Petropol Art Award statuettes: Saint Xenia of Saint Petersburg and Fyodor Dostoevsky. Sculptor: Sergei Alipov.
Research into the international reception of Milorad Pavić has brought to light evidence that the Serbian writer received the Petropol Art Award (Художественная премия «Петрополь») in Saint Petersburg on 18 September 2003.
The distinction had not previously been recorded in the archives of the Milorad Pavić Legacy or in the list of his awards published on khazars.com. It is documented in contemporary Russian newspaper reports from September and October 2003, as well as in a subsequently published list of award recipients.
On 20 September 2003, Nevskoye Vremya listed Pavić among the laureates, citing his "metaphorical understanding of the world."
On 1 October 2003, Chas Pik reported that Pavić had not attended the ceremony but that a telegram of thanks attributed to him had been read aloud. Among the other recipients was theatre director Aleksei Slyusarchuk, who had staged a work by Pavić at Saint Petersburg's Osobnyak Theatre.
Radio Svoboda also reported the award on 19 September 2003, including comments from one of its founders, Nikolai Yakimchuk, about the importance of international cultural connections.
The Petropol Art Award was established in Saint Petersburg in 1999 to recognize achievements in culture and the arts.
The award is now being added retrospectively to the documentation of Milorad Pavić's international distinctions. The original certificate, statuette and message of thanks have not yet been located in the Legacy's records.
Russian press sources from 2003:
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Aleksandr Ures, "Лауреаты 'Петрополя' получили свои награды," Nevskoye Vremya, 20 September 2003
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"'Петрополь' отмечает тех, кого любит," Chas Pik, 1 October 2003
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Tatyana Voltskaya, "В Петербурге вручены художественные премии 'Петрополь'," Radio Svoboda, 19 September 2003
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"Псковскому драмтеатру им. А. С. Пушкина вручена премия 'Петрополь'," Pskovskaya Lenta Novostey, 22 September 2003
