Fair 2020 with Russia as the “Focal Theme Country”. Significant Russian participation will enable Indian publishers to develop taste for modern Russian fiction, support local translators, connect them with publishers and begin publishing a series of contemporary Russian literature in Indian languages.