Press Release, 26.01.2026

Photo: Yevgeny Bunimovich at the launch of the book “Time of Others” / Photo by the Yabloko Press Service

Yevgeny Bunimovich, member of Yabloko’s Political Committee, Honoured Teacher of Russia, author of school textbooks, writer and poet, has been awarded the Order of the Znamya literary journal for continuous and fruitful collaboration. Znamya has been publishing Bunimovich’s poetry, prose, essays and memoirs since the 1990s, yet the award still came as a surprise to the writer.

Znamya is one of Russia’s oldest and most respected literary journals. In the 1980s, when it was headed by the frontline writer Grigory Baklanov, the journal acquired a reputation as the “flagship of perestroika”. The journal has maintained its commitment to democratic ideals to this day. Every January, Znamya awards a prize to authors published during the previous year. This year’s prize laureates are: Renat Gilfanov, Maria Ignatieva, Afanasy Mamedov, Stanislav Sekretov, Alexander Snegiryov and Roman Timenchik. The Order of Znamya for continous and fruitful collaboration with the journal has been awarded to Yevgeny Bunimovich and Leonid Bakhnov.

It should be noted that Yevgeny Bunimovich has been collaborating with Znamya since the 1990s, and in 2012 he became a laureate of Znamya’s annual prize for the documentary novella “Ninth Grade. School Number Two”. It should also be noted that laureates of the journal’s prize in different years have included Bella Akhmadulina, Fazil Iskander, Viktor Pelevin, Yuri Arabov, Sergei Gandlevsky, Olga Sedakova and other renowned literary figures.

In 2025, Yevgeny Bunimovich published a book entitled “Time of Others”, and some of the essays collected in it were also first published by Znamya. Moreover, in 2025 one of the sections of the journal’s issue in June was dedicated to Yuri Shchekochikhin, a journalist and member of Yabloko.

Yevgeny Bunimovich says that the news of the award came as a surprise, despite his many years of collaboration with Znamya:

“I certainly don’t have my works published there for awards and honours. The very fact that my poetry, prose, essays and memoirs appear in Znamya is important to me; it is a sign of recognition by the professional community, one of the most significant signs in the field of literature. I feel close to the circle of authors published by Znamya, and it is all the more gratifying to be part of the history of the journal – a leader amongst classical literary publications.”

There is a literary tradition in Russia that has its roots in Alexander Pushkin’s times of the early 19 century, Yevgeny Bunimovich notes: before a work is published as a separate book, the author presents his creation in a literary journal. This is part of the professional ritual, but if it concerns publishing a work in Znamya, it is also an indicator of a high level, recognition and trust.

At the same time, Znamya does not simply continue the traditions formed over decades, but also discovers new names and attracts new authors, Yevgeny Bunimovich says:

“It seems to me that at one time my works were somewhat avant-garde for Znamya, but that did not prevent the journal from taking the risk of publishing them. And today Znamya continues not simply to preserve traditions, but to see what is new, discover writers and poets, give them a voice in the professional environment, whilst remaining one of the most serious professional peaks for authors. This is particularly important today, when a young writer can effortlessly publish any journal online or put out their work on the internet in a matter of seconds.”

It should be noted that all laureates of the Znamya journal prize traditionally deliver a “mini-Nobel speech” at the award ceremony, as these addresses are jokingly called in literary circles. The texts of the 2025 laureates’ speeches will be published in the March 2026 issue of the journal.