Harriman Institute Writer in Residence Maria Stepanova has long played a central role in post-Soviet culture as leading poet of her generation, essayist and editor-in-chief of Colta.ru, the enormously influential online publication. The prestigious Andrei Bely Prize and Joseph Brodsky Fellowship are among her many awards. Her novel In Memory of Memory solidified her reputation with the Big Book Prize and the NOS Literary Prize, not to mention the dozens of translations and reviews that have appeared in the international press. The English translation by Sasha Dugdale (New Directions, 2021) was shortlisted for the International Booker Prize. You can read an excerpt from the work in the Summer 2021 issue of Harriman Magazine.
During her Columbia residency Stepanova will teach a 1-credit course, titled “Between History and Story: (Post) Memorial Literature in the Post-Soviet Space” (March 25-April 15, 2022) and deliver a major address, along with a reading of her poetry. The Harriman Institute has also organized a symposium to discuss her work.
In addition, the Harriman Institute is sponsoring a Translation Contest for best translation of a Stepanova poem, to be chosen from a set of two.
Photo by Andrey Natotsinsky.