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.