It’s that time of year again where book-lovers across the city take their nose out of their favorite novel and head down to the Central House of Artists. Ignore its unwieldy name, the International Book Fair for High-Quality Fiction and Non-Fiction is now in its 18th year and bigger and more bookish than ever before. This year's edition will shine a spotlight on the U.K book industry, so expect big names like Sebastian Faulks, Emma Healey and Andrew Davies on the program.
Visitors can enjoy hundreds of events, from book presentations to talks by the leading authors on the U.K scene, to debates about the contemporary publishing industry, special seminars for translators and, of course, a huge book market where you could easily spend half your month’s salary on the best new releases.
With an overwhelming number of high-quality events to choose from, we thought we’d share our top picks with you.
The Non/Fiction Book Fair takes place at the Central House of Artists through December 4. 10 Ulitsa Krymsky Val. Metro Park Kultury. moscowbookfair.ru/eng
Jonathan Coe
State-of-the-nation satire
Jonathan Coe presents the sequel to his hugely popular — and hugely funny — novel “What a Carve Up!” to Moscow audiences. “Number 11” is a satire that takes an uncompromising view of Britain’s future: food banks are widespread, tax avoidance is rife and reality TV is the only respite from life’s hardships. In conversation with journalist Natalia Kotcheva, Coe will talk inequality, satire and the state of modern Britain.
Dec. 1, 5 p.m.
Jenny Broom
A spotlight on children’s fiction
Author and editor Jenny Broom talks about how she started her career, how her job has evolved and her experience of launching Wide Eyed Fiction, a new publishing house that specializes in children’s literature. From publishing a bestseller when competition is fierce to the need for non-fiction books that encourage children’s innate curiosity, Broom offers a comprehensive view of the children’s industry.
Dec. 2, 1 p.m.
Andrew Davies
Screenwriter and film adapter extraordinaire
Screenwriter, translator and poet Julia Idlis will sit down and talk with Andrew Davies, the U.K.’s most celebrated screenwriter. Davies is perhaps best known these days for the new BBC adaptation of “War and Peace,” but his projects also include “Pride and Prejudice” and the original British “House of Cards.” The two will explore the process of transferring a work of art from one medium — the page — to another — the screen, and they’ll discuss other issues of creativity, language, culture and politics.
Dec. 2, 6 p.m.
Sebastian Faulks
A compelling and much-loved author
A uniquely talented writer, Sebastian Faulks is able to create fiction that is both hugely popular and commendably literary. He is best loved for his wartime novels set in France, including “Charlotte Gray” and “Birdsong.” His most recent novel, “Where My Heart Used to Beat” transitions from World War II to the 1980’s through psychiatrist-narrator Dr Robert Hendricks. In this session Faulks talks work, life and fiction.
Dec. 3, 2 p.m.
Laline Paull
Bees and revolution
Award-winning novelist and playwright Laline Paull will talk about her debut “The Bees,” a dystopian novel set, you guessed it, in a beehive. In the novel a low-level bee rebels agains the totalitarian system in the hive and fights for her future. In an earlier session at 1:30 p.m., Paull will discussing with translators how best to work with the unique language of a dystopian world.
Dec. 3, 3 p.m.
Julian Barnes and Yury Saprykin
A bicultural meeting of minds
Julian Barnes, one of the most celebrated, best-read, and most renowned writers in the U.K. is going to spend an hour talking with Yury Saprykin, one of Russia’s most astute cultural observers and writers. Together they will discuss literature, culture, cross-culture novels and works of art. Barnes, who won the Man Booker Prize in 2011 for “The Sense of an Ending,” has just completed a new novel about Dmitry Shostakovich called “The Noise of Time,” about “the clash of art and power, human compromise, courage and cowardice.”
Dec. 3, 5 p.m.
Emma Healey
Breakthrough young novelist
Emma Healey, winner of the Costa First Novel award, had nine publishers battle to woo her for the rights to her first novel “Elizabeth is Missing.” The bestselling mystery continues in contemporary trend for novels with an unreliable narrator. In Healey’s novel, it’s Maud, a woman who continuously goes to the shops, forgets what she went for, and buys tinned peached. Healey will discuss death, dementia, and bookselling in her session.
Dec. 4, 1 p.m
