The Russian Booker Prize of the Decade, a prestigious literary award, has been given to a Russian writer Aleksander Chudakov, posthumously.

      The award ceremony took place on December 1, in the "Golden Ring" hotel. The professional jury consisted of 33 members announced the book Haze Sets upon the Old Steps by Aleksander Chudakov as the Russian Book of the Decade. 

      Aleksander Pavlovich Chudakov is a philologist, most famous for his researches of Anton Chekhov's creativity. He was also a publisher and an editor of Yury Tynyanov's works. Chudakov published his first autobiographic novel in 2000, in "Znamya" ("Banner") literary journal. He died in 2005.

      The "Students' Booker of the Decade" was given to Tatyana Tolstaya for her scandalous novel Kys'. The laureate was chosen by the students of Russian Universities.

      About 60 books pretended to be given the main prize. The jury picked the short-list of five finalists, which included Oleg Pavlov and his Funeral Rites in Karaganda, or, A Tale of Recent Times, the winner of the award in 2002, Zakhar Prilepin and his Sankya, the finalist of 2006’s award, Roman Senchin and his The Eltyshevs, the finalist of 2009’s award, Ludmila Ulitskaya and her Daniel Stein, Interpreter, finalist of 2007’s prize, and Aleksandr Chudakov with his Haze Sets upon the Old Steps, 2001’s finalist.

      The Russian Booker of the Decade laureate is to be given a money prize which is about $20,000. That sum was presented to Chudakov's widow Marietta Chudakova, who is also a prominent Russian publicist, philologist and a public figure. 

Source: Lenta.ru Image: ActualComment.ru