Pushkin House

20/08/2026

We're delighted to announce that Ekaterina Schulmann will join shortlisted authors Mikhail Fishman and Andrei Kolesnikov for a panel discussion, moderated by Laurie Bristow, exploring the turning points that have shaped contemporary Russia over the past three decades — part of the Pushkin House Book Prize festival!

❗Please note: this event will now take place at Swedenborg Hall, just opposite Pushkin House London. If you've already purchased tickets, they remain valid — no need to rebook.

🔗 Check out the full Book Prize programme on our website, and don't forget that you can buy shortlisted books with a 10% discount in our online bookshop.

20/08/2026

Pushkin House will open a new English-Russian bookshop September on the ground floor of its Grade II-listed premises in Bloomsbury, London. 👇

19/08/2026

Award Ceremony | Pushkin House Book Prize Festival
26 September, 7–10 pm

We are delighted to invite you to the Pushkin House Book Prize 2026 Award Ceremony on 26 September, where the £10,000 prize will be awarded to the winning author. The evening will include a keynote from Benjamin Nathans, winner of the Pushkin House Book Prize 2025, along with words from Elena Sudakova, Director of Pushkin House, and Andrew Jack, Founder of the Book Prize. The evening will conclude with the chair of the judges, Sir Laurie Bristow, announcing this year's winner. Guests will have the chance to get their books signed at the ceremony and meet this year's authors and judges, followed by a reception with catering and drinks.

🔗 Tickets are available via the link in our bio.

17/08/2026

Interview with Alena Ledeneva | Pushkin House Book Prize

As part of our ongoing series featuring the 2026 nominated authors, we spoke with Alena Ledeneva about her shortlisted book, "Russian Pendulum: Paradoxes, Practices and Patterns" (published by UCL Press ).

In this interview, Ledeneva discusses her academic trajectory from Akademgorodok to UCL , the pendulum metaphor central to the book, her decision to make it freely accessible, and the art and music that accompany her writing on the hidden patterns of power in Russia.

🔗 Read the full interview via the link in our bio.

15/08/2026

Pushkin House Book Prize Shortlist 📚

For those who haven’t yet dived into this year’s shortlisted books, we’ve put together a quick guide to each book.

Have you read any of these yet? Let us know what you think!

14/08/2026

The Future That Never Came: The Making of Modern Russia: Mikhail Fishman and Andrei Kolesnikov, moderated by Laurie Bristow
26 September, 4:30–45:45 pm | Pushkin House Book Prize Festival

How did Russia arrive at its present political reality? This panel brings together shortlisted authors Mikhail Fishman and Andrei Kolesnikov, whose books “The Successor: Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin, and the Decline of Modern Russia” (translated by , ) and “The Closing of the Russian Mind: How Putin's Ideology Took the Nation Hostage” () offer distinct perspectives on the forces that have shaped contemporary Russia. Drawing on their deep understanding of the inner workings of Russian politics, they will explore the turning points that transformed the country over the past three decades. The panel will be moderated by Laurie Bristow, former Ambassador to Russia and chair of this year’s Book Prize judging panel.

📚 You can buy “The Successor”, “The Closing of the Russian Mind” and other shortlisted titles with a 10% discount at the Pushkin House Bookshop online.

12/08/2026

Last chance for early-bird prices!

Dear friends, from 15 August, ticket prices for the Pushkin House Book Prize will go up. Early-bird rates remain available until then for individual events and combined ticket passes.

We look forward to welcoming you!

11/08/2026

Interview with Sophie Pinkham | Pushkin House Book Prize

As part of our series highlighting this year’s shortlisted authors, Andrew Jack talks to Sophie Pinkham Sophie Pinkham about her book “The Oak and the Larch: A Forest History of Russia and its Empires” (published by William Collins William Collins ). They discuss how forests have been both a refuge and an enemy across Russian history, how deeply that history is tied up with national identity, and the surprising parallels with North American expansion. 

🔗 Read the full interview via the link in bio.

📚 You can purchase “The Oak and The Larch” alongside other shortlisted books at a 10% discount on our website.

 

06/08/2026

Hidden Histories: AIDS, Activism, and Hope in Soviet Russia: Rustam Alexander in Conversation with Dan Healey
26 September, 3–4:15 pm | Pushkin House Book Prize Festival

This panel will explore the AIDS crisis during the tumult of perestroika, centred around Rustam Alexander’s shortlisted book “AIDS in Soviet Russia: A Story of Deception, Despair and Hope” (published by Manchester University Press ). Alexander draws on archival research and personal testimonies to uncover the human impact of the AIDS epidemic: the targeted disinformation, the disregard for life and civil rights, and the networks of solidarity and gay activists who sought to tackle the crisis amid governmental failure.

Alexander will be joined by Dan Healey, an expert in the history of sexualities and gender in modern Russia. Together, they will shed light on these hidden histories of illness, exclusion and activism; on the relationship between the q***r community and the state; and the intersection of healthcare, politics, and the rights of marginalised people.

📚You can purchase “AIDS in Soviet Russia” and other shortlisted titles with a 10% discount at Pushkin House Bookshop online. Tap the link in our bio to learn more.

Talk: Hidden Histories: AIDS, Activism, and Hope in Soviet Russia

05/08/2026

Interview with Mikhail Fishman | Pushkin House Book Prize

As part of our ongoing series featuring the 2026 nominated authors, Prize Founder Andrew Jack speaks with prominent Russian journalist Mikhail Fishman about his shortlisted book, "The Successor: Boris Nemtsov, Vladimir Putin and the Decline of Modern Russia" (Pushkin Press , 2026).

In this discussion, Fishman explores the realities of working in exile, the stark political and personal contrasts between Nemtsov and Vladimir Putin, the suppression of independent media, and how the updated English edition of his book traces this historical arc to its tragic culmination in the invasion of Ukraine.

🔗 Read the full interview via a link in our bio.