Poet from Belarus Irina Karenina became the winner of the special prize of the forum "Golden Knight"

XVII International Slavic Literary Forum “Golden Knight” was held in Moscow. By tradition, it opened on the birthday of the poet Mikhail Lermontov. In the assembly hall of the Sretensky Monastery, the forum participants – writers, representatives of the Russian Orthodox Church and state structures – discussed the problems of literary education in the Union State.

- In the beginning there was a word, and the word was with God, and the writers forgot it. They began to work not in the name of God’s providence and to raise the soul of readers there, but began to think about the market, about how they will be sold, and the market dictates its conditions in the cinema and in the theater.

The winners of the forum were well-known authors from Russia and Belarus. In the nomination “Poetry” awarded the editor-in-chief of “Literary newspaper” Maxim Zamshev, in the nomination “Prose” – a famous Pskov writer, Chairman of the Board of the Pskov regional branch of the Union of writers of Russia Igor Smolkin-Izbortsev. He also received the Patriarchal Literary Prize named after Saints Cyril and Methodius. In the nomination “Publicistics” the best were Elena Kryukova and Inessa Pleskachevskaya. Other laureates include historians Andrei Sorokin and Marina Frolova, literary critic Nina Yagodintseva, children's writer Yuri Baranov, as well as translators Elena Afanasyeva and Andrei Popov. The highest award of the forum, the Alexander Pushkin Medal “For Outstanding Contribution to Literature”, was awarded to the poet and playwright Timur Zulfikarov.

The special prize of the jury “Golden Knight” was received by the famous Belarusian and Russian poetess Irina Karenina for the poetry collection “Wolf Grass”.

- Recognition of colleagues and professionals is always pleasant, - said Irina Vasilyevna. - It is doubly pleasant to receive the recognition of the Golden Knight, which has always been more than just a literary forum for our common cultural space of Belarus and Russia. This is a real community of like-minded people and patriots, people who are sincere and caring, writers who continue high classical traditions in their work.

According to tradition, before the ceremony, a round table “Problems of literary education in modern Russia” was held. It was attended by the founder and head of the forum, People's Artist of Russia Nikolai Burlyaev, head of the Publishing Council of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Kliment of Kaluga and Borov, famous writers and scientists.

The International Cultural Forum of Nikolai Burlyaev “Golden Knight” since 1992, despite all obstacles, unites figures of cinema, theater, music, literature and fine arts under the motto “For moral ideals, for the elevation of the human soul”.

Photos provided by the organizers of the forum.