Svetlana, the main character of my first novel, is a teacher. To develop her, I used many of my own experiences in different educational systems around the world. However the funniest and most touching stories in Svetlana’s biography are the memories I collected from other teachers: during our staff room coffee breaks (which are more tea breaks for Russian teachers), conference lunches, impromptu meetings in libraries, etc…This is why I love teaching – there is no end of colourful individuals, each one with a story to tell.

When you graduate from the journalism school at Moscow State University it comes as a delightful surprise that you are now a qualified teacher of both Russian language and literature (which explains why you spend sleepless nights reading Dostoyevsky’s collected works or Pushkin’s personal correspondence with the obscure Vyazemsky).

However, whereas there are many opportunities around the world concerning Russian language courses, there are only a handful of positions every year to teach Russian literature.

Nevertheless, as it is my true vocation, I took the bold step to create a 10-hour Russian literature course for foreigners. It spans two glorious centuries of Russian literature from Griboyedov to Chekov, from Bunin to Sokolov and includes the classics that all my Russian friends keep on their bookshelf.