The Hertfordshire Press Award for outstanding achievements in shaping and promoting the literary heritage of the Eurasian countries in the international space took place on November 29 during the 8th international festival Eurasian Creative Week in Greenock, Scotland.
The festival events and award ceremony brought together creative people and diplomats from 15 countries. Literary figures who have published their books with the UK publisher Hertfordshire Press over the past two years were traditionally awarded certificates and statuettes for their professional excellence and for building humanitarian ties both within the countries of the Eurasian space and beyond.
In the Critics’ Choice category, the award winner was Viktor Slipenchuk (Russia) for his collection of novels and short stories ‘Zinziver,’ published in English in 2024.
The book was translated by Anton Kovalenko (Canada), and the English-language adaptation was edited by Francesca Mepham and Laura Hamilton (United Kingdom). ‘Zinziver’ was previously published in French and Chinese, as a symbol of the development and strengthening of international humanitarian and cultural ties, which was also emphasized by the head of the Hertfordshire Press publishing house, Marat Akhmedjanov. “Language and traditions are among the most important manifestations of culture. And we proudly specialize in translating authors from Eurasian countries into a variety of languages of the world and publishing their books in London, making their works available to a global audience for over 20 years,” he said.
Viktor Slipenchuk is undoubtedly an outstanding person, and his biography is worthy of separate study. During his life, he mastered many amazing and complex professions from a geological prospector and zoo-technician to a sailor and journalist. This rich life experience formed the basis of his works, filled with life-like characters close to the readership, which makes his books so popular in various corners of the world. At 83, he continues to work to promote the cultural heritage of Russia and the countries of the former Soviet Union. He is a Guardian of the Eurasian Creative Guild (London), an international organization created to support writers, musicians, artists, filmmakers and many other creative professionals in more than 70 countries.
The book is now available from the publisher’s official online bookshop, discovery-bookshop.com.
Hertfordshire Press is a British publishing house that unites English-speaking readers with Eurasia through the publication of books, magazines, and guidebooks by authors of the region. Since 2002 the publishing house has specialised in the publication of modern fiction and popular scientific literature by Eurasian authors, as well as the republication of works of past years which are not available in English.
