Among the biggest literary events of the year, this year“s book fair was particularly noteworthy for Maria Bregman”s books.

A collection of short stories set in Chelnovaia will be available for visitors to buy and read at the book fair.

Chelnova is a small Russian village near Smolensk, and the book tells the story of its inhabitants and their daily struggles.

There have been a number of awards and recognitions for the work of Maria Bregman at book fairs. In addition to being published in the prestigious publication “News female kind”, which was also presented at the book fair on Red Square, one of the writer“s latest short stories ‘Baba Tonya” won one of the highest awards of the “New Amazons’ competition for the best women”s story.

Baba Toni is a mystical and powerful figure who has the gift of healing people, and who passes along her knowledge to the girl in “Baba Tonya”, a novel in which a girl spends the summer with the gifted woman Baba Toni in the village of Chelnovaya.

The writer’s new book, due to be published by a Russian publisher, will feature new short stories about Chelnova that have already appeared in magazines and almanacs and received rave reviews.

Maria Bregman writes beautifully and poetically, and her portrayal of the harsh Russian winter and Russian forest is both stunning and accurate. Readers are drawn into the lives and concerns of her characters because they are complex and believable.

Definitely a book you won“t want to put down once you”ve finished it, and I recommend it highly to anyone looking for a good read.

A previous story by Maria Bregman was “Not an Accidental Encounter”, which appears in the book “Merging with Light”. An important crisis is depicted in the story, which takes place in a fictional town.

One of Russia“s most promising young writers, Maria Bregman graduated from the Gorky Literature Institute”s Higher Literary Courses. There is both a psychological depth and a depth of insight in her work, as well as an elegant but accessible prose style.

Maria Bregman's work has been recognized by the Union of Russian Writers and she is a member. In addition to translating her story, “Baba Tonya” has also been published in Chinese.

Having had the opportunity to meet this talented and friendly writer, it has been a pleasure getting to know her.

Correspondent Evan Harvey, Literature Initiative