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Lolotta in Paris

“Lolotta and Other Parisian Stories” is the first book by Russian writer Anna Matveyeva to be translated into Polish. A finalist for prestigious awards such as Bolszaja Kniga and Nacyonalnyj Bestseller, the author met with Polish readers on February 25, 2019. Excerpts from the book were performed by actors from Teatr Nowy in Poznań (Maria Rybarczyk, Karolina Głąb, and Zbigniew Grochal) during a performative reading.

The book explores the concept of “everyone’s own Paris”—whether it be the French capital, a new housing estate, or a Russian village named by Cossacks in the 17th century. In Matveyeva’s stories, Paris becomes an elusive goal, an escape, a home, or an exile, transforming the characters and serving as the driving force of the narrative. Another significant setting is Yekaterinburg—a city on the border of Europe and Asia, full of contrasts, sometimes harsh or dangerous, yet capable of offering solace. Matveyeva’s prose, often described as Ural magical realism, combines warmth and universality with humor and reflection, avoiding pathos and sentimentality.

Anna Matveyeva was born in 1972 in Yekaterinburg, where she still lives. She is the author of 17 books, popular in Russia, and her work has been translated into Italian, French, Czech, Chinese, and Finnish. “Lolotta and Other Parisian Stories” is her first book published in Polish.

POLISH STAGE ARTISTS FOUNDATION

PLAC TEATRALNY

CULTURAL DIPLOMACY – INTERNATIONAL ART PROJECTS

POLISH STAGE ARTISTS FOUNDATION
PLAC TEATRALNY
Cultural diplomacy · International art projects

POZNAŃ · LITERATURE · 2019

Lolotta in Paris

An encounter with Anna Matveyeva, a performative reading and a conversation about the many faces of Paris.

25 February 2019 · Teatr Nowy in Poznań

Anna Matveyeva at the Lolotta in Paris event

Anna Matveyeva’s first book in Polish

“Lolotta and Other Parisian Stories” is the first book by Russian writer Anna Matveyeva to be translated into Polish. She is a finalist for the prestigious Russian Big Book and National Bestseller awards.

Matveyeva describes different “Parises” — from the French capital and a Russian village named by Cossacks to symbolic places that become a destination, an escape or a home for her characters.

Yekaterinburg also appears in the book — a harsh yet comforting city on the border between Europe and Asia. Matveyeva’s prose is warm and sometimes funny, but can also be bitter, avoiding grandiloquence and cheap sentimentality. She portrays people with all their weaknesses, in whom readers can easily recognise themselves.

A performative reading and conversation

Date and venue25 February 2019
6 pm

At the event, actors from Teatr Nowy in Poznań presented excerpts from the book. After the performative reading, the audience had an opportunity to talk with the author and the translators.

Maria Rybarczykactress at Teatr Nowy in Poznań
Karolina Głąbactress at Teatr Nowy in Poznań
Zbigniew Grochalactor at Teatr Nowy in Poznań

Anna Matveyeva

Anna Matveyeva (Анна Матвеева) was born in 1972 in Yekaterinburg, a city that frequently appears in her books. She has been writing since the 1990s and, at the time of this event, had published 17 novels and short-story collections.

Her work, described as “Ural magical realism”, has been translated into languages including Italian, French and Chinese. “Lolotta and Other Parisian Stories” is her first book published in Poland.

Event gallery

Photographs document the performative reading and the conversation with the author at Teatr Nowy in Poznań.

Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 1Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 2Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 3Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 4Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 5Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 6Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 7Lolotta in Paris — event photograph 8