The judges spent a lot of time discussing whether or not Maria Stepanova’s novel is ‘fiction’. Discover why - and decide if you agree.
- Shortlisted
- The International Booker Prize 2021
- Published by Fitzcarraldo Editions
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Maria Stepanova’s unique portrait of a family is imbued with rare intellectual curiosity and a wonderfully soft-spoken, poetic voice
The story of a seemingly ordinary Jewish family that somehow managed to survive the myriad persecutions and repressions of the last century. Following the death of her aunt, Maria Stepanova discovers a withered repository of a century of life in Russia: faded photographs, old postcards, letters, diaries, and heaps of souvenirs. In Memory of Memory combines these items with a vast panorama of ideas and personalities to offer a bold new exploration of cultural and personal memory.
Maria Stepanova
Maria Stepanova is a poet, essayist, journalist and the author of 10 poetry collections and three books of essays
More about Maria Stepanova 
Sasha Dugdale
Sasha Dugdale is a poet, writer and translator. She has published five collections of poems, most recently Deformations in 2020
More about Sasha Dugdale Actor Fiona Shaw reads an extract from In Memory of Memory
Actor Fiona Shaw reads an extract from In Memory of Memory, written by Maria Stepanova, translated by Sasha Dugdale and shortlisted for the International Booker Prize 2021.
This clip was created for Edinburgh International Book Festival in partnership with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and directed by Blanche McIntyre.
The past speaks with a multitude of voices and working with it is a collective process
