"Tomsk III Festival Book Sales": which books will be available for purchase at the festival in Tomsk. Part I
Tomsk Book Fair 2025: A Sneak Peek at Publishing Giants
Only a month remains until the fourth Tomsk Book Fair, part of the annual "TOM" Art and Literature Festival, set to take place in Tomsk University Grove. Here's a preview of some publishers you can expect to find at this literary bonanza!
After a successful debut in 2022, the festival, jointly organized by the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin and Tomsk State University, has since been renamed the Festival of Art and Literature "TOM" and has been held twice in September. The fourth edition of "TOM" will take place from May 15-18, 2025.
Although the detailed program for the festival has yet to be announced, it's confirmed that the main stage, aptly named "TOM Square" - located before the main university building - will once again host a unique book fair. Organizers promise an impressive lineup of around 30 publishers, including well-known names and smaller presses whose works may be hard to find. The book fair will run on May 15 from 2 PM to 7 PM, and from May 16-18 from 11 AM to 7 PM.
Pushkin Museum Publishing
Irina Prokhorova, the publisher of "Pushkin Museum," will participate in the Tomsk festival. For example, "Sviatoslav Richter. I See Music: An Unreleased Catalogue of the Exhibition" was presented on March 20, marking Richter's 110th birthday. The exhibition, for which the catalog was prepared, was cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic. The book includes memories of Irina Antonova (director of the museum from 1961-2013) about Richter, specially recorded for this project.
Tomsk State University Press
The primary mission of this publisher is to support academic education, scientific research, innovation, information, cultural, and educational activities at the university. As a result, the works they will present at the fair, which include educational, scholarly, periodical, and cultural titles, are all printed on top-tier printing equipment.
Alpina (Prose + Non-Fiction + Bel Lettre + Marshmallow Books)
Alpina is a large publishing group that combines several well-known brands. Four of these labels will participate in the Tomsk festival. "Alpina.Prose" and "Alpina non-fiction" hardly need an introduction. On the other hand, "Bel Lettre" and Marshmallow Books are relatively new entries: the former specializes in romantic women's literature, while the latter caters to fans of manga and Asian novels.
Grapho (Saint Petersburg)
Grapho publishes books exclusively from contemporary authors, discovers new talents, experiments with design, formats, genres, materials, and themes. The publisher creates artistic books for children and adults, informational literature, art books, graphic books, and coloring books. At the Tomsk festival, Grapho will present a new release: a fairy tale-fable called "Haviushka" by Oksana Serebryakova.
Ivan Limbach Publishing (Saint Petersburg)
"Ivan Limbach Publishing" focuses on the release of books of humanities profile with high scientific and editorial preparation and high-quality printing. According to the publisher's founder Ivan Limbach, it's crucial for a book to contain something new: a theme, the author, illustrations, supplementary materials. This year, the publisher will celebrate a notable anniversary - 30 years since its founding.
Laiwbuk (Moscow)
The creative publisher "Laiwbuk" has been releasing fiction, engaging non-fiction, realistic stories about extraordinary people, and contemporary poetry for 20 years. Special attention is given to ironic, absurdist, comedic literature, and playful texts. Among the authors of "Laiwbuk" arewell-known web poets and musicians, famous scientists, and topical bloggers.
"Garage" Museum Publishing (Moscow)
Books published by this publisher focus on contemporary art and culture, issues of inclusivity, and museumology. In addition, the museum publishes scientific research, including translations and books in English.
At the Tomsk festival, "Garage" will showcase its bestsellers, including books like "The Birth of the Soviet Woman" by Nadia Plungyan, "Anna Bronovitckoiy", "Nikolai Malinin and Yuri Palmin "Moscow: Architecture of Soviet Modernism 1955-1991. Reference Manual," "Robert Berda "Andrei Tarkovsky: Elements of Cinema," and "Alina Moiseev "Balconies: Why Are They Like That."
A variety of new releases will also be available for purchase, including "Krasnoyarsk: Architecture of Soviet Modernism 1955-1991" (authors Boris Chukhovich and Olga Kazakova), "Utopia in Snow. Social-Architectural Experiments in Siberia, 1910-1930" (author Ilya Apatin), and "Tashkent: Architecture of Soviet Modernism 1955-1991" (authors Tatyana Gromova and Alla Itina). Several of these authors will also participate in the festival program.
Sibir' na stratsakh (Novosibirsk)
This publisher specializes exclusively in authors from Siberia, aiming to acquaint readers with Siberia through the works of local authors, while also helping writing Siberian authors expand their audience. They publish a mix of fiction, business literature, regional studies, and children's books.
"Belaya Vorona" (Moscow)
This publisher's unique selling point is printing contemporary and already established authors from Scandinavia, Western Europe, and North America. When selecting books, "Belaya Vorona" focuses on book quality and illustrations. "We don't ask the question 'What will this book teach?' Instead, we avoid stereotypes and aren't afraid of uncomfortable topics," they say on their website.
"Belaya Vorona" has been releasing books for children, teens, and parents since 2013. For example, Russian translations of books by Sven Nordquist, Maria Gripe, Turbjørn Egner, Stefan Kast, Jean-Claude Mourlevat, Ulf Stark, Iu Yisländer, Bel Kaufman, and Meg Rosoff are available. Stay tuned for more updates on the Tomsk Book Fair 2025!
- In 2025, Marshmallow Books, a label under the Alpina publishing group, will be one of the 30 publishers participating in the Tomsk Book Fair, showcasing their works in manga and Asian novels.
- Online-education seekers may find the educational and self-development books published by Tomsk State University Press beneficial for their learning journey during the Tomsk Book Fair in 2025.
- Entertainment enthusiasts could enjoy the unique and humorous books published by "Laiwbuk," a creative publisher specializing in absurdist, comedic literature, and playful texts, at the Tomsk Book Fair in 2025.
- For those interested in contemporary art and culture or museumology, books published by "Garage" Museum Publishing will be available at the Tomsk Book Fair 2025, featuring a variety of titles on these subjects.
- By attending the Tomsk Book Fair 2025, one can discover titles from publishers like Sibir' na stratsakh, specializing in authors from Siberia, or "Belaya Vorona," focused on translations of books from Scandinavia, Western Europe, and North America.
