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The Russian Roulette prize-winner understood how these things work:
Vasily Aksyonov who received a $15,000 Booker award for his novel, The Voltairians, told reporters: I have never received any literary awards. This time I was lucky: my old friend, Vladimir Voinovich, happened to chair the jury.
They were surely joking -- but ...:
Vladimir Voinovich, in turn, did not argue and said, The decision of the jury is certainly biased, and, certainly, incorrect. The winners will be awarded more than one ruble, an apple and a bottle of vodka. V.Aksenov becomes the winner of the "Booker – Open Russia 2004 literary prize

Literature & Art Across Biases: Ach, The Writing Life (What Life?)
Oh good, someone agrees with me! There are many pitfalls in a literary career, including convincing folks you have one. Writers, like Pavlov’s dogs, actually do learn, and after jettisoning all that romantic baggage that books are about what’s between the pages, they see with clear eyes the genius of the marketplace. The book business has never been more about moving units, though hawking novels, even the big ones, can be much harder than selling wet dog turds.
I’m a big boy, I could handle what was coming: They didn’t want to publish another word of mine. I was cool with that, I’d expected nothing but cold-blooded business. Still, I was under contract to produce another book. I wrote that book. But when I sent the manuscript, Serving Monster, to my editor, she informed me that, unbeknownst to me, I had violated my contract — that it was late and it wasn’t the book they’d wanted anyway. I knew then that I was going to get gotted.
• That this Kaiserish big-ass publishing house was going to come down on me [Rex Sorgatz: Hotter than Potter ]
• · My Favourite Book Every one has one. What is yours? [Arts body to shed limbs as new funding dries up. On the chopping block are the council's new media and community cultural development boards Australia Council To Be Rethought otter than Potter ]
• · · May we offer our mea culpa.. The competition for attention was tough and the logical approach was to go with the big names Many worthy books go unreviewed and short-changed.
• · · · Dam stoppers - iron curtain, salmon, anchovies and shrimp, which all have "decent amounts" of omega-3 fatty acids Only a poem by Jozef Imrich can be perfect ; [Captain James Cook & Soldier Svejk ]
• · · · · If a man is not trying to undress you, he's not into you Women are buying He's Just Not That Into You by the truckload to understand their failing relationships
• · · · · · Simon & Schuster Viacom taking more of '60 Minutes' time