Books in Russia....

The first decade of the 21st century saw a sea change in the publishing business in Russia, with heavyweight publishers finally showing an interest in “serious” literature rather than just lucrative potboilers.

Most of these stalwart devotees are women, which is another major sign of the times. One of the most popular novels to be published in the past two years bore the symbolic title The Time of Women, and its author, the St Petersburg university professor Elena Chizhova, was catapulted to fame by winning the Russian Booker prize in 2009.

Women in Russia read more than men for many reasons. Housewives often have more free time to read. Plus, a majority of school and university teachers are women, and reading is an essential part of their job.
For a career woman, reading is important because, even in the world of literature, she tries to be head and shoulders above the men with whom she has to compete in the workplace.






More on:  http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sponsored/russianow/culture/8431774/Russians-return-to-serious-literature.html  Image Source: Online