On Sunday March 19, Mayflower Bookshop marked the Dutch Book Week with an interview with Maxim Osipov, Russian refugee, author and publisher. Osipov was interviewed by Mayflower’s Freek Bouricius in a packed Mayflower Bookshop on his life, his work, his recently published book Kilometer 101 and his reasons for leaving Russia and coming to Leiden. Subsequently, the audience had ample opportunity to put their own questions to the author, many on his views of present-day Russia and his own short stories.

Leaving Russia days after he criticized Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Osipov holds a guest lectureship at present at Leiden University, teaching a course on Russian short stories. Next semester he will be teaching a course on books by Leo Tolstoy, such as Anna Karenina and War and Peace. He is also working on the publication of a literary journal in Russian and English.

The afternoon concluded with a signing session and an informal gathering.

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