Marathon televised reading of War and Peace begins today

A live televised reading of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy (d.1910) begins today, the finale of the “Year of Literature” in Russia.

The reading will take place over four days, from 8 – 11 December, with one volume of the novel to be read per day. It will be streamed live on Russian state TV channels Rossiya K and Rossiya 1 and radio station Radio Mayak, as well as online.

It is expected that a total of around 1300 people will take part in the reading. A host of well-known personalities and hundreds of members of the public are due to participate, live-streamed from a range of locations throughout Russia and around the world. These locations will include places relevant to the novel itself, such as the throne room of the Hermitage and the “Yasnaya Polyana” Tolstoy memorial museum. Of particular note, astronaut Sergei Volkov will take part from the International Space Station.

The reading will also take place in a variety of foreign languages, the foremost of which will be French, the language spoken by many characters in the novel. French actress Fanny Ardant will represent France in the project.

Proceedings begin at 10am Moscow Time on each day of the project, which has an expected total duration of 60 hours.

2015 has been named the “Year of Literature” in Russia, with hundreds of events to celebrate Russian writers and poets taking place across Russia throughout the year.

Source: Rossiya K (in Russian)