Simonyan Wins Book of the Year for Prose Novel

Simonian became the recipient of the "Book of the Year – 2026" award.

Consensus

Margarita Simonyan received the 'Book of the Year' award in the 'Prose of the Year' nomination.
She shared the award with writer Sergey Shargunov.
The winning work is Simonyan's novel 'In the Beginning Was the Word — in the End Will Be the Number.'
The award was presented during the Moscow International Book Fair at Gostiny Dvor in Moscow.
The novel was published on July 31, 2025.
The award is given to books published by Russian publishers and the Union State between August 1, 2025, and August 1, 2026.
Simonyan co-wrote the novel with her husband, director Tigran Keosayán.
Simonyan stated she wrote the book to encourage people to turn to God.
The award ceremony included a video message from Simonyan recorded at the Eastern Economic Forum.

The article includes a critical review of Simonyan's novel by Nikita Sungatov, accusing her of sacralizing political language and aligning Christ with Putin, which is not reported in other sources. — tg_republicmag
The longlist of the award was initially published with 29 works, but later included 30 books, including Simonyan's, after a 'very unpleasant mistake' was admitted by organizers. — tvrain
The longlist was initially published with 29 books, but the official website and Telegram channel showed 30 books, including Simonyan’s, and the post was later edited. — tg_tvrain
Simonyan stated in a video message that she wrote the book with her husband and read each draft to him, emphasizing the emotional significance of the award for her and her family. — m24