How will Russians respond when they discover Corinna Bille’s Tales and Alpine Stories? The answer will come in early December, duringMoscow’s international book fair, at which Switzerland is the guest of honour. Irina Balakhonova Nicolet, co-founder of Muscovite publisher Samokat, seized the opportunity to introduce the famous Wallis writer to a young Russian public.
In a year that has brought numerous causes for celebration between Russia and Switzerland, this publication comes as another instance of bilateral collaboration because a Geneva painter of Russian descent, Marfa Indoukaeva, will be illustrating the work. The book will come to Geneva’s own book fair, next May.
Two Russian women are behind this coproduction: two mothers who wanted to offer their kids their very own literature.
“We’re looking to give them literature that’s adapted to their age group, something intellectual that will open their minds on another aspect of western culture than just consumerism.” Balakhonova Nicolet explained. For this reason she and another mother created the publisher Samokat in 2002, so they could devote themselves to publishing for young people.
“We want to help young Russian readers discover books that have left theirmark on the places they came from,” said Balakhonova Nicolet. Samokat’s catalogue boasts 25 books from western and Russian authors, most well-known, such as Isaac Bashevis Singer, Michel Tournier, JMG Le Clézio or Dino Buzzati.
The publisher employs seven people in Moscow and one in St. Petersburg. They cover the collection’s renewal, including the translation, illustration and distribution of their books. Married to a Swiss, Balakhonova Nicolet spends half her time in Switzerland and half in Russia, and she’s in charge of affairs in both France and Switzerland.
Samokat’s finances aren’t always smooth sailing. The company stays afloat thanks to hard-won subsidies, sales and the founders own investments – the Russian book market isn’t easy to navigate. “Publishers can’t set book prices, said Balakhonova Nicolet, productions costs are more or less on par with Switzerland, but editorial costs rarely go above 4 Euros.” The hurdles, however, far from discourage the editor: “Children’s literaturemakes profits everywhere in Europe except Russia, where this market is still underexploited.” So it’s not inconceivable that an investor should come along and strike a partnership with Samokat.
Samokat may not yet be rolling in gold, but its reputation is well-established in key circles. “Professional schools in Moscow and St. Petersburg regularly call on our expertise in current youth literature.” The founders never expected a cake walk, hence the name Samokat, which means child’s scooter in Russian.
“Etymologically, this means ‘that which moves on its own.’ Considering our modest budget, we wanted our publishing house to capture this image.”
