Despite his simple words and laconic sentences, he is one of the most difficult Russian authors to translate for the simple reason that so much remains hidden between his words.

ECONOMIST: Russian writers

Mr Kokh said he earned almost all his money by selling a book on Russian privatisation to a Swiss publisher, a feat that will have other authors scrambling for the number of his literary agent.

ECONOMIST: You show me yours, Boris

The festival, which takes places across Oxford University venues, will host authors and panellists from 20 different countries including Polish historian and essayist Adam Michnik and Russian writer Mikhail Shishkin.

BBC: Oxford Literary Festival 2013 begins