Pioneer Summer

“[Pioneer Summer] sensitively charts the process of falling in love for the first time. The relationship between Yury and Volodya, blossoming in difficult circumstances, is tenderly described. It is, at heart, a classic story of young love triumphing, however briefly, against the odds … The book is more than a breakout hit. It is also the catalyst for the latest legislative assault on L.G.B.T.Q. rights in Russia.” * NEW YORK TIMES *
This tender gay love story from debut authors Malisova and Sylvanova explores illicit desire at a Soviet summer camp … As the story unfolds, it reinforces the message that there’s nothing abnormal about gay desire, evoking the sweetness and innocence of young love as well as its emotional torments in ways that feel powerfully universal. It’s a delightful tale of self-determination. * PUBLISHERS WEEKLY *
“Pioneer Summer is a slow-burn romance made for readers who want to immerse themselves in pining that stretches across decades, a tenderhearted love story that shows us love can bloom in nearly impossible conditions.” * BOOKPAGE *
“A decade-spanning, deeply felt romance set in an unlikely location, a Soviet-era summer camp … An impeccably crafted romance that has captivated readers.” * PUBLIC LIBRARIES ONLINE *
“The #1 bestselling TikTok sensation that sent readers into a frenzy, made international news, and catalyzed one of Russia’s largest-ever crackdowns on LGBTQ+ representation is publishing in English for this first time this June. Pioneer Summer follows 16-year-old Yurka, who is sent off to a summer camp and finds himself drawn to an older boy who leads the theater department. The consequences of acting on their attraction to each other would be severe – but that doesn’t change how they feel about each other.” * QUEERTY *
“If you’re up for a little romance this summer (and who isn’t?), then look for Pioneer Summer.” * THE WASHINGTON BLADE *

Elena Malisova was born in a provincial Soviet town in the late 1980s, where she lived until she moved to Moscow in the late 2000s. Growing up, she wrote poems that were published in small local newspapers. Sylvanova and Malisova met in 2016 and together began working on Pioneer Summer. In 2022, amid a wave of death threats both authors were receiving, Elena left Russia. She currently lives in Germany.

Kateryna Sylvanova was born in Kharkiv, Ukraine. After graduating from university, she moved to Russia, where she worked in a shoe store and spent her free time writing. In 2022, after Russia began its full-scale war against Ukraine, Kateryna left Russia and returned to Kharkiv.

Anne O. Fisher’s most recent translation is Ukraine, War, Love: A Donetsk Diary by Ukrainian writer, journalist, and historian Olena Stiazhkina. Fisher and her husband, Derek Mong, are the incoming coeditors of the literary journal At Length. She condemns Putin’s ongoing war of aggression on Ukraine.

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