The author of this poetry book is Viktor Kiryushin, a journalist, poet, translator, and book publisher. He won the Governor’s Literary Award named after Robert Rozhdestvensky in 2018. The jury praised his collection of poems “Angels of Anxiety and Hope”.

In 2018, 8 people from Moscow, Yaroslavl, Novgorod Region, Rybinsk, Orel, Syktyvkar, Ryazan, and the Altai Territory were in the running for the award. The award was presented as part of the Robert Rozhdestvensky Literary Festival at the “Yar of love” in the village of Kosikha, the poet’s homeland. The winner received the right to publish a book in the Altai Territory — the collection of poems “Clouds over the Garden” became that book.

Viktor Kiryushin is the author of five poetry books and many translations from Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Georgian, and French. He was born in 1953 in Bryansk. He graduated by correspondence from the Faculty of Journalism of Moscow State University and dedicated his life to working on periodicals and books. In different periods of his life, Kiryushin worked as the editor-in-chief of the publishing house “Molodaya Gvardiya” (“Young Guard”), headed the magazine for family reading “Ochag” (“Fireplace”), served as the editor-in-chief of the magazine “Selskaya Nov” (“Village news”).

Kiryushin is also a laureate of the Platonov International Award in Literature and Art, the “Russian Stil” competition in Germany, and the F.I. Tyutchev Prize. His most famous poetry collections are “The Path”, “Alternation of Darkness and Light”, “On the Eve of Snow and Love” and “The Inevitable Tenderness”.

For the first time, the Governor’s Literary Award named after Robert Rozhdestvensky was awarded at the 6th Rozhdestvensky Literary Readings dedicated to the 80th anniversary of the poet, in 2012. Then, a Moscow poet Viktor Verstakov won the competition. Poets from all over Russia can apply to participate.