National Bestseller

National Bestseller is the annual Russian Literary Prize awarded in the town of St. Petersburg for the best novel written in Russian within any one calendar year. The award was established in 2001 by Victor Toporov, the Russian writer, translator, and literary critic. The motto of the prize is “To awake the famous!”

A long list for the Prize is drawn up by nominees appointed by the Organizing Committee, encompassing the entire spectrum of literary schools and tastes. It includes representatives of the major publishers, literary journals, literary critics and prominent writers.

There are four procedural stages for the National Bestseller Prize: the announcement of the nominees (January), the announcement of the long list (February), followed by the announcement of the short list (April), and finally the winner announcement ceremony (June).



  1. Vladimir Sorokin, The Day of the Guardsmen
  2. Vadim Babenko, The Black Pelican
  3. Ludmila Ulitskaya, Daniel Stein, Translator, Eksmo (2008)
  4. Lena Eltang, Bramble Shoot
  5. Ilya Boyashov, Path of the Missouri River [Winner]
  6. Dmitry Bykov, Living Souls


  1. Zakhar Prilepin, Sanka
  2. Sergei Dorenko, 2008
  3. Paul Krusanov, American Hole
  4. Igor Sakhnovsky, Lucky and Mad
  5. Dmitry Bykov, Boris Pasternak [Winner]
  6. Andrei Rubanov, Plant and It will Grow


  1. Zakhar Prilepin, Pathology
  2. Tatiana Moskvina, Death: it's all Men
  3. Oleg Zajaczkowski, Sergeyev and the Town
  4. Oksana Robsky, Casual
  5. Mikhail Shishkin, Maidenhair [Winner]
  6. Dmitry Bykov, Evacuator


  1. Victor Pelevin, DPP (NN) [Winner]
  2. Vera Galaktionova, Winged House
  3. Valentin Rasputin, Ivan's Daughter, Ivan's Mother
  4. Ilya Masodov Devils, Devils
  5. Andrei Turgenev, Arcachon Month
  6. Alexander Chervinsky, Pinecone Forest


  1. Vyacheslav Degtev, Cross
  2. Sergei Korovin, Farewell to the Body
  3. Paul Krusanov, Bom-Bom
  4. Dmitry Bykov, Spelling
  5. Alexander Garros, Alexei Evdokimov, [Head] crucher [Winner]