On December 5 and 6, Paris will host the BazarOff book fair, organized by the Ivan Turgenev Russian Public Library in honor of its 150th anniversary. Founded in 1875, La Bibliothèque Russe Tourguenev is one of the oldest Russian libraries in Europe and an important center of intellectual life for Russian émigrés in France. The library is celebrating its anniversary with a large-scale two-day program.
The fair will be held at BULAC — Bibliothèque universitaire des langues et civilisations
Address: 65 rue des Grands Moulins, 75013 Paris.
Working hours:
• December 5 — 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m.
• December 6 — 10:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Admission is free for all events, except for two programs:
• Concert by poet Alexander Delfinov (with French subtitles) — December 5 at 7:00 p.m.
• Live broadcast of the podcast “Zakladka” with Ekaterina Shulman and Galina Yuzefovich — December 6 at 7:00 p.m.
Large and independent publishers and projects are participating in the salon, including
Les Éditeurs Réunis, samtambooks, FRESH Verlag, Meduza, Sandermoen Publishing, Echo Books, Skoryna-press, Schrift Publishing, VidimBooks, Memorial, Interbok, Khvost, Tien Theater, and others.
The program includes:
A fair featuring new samizdat publications, discussions on contemporary literature, a meeting with the Zakladka podcast, a concert, a children's program, a book club with Olga Velavichyute, a professional section for libraries, New Year's souvenirs, and autograph sessions. An exhibition on samizdat as a form of circumventing censorship since the 19th century will be open in the BULAC reading rooms (curators: Aglaia Acheshova and Benjamin Gishar).
BazarOff is conceived as an open cultural space without borders or censorship. The organizers welcome parents with children, researchers, librarians, Slavic scholars, book market professionals, expats, and anyone interested in Russian literature and book history.
What Are the Objectives of the Award?
The primary goal of the Award is to support authors and promote Russian-language literature worldwide. We welcome all who write and read in Russian, regardless of citizenship or place of residence. We aim to foster a Russian-language culture free from political and imperial influences.
How Is the Award Process Conducted?
The Award is given annually. The jury votes, with each member selecting between one and three works. The winner is the author whose work receives the most votes. Additionally, a reader’s vote (Crowdfunding) is conducted on the Award’s website, where readers can vote for authors and support them financially.
What Awards Are Provided?
The winner of the Award receives a grant to translate the work into English, French and German. Also, as part of the reader's vote, all collected funds are transferred to the authors for whom the readers voted.
When Does the Submission Period for the Competition Start and End?
Прием заявок на конкурс второго сезона премии начнется 1 сентября 2025-го и закончится 15-го октября 2025 года.
When will the list of finalists and winners be announced?
В январе 2026 года Совет Экспертов объявит список финалистов. Читательское голосование начинается в тот же месяц. В феврале-апреле члены жюри читают книги-финалисты, а победителей Премии и читательского голосования объявят в мае 2026 года.
What are the conditions for the nomination of a book for the award
В конкурсе второго сезона могут принимать участия произведения, изданные в 2024-м году. Произведения (роман, повесть, сборники рассказов и эссе, документальная проза), вышедшие отдельными изданиями или опубликованные в журналах. Номинировать на премию имеют право как издательства и редакции журналов, так и сами писатели или третьи лица (с согласия и письменного подтверждения автора). Тексты подаются к рассмотрению в электронном виде. Премия «Дар» открыта для всех авторов. Учитывая главные цели премии: продвижение современной русскоязычной литературы за пределами РФ и характер самого вознаграждение (грант на перевод) - приоритет будет отдаваться авторам, чьи произведения ранее не переводились на английский, французский и немецкий языки.
