A publisher specializing in original non-fiction titles and scrapbooks, Boslen's has published several book novelties in the midst of a pandemic and general quarantine in 2020.

Folk Costume

In early 2020, the publisher's folk costume series was expanded with a book on breastwear as the upper part of traditional Russian costume, "Shushpan, Dushgreya, Corset. Breastwear in traditional Russian costume' by Elena Madlevskaya and Tatyana Zimina.

The book is the first publication of the Breastwear Collection from the collection of the Russian Museum of Ethnography (REM) in St. Petersburg. The album presents a selection of original breastplate garments from the collection of Russian folk costumes. The book was created on the basis of the collection of Russian clothes of the Ethnographic Museum. It is worth mentioning that collections of the Museum include items of the 18th - 20th centuries, commonly worn in the peasantry on the territory of the Russian North, North-West, Central Russia, southern and south-western regions, Volga region, Pre-Urals, as well as in Siberia.

The structure of the album is defined according to the regional principle, where types of breastwear of different cut and decoration were combined with ponewa, skirt or sarafan depending on the region where they were worn.

Earlier in 2019, the book "Patchwork: History and Traditions" by Elena Kolchina was published in the same series. The album also contains information about the textile items made in the patchwork technique, which are stored in the collections of the NEM. The book contains about 100 patchwork items and for the first time they were able to fully reveal the theme of traditional patchwork of different peoples of Russia. At the same time, the text describes the basic materials and techniques of the historical patchwork. This publication is not a basis for researchers, but is of interest to all those interested in the technique of patchwork.

Poetry and Translation

In cooperation with the Institute of Translation, the publishing house "Boslen" published two new books in 2020: a collection of poetry translations by Marina Tsvetaeva and a bilingual edition of the supernarrative "Zangezi" by V. Khlebnikov.

The first book is published in collaboration with the House-Museum of Marina Tsvetaeva and is a collection of poems translated by Russian Silver Age poetess Marina Tsvetaeva - "Marina Tsvetaeva. In the Lights of the Working Lamp. A Collection of Poetic Translations".

The publication is a chronicle of the creative path of Tsvetaeva as a translator, which reveals the biographical circumstances at the time when she performed one or another translation. The collection is arranged in such a way that the translation of the poem comes immediately after the original, making it possible to visually note the care and attention with which Tsvetaeva approached the translation. The book also includes research articles about the translator Tsvetaeva and documents related to her translation work, unknown facts of her biography, names of previously unidentified authors, and a number of unpublished texts. The publication will be of interest not only to researchers in the field of literature and translation, but also to all those interested in the life and work of Marina Tsvetaeva.

In cooperation with the Institute of Business and Design, "Boslen" has published a literary and graphic reading of the key work of Velimir Khlebnikov, his supernarrative "Zangezi". The publication of the book coincides with the 135th anniversary of Velimir Khlebnikov, Russian poet and prose writer, as well as one of the most prominent figures of Russian avant-garde. Fifteen authors, including the leaders and artists from the creative studio of Boris Trofimov, participated in the development of the art project, with the help of which the bilingual edition of the supernarrative "Zangezi" in Russian and English (translated by Paul Schmidt) has been created.

The first presentation of the book was held at the House of Poets at a creative evening in memory of the poetess Elena Kotsyuba in March 2020. Another presentation of the edition was held as part of the 4th Frankfurt Book Fair Publishing School and the Garage Museum in the online format.

The book created a furor not only on the Russian market but on the international as well. Thus, the presentation was to take place at The London Book Fair 2020 in London, which had to be postponed because of the pandemic.

About the company

Boslen was founded in 2002. During that time the company has evolved from a production structure into a publishing house specialising in original non-fiction titles and albums. The publishing house is distinguished by a special attitude towards polygraphic level of the book, a search for new forms and design solutions, a striving for technological innovation, as well as enthusiasm and a wide range of creative interests.

Products

Publishing house "Boslen" publishes books of the following literary directions: fiction, biography and memoirs, children's literature, natural sciences, art and art criticism, history, literary criticism, history of folk costume and applied literature.